Tag Archives: work life balance

Crazy Busy, or just Crazy?

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It’s been a long time between blogs. Life rushes along at a pace that sees us blink, only to discover we’re over halfway through another year. (When did that happen?!)

Sometimes I wonder how we get ourselves into such a rush. One thing, then another, and suddenly we don’t seem to have time to meet up with friends, watch movies with family, or take those trips to visit out-of-the-way places. (Let’s face it, even cleaning the house and weeding the garden can be a challenge!)

Sometimes I wonder whether there’s a hidden gear stick somewhere that, if we could just find it, we could bring the pace down a little.

And yet, in the busy many great things can happen. And have been happening. For me, there’s just not been as much writing as I’d like …

A question I’ve been asked more than once is how to maintain a consistent writing habit with everything else that draws on our time. Usually my response runs along the lines of there being different seasons in life, with a different focus. Sometimes writing must take a back seat.

Sounds philosophical, right? I even tried giving up writing six or so months ago. Unfortunately I didn’t factor on the characters in my head not getting the memo! (Hey, that’s not as bad as it sounds.)

The fact is we’re wired for story. Lisa Cron reiterates this over and again in her writing resources. (And if you don’t know who Lisa Cron is and you’re a writer, seriously, you MUST google her.) Even in the busy, even in the I-can’t-write-now seasons, we can’t (and shouldn’t) stop the stories. But the stories I’m talking about aren’t necessarily the next brilliant novel on our writing lists.

By stories, I mean those everyday narratives of life: the who-we-are and how-we-are-doing stories. The stories that empower us to connect, if we allow them time to be shared and received. And the more we learn about ourselves as humans, the more we understand the critical importance of meaningful connection. This takes time, of which we seem to have so little.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a writer or reader or neither, find someone. Find several someones. Somehow we need to find a way to pause the crazy-busy for a while and share our stories with each other.

Even if we have to find that magical gear shift and drop it down one for a while, I know it’ll be worth it.

A Right Time to Write?

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Lynne1-editedCan you believe we’re up to week four of the ‘Write Time’ series? Today we have another quality guest blogger, award winning author and professional editor, Lynne Stringer. Lynne has loved to write since she was small, and as a published YA author, magazine and newspaper editor and screenwriter, she’s been able to explore that dream across numerous genres. Today Lynne broaches a topic most writers will relate to – that wrestle to achieving a workable balance between crafting a new writing project and the demands of ‘real life’. Just days before we launch into the New Year, this is timely wisdom. Over to you, Lynne. 🙂

Is there a right time to write? It’s an interesting question and one I’m pondering a lot of late.

One of the problems with being an unknown author is that you have to have a day job or else you starve. You’ve also usually got a family and so you need to spend time with them, not to mention doing things like feeding them, cleaning the house, etc.

Also, once you’ve had some books published, you really need to spend some time promoting yourself and your books.

The dilemma then becomes—when do you find time to write something new?

I recently started a new job, and although we’re closed over Christmas, I’m still trying to catch up on fifty million (okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration!) other things I have to do. This is causing a little ball of pressure to build up in me because I’ve got an idea for a new story. Am I going to find the time to write it or even start it? I hope so. It’s not quite at the point where it’s knocking on the inside of my head, demanding to be released (yes, authors are weird!) but I don’t think it will be long before it is. I’ve just got to work out the resolution (that’s the bit at the end where everything is tied up) but I think I’ve got it, so soon the little voice of my story will become a loud scream, as it decides it’s time to come out!

One of the best things about this story is that I already know what it’s going to be called. That’s rare for me. I usually find it hard to think of titles. And I’m reasonably confident it’s a title that is useable, although I’ve been wrong about that before, so I’ll have to see if that’s the case.

But still, will I find the time to write it? What I need to do, of course, is make time. While that’s easier said than done, especially at this time of the year, I’m hopeful that soon will come that exciting moment when I sit down and write the first line. The only thing better than writing the first line of a story is writing the last.

theheir_cover silver award smallLynne Stringer has been passionate about writing all her life, beginning with short stories in her primary school days. She began writing professionally as a journalist and was the editor of a small newspaper (later magazine) for seven years, before turning her hand to screenplay writing and novels. Lynne currently works as a professional editor and proofreader. Her debut novel, The Heir, the first book in the Verindon trilogy, received the Literary Classics’ sliver award in young adult science fiction in 2014. You can connect with Lynne on Pintrest, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon and Twitter @TheHeirNovel.