Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Balancing Writing and Life



When I first became the punching bag in middle school (circa the 1990’s), I had more time to sit around reading and writing.  Of course this was back in a time when the internet was just starting, so I didn’t have all the resources like blogs and social networking sites.  Now that I have all these great tools to use as a writer to fight back and write back with…I suddenly have so many other things going on!

In my early punching bag years I would come home after school, do some homework, and then have time to sit and read or go roleplay in AOL chat rooms (yes I was one of those girls).  People weren’t calling me to hang out and I didn’t have a family to take care of.  Let’s roll to the present.  I currently work full-time, married, having my first child, and all of that while still trying to finish a novel to query and keep up with my blog and social networking schedule.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE blogging, reading, and writing so I do it as often as I can and this actually worked out for a pretty long time in which I had lots of free time to do these things.  Then the last few months of my pregnancy happened…  Now I find myself going to some kind of pregnancy class once a week, pre-natal yoga so that I can sleep, getting my house ready for a new child, and it seems like I’m traveling every weekend!  The punching bag is really starting to miss the days in which everyone ignored her and she could just sit by herself and read VC Andrews novels…

But *sigh* this is a reality for SO many writers, no matter what stage they are at in their career.  Veteran writers have to worry about meeting deadline while attending conferences and keeping up with their family life and us newbie writers have to balance our writing career with our current careers as a worker or busy stay-at-home mom’s.  It’s a never ending process and one that we all have to learn to balance.

 I did get half way through my final revision of HOW TO DATE AN ALIEN (thanks to a few snow days), but I don’t even know if I’ll get to devote the time to it again until March.  My goal is to have it done by the end of March and start querying shortly after (hopefully I can start before my daughter is born, but sometimes things happen).  Now it’s just taking the time to figure out how to balance the last of my revisions/querying with being a new mom.

How do you balance writing and life?  Do you have any big secret or schedule?  Do you miss those days when you had time to write and didn’t utilize it?

8 comments:

  1. My secret is that I don't balance it. I do one thing really well for a day or two and slack on the rest. We can't do it all.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know how you feel. Grad school has started again. Ack! My planner looks a mess. I used to be able to write 2,000 words a day but now I'm barely doing a thousand. But I tell myself that writing a few words a day is better than nothing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Right now I'm missing first drafts. Strange I know, but I fly like the wind in those drafts and love writing. These days I'm stuck in revisions and wishing for the same love I had for the story in the beginning.

    As for balancing - I lost years in survivor mode, working for a living to the point of 60-70 hour weeks. I'm in a better place to write now, but miss the energy driven enthusiasm I had back then. (Hugs)Indigo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Life gets busy, for sure. But, you make time for the things you love. I have altered my habits from watching TV at night to a time where I can just read and write - only watching my absolute favorite shows (like Castle) and only if they are new.
    Also, I carry a journal with me wherever I go, so if I find time to write – like at lunch or break times – I can just sit somewhere and write. Even if I have only five minutes to myself, I take it. "Wait for the opportune moment." - Yes, I would quote Jack Sparrow! LOL.
    Don't stress too much. I'm sure once you find a rhythm, you’ll find opportunities to write and read. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Balance is the hardest part of everything I do, I'm an all or nothing kind of person so I always struggle with balance.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well, there is nothing as exciting as newborn babies, so I hope you don't waste too much of your time pining after writing. It will still be there when your baby is older, but you'll never get those first few months back.

    As for me, I squeeze in what I can, where I can, and I go without sleep to write.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You're pregnant? WOW! Congrats! I must have missed something somewhere. Blame it on the Frenchman--that's what I say. When are you due? Anyway, I know what you mean about balance. It's hard.

    ReplyDelete
  8. you are so right, I try to write everyday but sometimes life just seems to take over. Now I;m just doing a blogging project to improve my writing and plot. I think I might attempt a second draft midyear. all the best.
    an admirer :P

    ReplyDelete

You should leave me a comment. It would probably make me smile and then I will probably comment back. Unless you are a spambot. Then I will probably just ignore you.