Writin’ 9 to 5…

A recent article in a national newspaper bemoaned the fact that the working day has gone beyond the 9-5, Monday to Friday realm with the advent of the much maligned digital age.

I understand the journalist’s point that emails and texts from the boss or client or even the colleague, can and do invade the weekend junior footy match…if we allow them to. These pieces of digital masterpieces have an off button. But what about those of us who write? And do not try to tell me that writing is not a job. Let’s ponder this from a creative writer’s point of view; to wonder how many writers have ever or do stick to that Mon-Fri rule? With no consequences.

Notwithstanding the absolute necessity of social media, how many of us are able or willing to turn off our writing for the weekend? The whole weekend, every weekend.

A full time writer may be able to; those who work to a writing schedule on a daily basis (please sprinkle some of your discipline laced fairy dust in my direction), might be able to put the pen down to have a life for the rest of the day or week. But how do they stop the ideas from popping into their mind? Ah ha. No. They can’t, just like the rest of us they are unable to put them aside because it is Saturday and hope to pick them up again Monday at 9am.

This is not a new problem for writers; something which happened with the advent of emails, texts and twitter. There are ways to manage those, but if anyone has managed to stop the ideas and the manic rush for a scrap of paper at 3am on a Sunday, or even a crayon for the bathroom wall at shower time, I would like to hear from them.