Friday Five: Distractions in the Writing Life

For the past week, I’ve struggled to stay up with my writing schedule. I’ve noticed that besides my decidedly strange mood, there have been distractions that have hindered my writing goals. Though I haven’t stopped, it is most definitely a struggle.

1. This Little Black Beast – Her name is Pippa, and she is now about 9ish weeks old. She showed up on my doorstep early one morning and stayed. It was time for a kitten. She is so dark that taking pictures is problematic, not to mention she nearly always in motion.

2. Summer, Just Summer – The days are long and have become hot. There are millions of things to do and often the last thing I want is to be sitting at my computer, writing. Except that writing is what I want to do. This battle is a distraction.

3. The Call of the Water – I haven’t been in my kayak yet this year – life is busy. But I can hear the call of the water and seek it out when I can. I have a friend with a small cabin on a tiny lake and some of my favorite times are spent watching the sun go behind the trees at the lake. I can write but mostly prefer to sit and enjoy the water.

4. Ordinary Life – Life doesn’t stop because summer is here. There is always work, dishes and laundry. Oh, and then there is grocery shopping because, well, you still have to eat, even though it is a million degrees and the last thing you want to do is cook.

5. Changes at Home – My husband and I have recently purchased a piece of property adjacent to our current home.  For the past two weeks, we’ve talked of little else. Will the deal happen? Yes, it finally did. What will we do with the one building on the land? What color to paint? Where are we planting the willow trees? My husband has been excited about this, and that is distracting because he wants to talk about it. He has been exceptionally chatty. Though it is fun to see, I still have work to do.

These are my top 5 distractions of the summer. What are yours?