To Schedule or Not to Schedule

This week I created a school-like schedule for myself. Complete with free periods, gym, and SSR (silent sustained reading).

The main focus was to create time in my schedule to write.

Of course, I very quickly realized that I was not in fact a student anymore. And, as a non-student, I have non-studenty things to attend to. Also, as a non-student, currently seeking more employment person, my schedule needs to be flexible for interviews and such.

I also realized that the beauty of being a non-student, (f)underemployed person means that when your boyfriend calls you at 11am on a Monday and asks if you want to go to the movies (because he is a musician and not a 9-to-5 kind of guy), you can say, "Why yes, boyfriend! Let's go." Life may not always allow for such wonders. I decided to partake.

I bring all of this up because I am quickly realizing that I am not a scheduled writer. At least I don't think I am. I don't think I am the kind of writer who will yell curse words at friends and family who call at 9am because that is my writing time.

Maybe I should be that type of writer. They say writers should be disciplined. Need to be. Hmm...

Interestingly, when I was working all day, I was my disciplined. I made myself write in the morning.

I think I am more along the lines of "I need to write _____ words a day". Maybe that is why NaNoWriMo works for me. Hemingway wrote 500 words a day.

I went to the movies yesterday and then came home and wrote. Today, I wrote a bit in the morning and then after running errands, interviewing, and exercising, I wrote some more. Both days I got everything done I wanted to...just not at the time I had set.

So my writer/artist/creative type friends, do you schedule your writing/art/creative time or no?