Timing is Everything by Nevada McPherson

Let’s welcome back monthly columnist Nevada McPherson as she shares with us “Timing is Everything.” Enjoy!

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I’ve been craving some quiet time to write this summer, wishing I could go to a retreat just to reside for a few weeks and create. 

On the one hand, I think I’d like to be free of the internet and all devices. 

Then I think I might like an hour of internet access per day. 

Then I adjust that periodically as I think of things I might “need” or want internet access for. 

What I really need access to are my inner thoughts and feelings and the place within where new ideas and stories originate.

It doesn’t matter whether I have internet access or not as long as I’m diligent about tuning into my creativity in a way that’s required to generate new material and to carve out a place where new material has the space to flourish. 

Distractions abound

Distractions abound and not all have to do with the internet or social media, though those can certainly be formidable ones to overcome. 

Outside that, there are tasks that must be completed and tasks that can wait, and the ability to discern which is which when it comes to one’s writing is key to good time management. This is a place where I sometimes succeed but often struggle. 

While it doesn’t seem particularly fun to think about time management just when the summer is heating up, I have so much to accomplish in the next couple of months that I don’t want to let a single day (well, no more anyway) go by without checking something off my to-do list. 

For this I have to prioritize and keep my list shorter, not longer. I’ve always heard that phrase “work smarter, not harder,” and I’m finally beginning to realize what that means. 

Timing, Focus, and Intent

Focus and intent will go a long way toward helping me achieve most of my goals this summer, and leaving room for spontaneity and recreation will also enrich the creative process. 

There’s a certain joy during the summer of each day being a blank canvas, but without focus and some degree of planning, I could find myself at the end of the summer looking back at a series of blank or unfinished canvases. 

I‘d prefer to have works-in-progress well under way, near completion, or ready to hang in the gallery for others to see and enjoy. 

Timing and Setting an Intention

So this column is my way of setting my intent. 

I wish you well on all your summer projects and goals.

Here’s wishing you also the time to play and dream. 

In addition to time management, balance is important, and may we all find that balance that works best in our lives and in our work! 

Happy writing!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Originally from Georgia, Nevada McPherson lived in uptown New Orleans for many years and now lives with her husband Bill and rescue Chihuahua, Mitzi in Milledgeville, GA where she is a professor of Humanities at Georgia Military College. Nevada received a BA in English/ Creative Writing and an MFA in Screenwriting from Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge. She’s written over a dozen feature-length screenplays, one short screenplay, a short play, short stories and two graphic novels, Uptowners and Piano Lessons. Queensgate, the sequel to Uptowners, is her third graphic novel. For more information, visit www.nevada-mcpherson.com.