Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Fitting it all in

So many of us have different jobs, obligations, and duties that must be fulfilled before we can write. There are children to care for, parents to care for, favors we dole out to our friends, volunteer work, and oh yeah - the 9-5 that keeps the roof over our head.


Yet we still write.


The road to being a published author is rocky, and let's face it - the odds are long, but we keep at it.


We toil away at the computer long after the kids are in bed and we're at it again before they wake. Perhaps you sit outside on your lunch break with a sandwich in one hand and your pen in the other. Maybe you carry a notebook with you everywhere, for you never know when inspiration will strike. You hope your books will one day be in bookstores, but even before that dream comes true, even now, it feels good just to write.


Sometimes after particularly trying days I wish I had more time. Often I'm writing during time I've chosen to spend at the computer over time I should be sleeping. I've jotted ideas or sentences down on a paper towel with my daughter's crayon. In the past, I've played hooky from work a time or two when I am cruising along in my WIP. I'm not published or paid yet, but I'm still at it.


I do believe the time I take to write pays off. Even if the pay is only the release I feel after I've finished something I can be proud of, it pays off. I also believe many great writers will never be published for the simple reason that they gave up.


Keep at it, friends. Find time to write. No, make time to write. And know that with every page, you have improved. Know that every word you write will pay off. In one way or another.

3 comments:

  1. bravo :D

    a beautiful post, Helena. i couldn't agree more!

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  2. Thanks for the inspiration. Wouldn't it be great to be independently wealthy? :)

    Marissa

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  3. Just 15 minutes a day I tell my tired self. And I can coax my weary behind my laptop for that. And 15 minutes usually turns into at least an hour. But if not, I've written a page at the least.

    I enjoy your blog, Roland

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