Wednesday, May 13, 2009

BIC Discipline

Every time I travel, which I do fairly frequently for business, I am reminded of how important it is to maintain writing discipline. I am also reminded of how undisciplined a writer I can be.

Theoretically, I should get a lot of writing done while I'm on the road. Most business meetings I attend start after 8am and end before 6pm. If I don't have to have dinner with a client, that leaves plenty of time for writing. But I rarely accomplish as much as I should. Maybe it's the change of venue. Maybe it's that huge television in the hotel room (and push-button access to ESPN) that demands attention.

Whatever. The old saw that the first rule of writing is BIC (Butt In Chair) holds true whether that butt is in its favorite writing space, a cramped airplane seat, or a hotel a continent away from home.