Wasting Writing Time

Or refilling my fuel tank for a better book?

Jul 07, 2025

This is a test to see if my weekly blog hop participation might attract some readers over here on Substack. You folks mostly know me as a commentator, but my real avocation is novelist. But I don’t want to spend my time on Substack telling other writers how to write, or market their books. or any number of other Substack publications do.

So, this is just a test and let’s see what happens. I have no plans to change my format here, just to maybe throw some alternative content in now and then.

July 7, 2025

What is your favorite way to waste time? (be non-productive) Bird watching? Long walks? Does it help your writing?

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So Much Waste…maybe

I “waste time” in a number of ways. I’m not sure which is my favorite. I love to read. I love to watch television. In the summer, I go for walks or bike rides. Today, I sat on the porch in the 90’F heat until I got all sweaty. In the winter, I’ll play video games.

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So many ways to “waste time”. And I do recognize it as taking time away from my primary purpose of writing novels.

Some people consider writing novels to be a waste of time. My mother-in-law was SHOCKED to discover that I was “still playing around” and thought I should read instead.

I think it was a famous entertainer who said you can’t please everybody all of the time. And that’s probably my life story.

What I know for certain is that I can’t write all of the time. I need other experiences to make myself a better writer. I need to read other authors’ books–listen to music–talk to neighbors–get a suntan–take my dog for a walk– watch television–go for a hike– in order to have a tank full enough to spill over into writing.

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Is it always productive? I don’t know. Some people don’t “waste time” but stare at a blank screen for hours trying to decide what to write next.

Is that more productive than playing a video game that inspires my next scene?

Aurora Watcher Alaska

Wasting Writing Time

Or refilling my fuel tank for a better book?

So Much Waste…maybe

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