Blog Chain: Elusive Balance

Source: Maxwell Holyoke-Hirsch

Lisa's farewell topic for the Blog Chain - The balancing act. How do you balance your writing time with everything else in your life--including, kids, job, book promotion?

Answer: I don't.

Honestly, this is just life, and balance is a lifelong pursuit for everybody. Somebody can think she's got it all figured out for a week or two, and then fate or God or the devil throws her a curve ball and it all falls apart again. 

Examples of curve balls in my personal life:

• death in the family
• near-fatal car accident
• pregnancy
• new baby
• restructuring the group blog

Then there are the things you choose, which come at you straight on like fast balls:

• coordinating with authors/agents on writing conference
• coordinating with authors/agents on mystery agent contest
• agent revise and resubmit (hasn't happened to me)
• editorial notes (hasn't happened to me)
• release week for your own book (hasn't happened to me)
• writing three books at once (living it, loving it)

Whether you choose your stress or merely suffer through it, balance is an ideal and not an actual destination. The best I can hope to do is cope. How do I personally cope with the struggle for balance? Why not throw some more bullet points in this blog post? :)

• Prioritize: God/spiritual health first, family (husband, kids, parents, siblings) second, career (blogging, writing, reviewing, reading, editing) third. This is the ideal, not the reality in most cases. But it does help to remember my ideal.
• Be flexible: Remember that the best-laid plans of mice and men are not going to turn out perfectly. This is easier said than done, too. It's disappointing to see a plan foiled by a curve ball. As fast as those fast balls are, at least they come at you straight, and you know what to expect. When something goes askew at the last second, that's the worst kind of stress. Expect detours.
• If all else fails, breathe: Literally stop what you are doing, take a breath, and do some purposeful relaxation. Yoga, running, ice cream, dance, karaoke... whatever does it for you personally. For me, it's running and ballet, or curling up with a non-required-reading book. 

Since I haven't had the fun or stress of publishing a book, my insights are restricted to juggling the usual writing-with-a-family stresses (well, plus homeschooling). 

For more insights from people further along in their publishing road, check out Christine Fonseca's thoughts from yesterday, and meet our newest blog chain member, taking Lisa Amowitz's place: Demitria Lunetta.

Welcome to the Blog Chain, Demitria!

Blog Chain: Daily Writing Goals

Sandra started this week's chain with the question:  

During National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), writers attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Do you set daily writing goals for yourself, either a certain word count or time spent on writing? Does this include other writing-related activities, like research, plotting, or revising? Do you focus on reaching the end of the journey (such as finishing your current project), or do you enjoy the writing process along the way?

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This is one of those questions that shames me every time I read it. No, I am not good at keeping a daily habit of writing. When I'm in the middle of a project, I generally write every day, but whether that ends up being a paragraph or ten pages depends on how relaxed I am and how open to the creative process. After a long day with the kids, some days all I can do is reread what I wrote yesterday, fix a few typos, and eke out a stilted sentence of dialogue. 

I have done Nano before and enjoyed the thrill of accomplishment at the end. This weekend my family is moving, so my husband and I decided it wouldn't be the best time for me to go on a writing binge. I am notoriously attention deficit while in the midst of a project, often zoning out during a conversation to think about how my characters would say something. 

Someday I'd like to be more organized in every aspect of my life: a time for school, a time for blogging, a time for critiquing, and a time for writing. 

That may have to wait until such time as I no longer have a baby in the house. 

My ideal would be at least a thousand words per day, or maybe one or two scenes per day instead. 

As for enjoying the process, it's pretty essential to my writing. If I'm not enjoying it, it usually means my flow is messed up and the words are coming out in an unsteady gallop of irksome goo. 

You can imagine that's not very encouraging to my delicate artistic sensibilities. :)

How about you? Outside of NaNoWriMo, do you make and keep a daily writing goal?

Also check out Christine Fonseca's blog for all her latest Libera Me news and giveaways!! And tomorrow, Lisa Amowitz will answer this week's question.