Are There 25 Hours in a Day?

If you're in a creative rut, The Artist's Way will peel you off the pavement, then The Creative Habit will set your mind dancing again.

I can hear my little sister’s reaction now: “Riiiight. So how’s that workin’ for ya?” she will ask me with one eyebrow up (her eyebrow goes up so high I can hear it over the phone). She knows me. She knows I like to DO things. And boy am I ever doing things right now!

I am in a groove, as Twyla Tharp would call it. Every time I take a walk, an idea for a piece of my novel or an entirely new book project springs into my mind. “Structure the book as an escape to the outdoors in the same way Robbe-Grillet structured The Erasers city in a circle to hint at the story’s ending!” I gasp into my iPhone’s voice recorder, and suddenly the whole novel gels and the symbolism that’s already central to the plot is perfectly sewn together. Sweet! It’s not effortless, but it’s the fun kind of working up a sweat.

If you include my full-time “momming,” I am currently working 75 hours a week, but I’ve never felt more energized. That is the definition of a groove, or it should be. All grooves come to an end, but I am riding this one like a wild horse. No way am I going to let fear or distractions or anything else deter me from getting every drop of fun out of this groove.

How did I get here? I don’t really know, but the one thing I’m doing differently this time that might have something to do with it is this: I’m not over-thinking my plans. I have plans upon plans–that’s what I’m so excited about!–but I am focusing on the short-term plans right now to explore these rabbit trails, then later I’ll see if I want to pick one trail above the others. I also took Pete Michaud’s advice not to make everything perfect before launching my new blog, and that has paid dividends in creativity and forward momentum. Thanks, Pete!

Two years ago I had barely worked up the courage to say aloud that I wanted to write at all. So my self-confidence has changed as well. All I can say is, it’s about time!

If you’re in a groove or remember a good one, how did you get there? If your groove turned to a rut, what caused that to happen?

“To Be A Writer, You Must Write”

Old Typewriter by Petr Kratochvil

Oh, man! I just love this post from writer Allison Winn on what separates published and unpublished writers (doing the hard work of writing!), especially the bit about letting plots gestate a bit in your mind before writing them down. I’m a few (okay, more than a few) paces behind her in the publishing process, so it encouraged me to hear that a successful writer has a similar writing process to my own. I definitely spend most of my “writing time” just thinking about my story, my characters, and what the next step is in fleshing out the story. (This works great with a full-time mom lifestyle, too, since I spend a lot of time away from the computer.) The post also gives me a kick in the pants to put in the hard work required to make my book a success. Thanks, Allison!

Balance

Balance a tabac, by Jean Poussin

Balance: It’s something I’m seeking in more ways than one right now. Being 5 1/2 months pregnant, I have to pause before I descend the stairs, or I am inclined to descend headfirst. Being 5 1/2 months pregnant, I also have to decide day by day how much work I’m going to pursue as a freelancer and try to predict (ha!) how much work I’ll be able to do once the baby comes. If I take on too much, my life will feel like falling downstairs, and I don’t want my baby to be neglected or overscheduled the moment she’s born.

I think I’m doing a whole lot better at this balance thing than I used to, but that’s not really saying much. Some days I’m happy to put up my feet and absorb the experience of not being harried–I know I’ll treasure it later–others I get anxious that there’s work out there I could be doing that I’m not searching hard enough to find.

Then I remind myself how serendipitous my move into freelancing (and motherhood) was, how things always work out, how God takes such excellent care of us and always makes good on His promises, and I go back to plugging away at the day’s work. One day at a time. One thing at a time. People before things, relationships and health before accomplishments. I look for more work when I feel able to handle it, and if it doesn’t like me back, it wasn’t meant to be. That’s the best I can do. And you know what the big difference is between today-Laura and yesterday-Laura? My best is good enough. Is that balance? It’s a balancing act, that’s for sure.

How do you achieve balance, particularly if you set your own schedule? It’s a challenge for everyone, but freelancers face this issue on a daily basis, and now I’m more aware than ever of what a challenge it is for the unemployed as well. Do you have a mantra that helps you get centered again, or a guidepost of how much is too much work (beyond just knowing you need to work enough to keep the lights on)?