Balancing Life And Writing by Bob Jones

  

Photo by Loic Leray on Unsplash

“Life balance is more about intentional imbalance.”

Brian Moran

Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

James Clear’s principle in Atomic Habits is like a neon directional sign pointing the way to wholeness.

I wanted to become a writer, and fortunately good advice came my way a quarter century ago. It was simply this:

Writers write.
So, write something every day.
It doesn’t have to be long or profound.
It doesn’t even have to be just right.
It does mean to just write.

Consistency rules.

Everyday I vote for writing.

Writing made me a writer and allowed me to live my life away from the keyboard.

Intentional Imbalance

So, every day, and usually at the start of the day, I write.

There have been seasons in writing a book that it was essential to invest long hours in segments everyday to complete the book on time. But those were short seasons.

Compared to the whole of my day, my writing time is way of out equalized balance with my other activities. I have a full time job at age 72. However, that is where Brian Moran’s quote comes into play. To balance life and writing is to live an intentional imbalance.

I must admit that I have to put a governor on my writing time because I love to write. How about you? I can get lost in writing, especially on Saturdays and realize 2-3 hours have gone by before I know it.

Energy Management

I’ve also learned that what is most profitable to manage is energy, not time. There are lots of books about time management but what created a breakthrough for me was an introduction to energy management.

Do what creates the most important results when you have the highest amount of energy.

I used to run first thing every morning and then work into the late afternoon. But my peak, creative energy is when I wake up. So, now I run or walk after 4:00 pm and start creating at 6:30 am.

Thank you for making time to read and if you will, comment.

Flexibility and Grace by Lorrie Orr

 

The famous lines of times and seasons in Ecclesiastes 3 tell us that “to everything there is a season.” How do you balance life and writing in the seasons of life? We all have lives that require physical presence away from the keyboard. What have you found helpful in maintaining balance? 

 

photo by Lorrie Orr

I get up early, dress quietly and close the door softly so as not to wake my husband. I go downstairs to make a cup of tea, then climb the same stairs up to my studio. A neat stack of pages sits on my desk, the growing height an indication of the words typed and printed yesterday and the days before. Moments of meditation and prayer are followed by a productive hour or two of writing before I eat breakfast with my husband. I clean up the kitchen and do a few chores before returning to my desk to deal with correspondence, business items, and perhaps some editing.

Oh, if only. It's fun to dream about an ideal writing life, but that's all it is, a dream. In my real life, there is a garden to tend to, grandchildren to entertain, shopping and cooking that must be done, and a plethora of other tasks and delights to distract me from writing. And that’s okay. I like my varied life.

Writers throughout the ages have faced the challenge of their writing lives. In his article The Daily Routines of 12 Famous Writers, James Clear writes of authors who get up early, of others who rent hotel rooms for writing, and others who spend their days teaching and write in slivers of time. The key takeaway for me is that every writer has an individual approach to balancing life and writing. It may take time to discover the balance, and it’s likely to shift throughout life.

Flexibility is a key word for me. When I am engrossed in a project, I find it easy to dedicate more time to it, and I do get up early to work in the hush of early morning. This is easier now that it’s just the two of us at home. When my children were younger, I would use the time they were at school to write my articles or write while they were doing their homework. I fit my writing around the daily routines of meals and teaching. I don't determine to write every day. I try to write four days in a week, usually in the morning, but not always. 

Sometimes I must be intentional about my writing. It’s easy to get out of the habit of sitting down to write regularly and much more difficult to get back into a routine. There, too, however, flexibility comes into play. It’s okay to take time off when life presents challenges or other opportunities. As a teacher, I’ve always found sticking to a schedule in the summer almost impossible. Now that I’m retired, I give myself permission to take summers off.

Grace is another key word when it comes to balancing life and writing. Or life and anything! I can become quite negative about myself when I let things slip and I fail to meet the goals I’ve established. I am learning to give myself grace and to rest in the loving presence of God who loves me whether I write a single word or not. And I realize that sometimes God has other things for me to do.

Some days writing takes the form of words added to the Notes feature on my phone, or capturing a few thoughts on paper while I’m in the kitchen preparing food. These are small steps, but each step forward brings me closer to my writing goals.

