Balance

This is a big one for a lot of people. How do you balance your writing with the rest of your life? I'm not so sure it's a balance thing. Balance implies precision, exactness, equality. None of those characteristics really apply to writing or to life in general.

So let's throw the whole idea of balance out the window with a good grunt and move on, shall we?.

Becoming a writer*, which will lead to becoming an author*, is simple. Sit down (or stand up I really don't care) and write.

Write. Write. Write.

Write while the kids play in the other room or at your feet, write while dinner simmers on the stove, write in the wee hours of the morning, write in the late hours of the night, write while you wait at the dentist or in the parking lot of the school. I had a friend who borrowed her neighbors spare bedroom for a couple weeks just to finish up a project. (It turned out fabulous, by the way, and she's living the rock star lifestyle.)


It all comes down to this little saying that hovers over my every day: If it's important to you, you'll find a way; if not, you'll find an excuse.

And that's it. There's no magic formula, no magic spell to get your kids out of your hair, no magic beans to transport you away. There's just you and your dream and your desire to make it happen.


*A writer is someone who writes, an author is published.