I've been perceiving a shape like a dark cliff protruding. It's mostly perceived as synthesthetic response to a sound I keep hearing, a sudden quick rise of a base. It's the music I've been needing lately.
So I've fallen serious behind in all aspects of life but that's only because the writing hasn't gone so well in almost a year. I am dishing out pages like pudding from a cup. :D
Since I've getting near to the real career bit, let's talk about priorities:
I'm addressing everyone, but mainly young people because A) I am surrounded by them and B) I am one of them. So the harshness of my tone is reserved for myself and all others under 35.
First of all, stop whining about time. The great thing about time is that no one has more or less of it than anyone else! You decide what to do with your time, and you decide how much of your time you must dedicate to your survival (eating, sleeping etc). Some people have to give more time to that than others; some people need to work two jobs in order to eat and have shelter, for example. But every time you decide to use time, you are making judgement call about the importance of what you're doing.
Some, for instance, might wake up late once or twice and skip brushing their teeth so that they won't be late to class. If I wake up late, nothing about my schedule really changes because I consider my morning routine and morning writing to be more important than having an optimal reputation with a professor; but this also means that I decide to wake up much earlier than "necessary."
If you have time to do one thing over another, you are valuing that activity more than any other alternative. If you say you have no time to write, and then use your lunch break to eat lunch, (with the understanding that you will have dinner), you are valuing eating three meals a day more than your goal to write every day.
You might say that a lunch break is not enough time to write. That's legitimate; but when you give up something you once considered essential, something you once took for granted, you'll be surprised how quickly you learn to write something substantial in half an hour.
Or why not just eat with one hand? I find oral stimulation helps the writing process, anyway. Just look at all the smokers. Or MINT suckers *ahem* such as yours truly.
So I sure as hell miss throwing parties, I haven't really thrown one since early high school, yeah. But those hours are much better spent on self-reflection at my age, when I get the luxury to have it. So a REMINDER to those young people out there:
WHEN YOU'RE THIRTY AND UP, it's not CUTE anymore to change your mind about what you want to do and who you want to be. You get a very short window where people will actually SUPPORT any decision you make. Try to USE IT WISELY. Seriously. Don't realize you're a prodigy at 30, 35, 40. Realize it NOW. You'll get plenty of time later in life to try new hobbies and celebrate your life; I'm sure you're multi-talented yadayada. Youth is your chance to FOCUS. If you're lucky enough to get a decade or a few years where others will support you but you are still able to make your own decisions, that's golden. So don't get overwhelmed and crash. Just pick a thing you like; it's only one life. Calm down. Pick a thing you like and go do it, and someone will likely hire you by the time you have to support yourself entire, like.
Thin aired mountains have oceans as fresh surface; I dreamt of flying.