The writer of Ecclesiastes also wrote these words: 

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding

it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled 

with rare and beautiful treasures.” 

(Proverbs 24:3-4) 

As I build my life and my body of work, I want to be wise, and am so thankful that God generously gives his wisdom to me, and to anyone who asks him.

Lorrie Orr writes from Vancouver Island.

Her first book, Life is Short but Wide, a memoir of 21 years

in Ecuador, was recently published.

More of her writing can be found at

Substack

her slice of life blog

 

 

What Kind of Book Would I Choose First? by Sandra Rafuse

"Perhaps your first book is still a dream. Or maybe you haven't dared to dream—yet." These words from InScribe's July prompt makes up the perfect beginning sentences for my post this month. Write a book? A first book? Prior to joining InScribe Writers Online I had never entertained a single thought of attempting to do that. But sending in a monthly post each month for the past year and a half has changed what I'm thinking and maybe, just maybe, I could dare to dream to do that.

One day, several months ago, I wrote out three titles that I felt I could use for a book should I decide to write one. They were: I Miss My Mom, My Friend Doesn't Like Me Anymore, and I Am Different. The titles popped up into my head without any particular reason for them to be there, but later I realized they each dealt with thoughts I had been thinking and feelings I had been feeling in previous weeks. I also realized I was thinking of them as books to be written for children. Well here I sit, months later, and the titles are still in that list waiting to be used. Will I use them? Definitely not right now and probably not for a long time. But as I write my way out of the amateur status I feel I am in, then perhaps I will start to dream of writing a first book.

As I write, using the prompts we are given each month, I am becoming more and more aware of how much work and time and concentration it takes to get my words down in an order that makes sense. And I have a much greater appreciation of how authors and illustrators have to work to write their stories and draw their pictures for the books they put out. 

In my mind right now, because of July's prompt and because of reading the posts that have come in to InScribe so far, I am thinking of three kinds of children's books that I love to read that perhaps I would choose to write. The first kind of book is a chapter book. Over Sea, Under Stone is a good example of this. In it, the man from the Dark is made out to be so scary, the evil shows in his dark, piercing eyes and his black hair. He is tall and dark, untidy, and at the same time forbidding. I shudder whenever I read about him. The second kind of book I'm thinking of is a children's book that has two or three sentences along with pictures of the story on each page. Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge is a favourite example of this kind of book. In this story, the old woman, who is losing her memory, is dressed in a colourful, flowing dress that hangs loosely on her body, with a few inches of slip showing below the bottom of the dress. She wears a pair of plain socks with comfortable slippers. When the young boy finds out she has lost her memory, he carefully collects objects to show her that he believes will help her get her memory back. The third kind of book is a picture book. A Boy, A Dog and A Frog is a wonderful example. "A picture is worth a thousand words" is so true here. Look at frog's face. See how sad he is that the boy, the dog, and the turtle are leaving him at the pond. Look at how mad they are that they couldn't catch him. The whole story right before you in pictures!

Will I write and publish a book someday? That's something to think about. I like the posts that have been shared this month. They have been so honest and encouraging. Thank you for sharing.

Sandra Rafuse lives in the small town of Rockglen, Saskatchewan, with her husband, Bob, a Gordon Setter named Sadie, and a Peregrine falcon named Peet. She is a retired teacher, an amateur writer, and is thoroughly enjoying having the opportunity to share what God has been teaching her through her life's experiences.

Photo by Sandra Rafuse

My First by Brenda J Wood

 

Image by Donna Naquin from Pixabay

 

I didn’t recognize the signs.

The itch I couldn’t scratch.
The yearning to put pen in hand
My deep self-covered patch.

But then I took an interlude
A thoughtful introspect
Considered all my options
On me, I placed a bet.

Could I write that New York seller?
I confess it mattered not.
I wrote all that was in me.
I gave it all I got.

And thus, the teeny book came out.
It landed. Solid. True.
And so; there’s nothing left in me
But to write another few.

Still, there Is nothing like that first one
That fought for air to breathe
And let me be my real self
Oh what we can achieve

By putting pen to paper
And writing what’s on mind
Carving words from heart and head
To leave for those behind.

Brenda J Wood has authored more than fifty books. She is a seasoned motivational speaker, who declares the Word of God with wisdom, humour, and common sense.