Writer Frustrations

I've been hearing a lot lately about writers who are frustrated because of one major problem. Time! I've always been one to say that we can make time for the things we want to do. And I still believe that is true in many cases. When you concentrate on frivolous things like sitting in front of the TV or playing computer games, you can use some of that kind of time for writing, if you really want to.

But, people who are not full-time writers have so many other important things to do that it is sometimes very difficult to create that bit of extra time for writing.

One writer I know teaches on a part-time basis, but lately she's been working at that job full-time. And now her mother is making a major move, so she's spending time traveling to another city to help sift and sort her mom's belongings. Add to that the everyday needs of a household and there's little time to set aside for herself. It frustrates her!

Then there's another writer friend who is a caregiver for an elderly mother, is involved in a quilting organization, has been adjusting to widowhood for a couple of years, and is now in the middle of a new romance in her life. She is passionate about writing but it's hard to fit it in right now. It frustrates her!

And now it's me! My calendar has something on it every day for the next few weeks. They're all things I need or want to do. Add to that, grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, cleaning and staying in touch with friends and family--suddenly my writing time has diminished considerably. There have been many days when my writing has consisted of posting here on the blog. It frustrates me!

I know the three mentioned here are not alone. All writers, especially part-time writers run into periods of life like this. If nothing else, jot down ideas that come to you for working on later. Look at your calendar and determine just when "later" might be. Make it a date to aim for. And try hard to keep to it.

This is only one of the little frustrations writers encounter. Definitely not enough time to list the many others here today. Someday, make a list of all the things about writing that frustrate you, and then counter that with one about the reasons you love and continue to write.