CAT | Writing
Time to divide the wants from the needs? We all face that time, some of us many times in our lives. When that happens, be sure to prioritize carefully.
One thing that you need to continue supplying is good educational toys and books for your kids. You don’t need a lot of them, but you do need some. Children need to have their minds stimulated in different ways. Teaching them economics is one way, but don’t use that as an excuse to completely cut out their entertainment. Having good children’s books is a must, no matter what. Search for the best buys and keep their minds growing.
Remember that the difference between wants and needs will look a lot different to you than it does to your kids. You can’t just give them whatever they want, but you certainly do need to consider their viewpoint and what things truly are needs.
I’ve been out of college for a long time. And I was never really one to procrastinate, leaving my twenty page paper until the day before it was due. So all-nighters were sort of unfamiliar to me. Maybe a couple times I was up until 4 or 5 am, studying for a huge final. But that was it.
So when, at the age of 35, I found myself sitting at my computer from 8 am until 8 am (with occasional bathroom breaks!) I was stunned. For almost 24 hours, I was typing away, chewing my fingernails down to the quick, drinking coffee like it was water, and munching on junk food. The weirdest part? I didn’t even have a deadline. I just happened to have an idea for a screenplay, and I found myself unable to stop writing. The finished product was kind of a mess, and I submitted it for script analysis almost immediately, but it was still one of the better pieces of writing I’ve ever churned out. Certainly better than anything I wrote in college.
For the first time, I realized there was merit to the idea of writing from dawn until, well dawn. Typing manically on a caffeine-fueled brain that was sure to give out at any minute. It was immensely satisfying.
My screenplay consultant agreed. She noted the sloppiness of my first draft, but totally loved the script in general. I guess maybe I would have gotten better grades in some of my college classes if I’d taken after my peers and waited until the last minute. There’s something very stimulating about seeing a finish line and knowing you can get to it without stopping. Of course, the next day, I slept for about 27 hours straight. But that’s okay. The wrench in my sleep schedule was well worth it.
