Life Gets In The Way

There comes a time in every writer's world when Life gets in the way. Housework can wait just so long, and then it's time to move the dirt from the east to the west half of your house. Meetings have set times, so you don't get the story in your head written on the day of two Board meetings. If you're someone who enjoys people, social events draw you away from the computer on a regular basis. Appointments with your doctor, dentist, accountant and hairdresser demand your presence, too. Family gatherings pull you like a strong magnet.

You wonder sometimes what it would be like to have all day to write, a day with no interruptions like the phone and doorbell, e-mails waiting to be answered. Pure bliss to have peace and quiet and an enitre day to write to your heart's content. But Life gets in the way on a regular basis unless you become a total recluse. So what can you do about it?

You need to figure out a way to balance your writing world and your life activities. And that's not an easy task. Some things can be pushed aside. If you don't vacuum and dust on Tuesday, it will still be there waiting on Thursday, so go ahead and write that article on Tuesday. The parts of your life that involve other people need your attention at the proper time, and there's no getting around that. We have to show up at the doctor's office at the time allotted to us. Little choice there. But maybe you can set aside a half an hour later in the day to work on the article.

The key here is to make time for your writing. We make time for the things we want to do and create excuses for those we would like to ignore. If writing is something you truly want to include in your everyday life, make the time for it. Get up half an hour earlier or stay up half an hour later. Think about the time in the day that you fritter away and make that your writing time. But do make some time for writing every day.