I like me some structure

I'm reading "Writing as a Way of Healing" and it's actually really helpful. Not only for the ideas of how to write to heal yourself, but it actually gives some concrete ideas about when to write, how to organize your writing, creating writing goals, long term plans, etc. I think I have been fooling myself lately that I will one day get this lightning bolt of creativity, write a best seller, and live happily ever after touring the world and reading my work. So the fact that I haven't done that yet disappoints me inevitably.
But DeSalvo (the author of the above book) breaks it down. She says that writing isn't as spontaneous as we'd like it to be. Often we have to create scenarios so that when we do finally sit down to write, we have direction and focus. I'm not a night owl, nor do I have special things I need to do before I write, but I do need some structure. And I need to see writing as necessary (I believed it to be before this, but I always left it for times when I was too tired, bored, or REALLY upset...which created bad writing, to say the least). I need to care for myself as I write. I need to write the deep stuff, the real stuff, the hard stuff.
I cannot simply wait for genius, I need to create a space for it.
So to the dismay of my "flexible" self and the desire to "not be constrained by a schedule" (which I'm not sure I actually agree with) I am setting up a schedule for myself to write. I can easily get up for jobs, so getting up to head into the living room to write, should be relatively easy. I'm going to get a better keyboard and mouse today (ones that make the right sounds and feel good to the touch) and I will start my schedule on Friday.
I'll write for two hours on the days I work, and the other days I will do the prep work like reading, researching topics/ideas, and revising. I have many a stalled project that I want to get going on.
Scheduling my life has always been a strange balancing act. I don't want to be too rigid, but at the same time, I don't want to check email all day and then tell people I'm a writer...I want some real, morning-heavy time to write and get things out on the page. Hopefully writing in the morning will keep me from distancing from my friends (which I tend to do in favor of work/obligations). But this also means that I don't do morning stuff anymore. Lying around, leisurely breakfasts, etc. I guess I'm okay giving that up in favor of doing more of what I love.
I work out at 6pm everyday and although it renders my nights a bit useless, I still manage to interact with the world. I am not losing sleep as of yet, and I know that writing in the early morning has proven successful before. It's hard to get out of bed when I am an avid snuggler, but at this point, I really need to listen to the part of me that is dying to be up at 6am, writing, healing, and exploring through words. Making decisions to listen to that part of me is part of the battle and I believe it's a worthwhile one. I will work on some goals, plans, and further structure on Friday and will relay that. I hope to start putting some stuff I write into the blog. :)

Til then!