I'm finally doing a real blog post, now that it has probably been nearly a month since I did a decent post. Which brings me right to my topic, which I really hope I can organize into something that's not just going to come out as the jumbled mess that is my brain as of late.
Something that I've known for as long as I've been writing seriously is that there a million and one things that will get in the way of writing. There is always something else that needs to be done when you also need to be editing, writing, or plotting. There's always that mountain of laundry you've been ignoring for the past four days, there's always ten new Tweets that you just HAVE to read, there's always that gigantic stack of books begging you to read them. And there are always the people in our lives, kids, spouses, friends, siblings, etc.
Being a writer means becoming a master balancer.
Unless you have the immense pleasure of having your full-time career being writing and can work 9-5 everyday, with no distractions, you as a writer have to learn how to balance dealing with life, distractions, and writing.
Lately I've felt a bit overwhelmed with everything that's been going on in my life. There is just so much happening at all times, and there is always more that I could and should be doing. People often ask me how I manage to write so many books, be a mother to 2 very young children, and still deal with life.
Truth is, sometimes I don't manage. As of right now I have a sink full of dishes that need to be washed, a pile of laundry to be done, another pile to be folded and put away. I need to be getting things prepped to meet with my accountant tomorrow. And I REALLY need to edit about 30 pages of What I Didn't Say today. But life happened starting late last night, and low and behold, I have strep throat... again. I feel like total garbage today. This is my second bout in about 2 months. And with how sick I've been this winter, I'm about 2-3 weeks behind schedule with WIDS.
So how I manage is by just doing what I can, and taking things one day at a time. There are days that my house is a disaster but I managed to play with my kids, tromping through the woods and exploring, and I also managed to get 2 covers designed, and edit 40 pages. Those days I'm proud of my messy house. It means I got a lot done that day, even if it wasn't getting the house picked up.
To be a writer, and I mean a real writer, you have to learn to control distraction. There are so many times I think about how I would soooo rather be reading one of the couple dozen books on my shelf, or I'm so tempted to log into Facebook. But you learn to control that. Because you know why?
You love writing so much more than you love those distractions.
We are all only human. There are times when we need a break. There are times when we say "I just can't do anymore today". We don't have to be superman/woman everyday. We just have to be the best we can be for that day.
Something that I've known for as long as I've been writing seriously is that there a million and one things that will get in the way of writing. There is always something else that needs to be done when you also need to be editing, writing, or plotting. There's always that mountain of laundry you've been ignoring for the past four days, there's always ten new Tweets that you just HAVE to read, there's always that gigantic stack of books begging you to read them. And there are always the people in our lives, kids, spouses, friends, siblings, etc.
Being a writer means becoming a master balancer.
Unless you have the immense pleasure of having your full-time career being writing and can work 9-5 everyday, with no distractions, you as a writer have to learn how to balance dealing with life, distractions, and writing.
Lately I've felt a bit overwhelmed with everything that's been going on in my life. There is just so much happening at all times, and there is always more that I could and should be doing. People often ask me how I manage to write so many books, be a mother to 2 very young children, and still deal with life.
Truth is, sometimes I don't manage. As of right now I have a sink full of dishes that need to be washed, a pile of laundry to be done, another pile to be folded and put away. I need to be getting things prepped to meet with my accountant tomorrow. And I REALLY need to edit about 30 pages of What I Didn't Say today. But life happened starting late last night, and low and behold, I have strep throat... again. I feel like total garbage today. This is my second bout in about 2 months. And with how sick I've been this winter, I'm about 2-3 weeks behind schedule with WIDS.
So how I manage is by just doing what I can, and taking things one day at a time. There are days that my house is a disaster but I managed to play with my kids, tromping through the woods and exploring, and I also managed to get 2 covers designed, and edit 40 pages. Those days I'm proud of my messy house. It means I got a lot done that day, even if it wasn't getting the house picked up.
You love writing so much more than you love those distractions.
We are all only human. There are times when we need a break. There are times when we say "I just can't do anymore today". We don't have to be superman/woman everyday. We just have to be the best we can be for that day.
3 comments:
Awesome post, Keary, I can so relate (cept for the kids part - do furbabies count?? ;p). And hope you feel better soon!
I always enjoy reading your posts, but I enjoy this kind the most. I'm an aspiring writer and you give very encouraging advice. I really appreciate your blogs and I hope you feel better soon!
Thank you guys! I'm feeling a wee bit better today and hope I feel even better tomorrow and can get back to work on WIDS!
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