Make Time To Write!

I know you've seen this before, but I love these guys! They tell me what I already know, but they're so nice to look at that I let them tell me I should be writing every now and then.

I know they're right, but guess what? It's not always an easy thing to do. I had houseguests for 5 days, then left immediately on a 12 day trip. We arrived home yesterday and you know what that means--lots of laundry, mail to go through, newspapers to scan quickly so we know what was happening while we were away, groceries to purchase, housework, phone calls with friends and family, writers group to catch up with. Did I forget anything? I hope not as that list is long enough.

Even with the priority list above, writing is still going on in the back of my mind. I did a lot of thinking the past two days about what I wanted to write as we drove home through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and into Kansas. I even made a list. Now, I need to decide which writing project will be first, second and so on.

Yes, the guys in the poster are right. Writers should be writing! But we all have more to our life than sitting at the computer pounding out words, and sometimes those other parts take precedence. The trick is to try to find a balance. Don't let your writing life slide into oblivion, keep it near the top of your priority list. Make time for it.  Yes, that is key to keeping your writing life alive and well.

I make time to post something new on this blog five days a week. I make time to work on a new story or revise a first draft. And believe me, I don't always find it easy to make that time, but I usually can do it, even if it means shirking something else in my life a little. Hey, if there is a little dust on the tables, it's OK. Life goes on. If the ironing doesn't get done each week, I still have more clothes in my closet and I can catch up later. Someone once wrote an essay, or maybe it was a poem, called Dust If You Must. The message was simple but good--we shouldn't waste our time on an inane task like dusting every day when there is so much more to savor in life.

I'm going to make some time for writing this week-end. How about you?