HOW LIFE AFFECTS WRITING

I had two blog posts drafted this week – one a “how-to” about writing from an outline, and this one, which is a more honest reflection of what’s been going on.

First, I went on vacation. You might not have noticed that, because I had stockpiled some posts and scheduled them for release while I was away. But then I came back and two major things happened, which is why I have not posted for a couple of weeks.

• One, I did not feel refreshed and ready to get back to work. Book writing, magazine article writing and giving workshops did not energize me as they usually did; I felt exhausted at the prospect of working.
• Two, my friend Sue died suddenly of a heart attack at age 45.

Of course, any death causes me to ask the big questions: Am I doing what I want to do? Am I where I want to be? Are the people in my life the ones who I want? If the answer is no to any of these, it’s time to change. Because time might soon be up.

My answers were all yes to the big questions. But there was still the exhaustion. And as I thought about it, no wonder. January and February were relentless. Productive, but relentless. I wrote two magazine articles, conducted six workshops, completed a long and complicated request for arts funding. I drafted two chapters of the book, and then re-drafted them many times, trying to find my voice. Instead of feeling energized, I was exhausted. The fun had leached out of my writing life.

So obviously, it’s time to change. Here’s what I’ve decided:

• I’m going back to writing three days a week, instead of five.
• I am not writing any more magazine articles until after the book is done.
• The workshops are almost done for the season. Depending on where I am with the book, I’ll reassess whether I do any in the fall.
• I will no longer hold myself to the imperative of writing a weekly blog post. I’ll probably post once a week, but there will be times when I won’t. And that will be OK.

Because until my time is up, I want to enjoy my time.