February 21, 2023

Balance - by Tracy Krauss

Balance. 

Whether I'm referring to my writing life - or any other aspect of life, for that matter - balance is the key to maintaining productivity, sanity, and joy. 

We've all heard catchphrases like "self-care" and keeping a "work-life balance". These are essential. We all need downtime. Of course, there are seasons when one has to burn the midnight oil, like when a deadline is looming or a book launch is approaching. But if you let crisis mode become habitual, you'll pay - creatively and even physically. 

I can tell when my life is tipping too much in one direction. I get easily agitated - spinning, as my husband would say. During these times I am less productive (even though I am spending more time on projects) because my mental capacity is diminished. On the other hand, I've found that too much inactivity can have a similar effect. I can't stay in "holiday" mode forever. Soon I start feeling lethargic. Drained. I have no energy or motivation. I need the challenge of a new project. It's one of the reasons I value NaNoWriMo so much. It keeps me fresh. However, I could never sustain that level of writing intensity all year long. 

I've also noticed the necessity of maintaining a balance between writing and all the other things an author is supposed to do. Emails, newsletters, social media, blog posts, podcasts, website maintenance, cross-promotion... The list is almost endless. Some of these tasks I categorize as "marketing" while others are more business-related, BUT everything has its place. Today's author must be aware of the many moving parts and not get sucked into spending too much time on one thing to the detriment of others. (Social media is often the culprit.) 


Like a complex machine, we must strike a balance between marketing, promotion, and business activities (all must be in balance with one another) and the actual writing side of things. But let me break this down even further. Technically, writing this blog post is still writing, but it serves a dual purpose in that it is also a marketing platform of sorts since I'm creating content that I can share online. You can see where the waters begin to get muddy and one really has to think about time allocation...

But I digress. Getting back to the writing side of the equation, I also like to differentiate between writing NEW material and polishing OLD material. I need to balance my writing time between rewriting and editing previously written work for publication and writing new material. I know writers who get so buried in their own perfectionism that they never write anything new. Yes, we want to present our best work to the world, but at some point, we have to release it. Enough is enough. 

I spend a lot of my time editing and rewriting longer work (novels), but the need to keep writing something new is one reason why I continue to write for this blog and for FellowScript magazine. (And InScribe's professional blog, and my own blog... LOL!) Rewriting is fun! It is necessary! It is important! But we must balance our editing and polishing with writing new material to keep our minds and writing voices fresh. 

All of these writing-related activities must then fit into the greater balance of life. There is work, family, church, household chores, devotional life... You get it. It's why balance is so important. 



Tracy Krauss
writes (and all those other things!) from her home in Tumbler Ridge, BC. Visit her website at: https://tracykrauss.com



11 comments:

  1. So much wisdom here, dear Tracy. I am so with you on the need for us to continue writing new projects.

    I especially appreciate your opening sentence because serenity isn't possible without balance:

    "Whether I'm referring to my writing life - or any other aspect of life, for that matter - balance is the key to maintaining productivity, sanity, and joy."

    Thank you & blessings.

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  2. Thanks for these wise and insightful words Tracy. What you note is meaningful and helpful. I am writing a lot of poetry these days. I found myself in a bit of an emotional bind. Much of my non-fiction writing and recent poetry has been related to grief issues. This is never ending and soul pounding at times. I am seeing a need for balance. Not too long ago I began writing poems on the theme of seasons. Winter is almost ready to give spring 2023 a welcome kiss. I want to give this thought a word picture through poetry. This is my attempt at "balance." Tracy, your post is giving me a hug right now. Thank you so much, my friend.

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    1. I am so pleased to her it, Alan. (And hugs right back!) I think we must be mindful to give ourselves an emotional break at times - even when writing about topics as important as you do... it's the balance again...

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  3. Tracy, your words of wisdom struck a chord with me. Balance is so, so important, both in different aspects of writing and in the rest of my life. Right now I'm working on both--trying to maintain "productivity, sanity, and joy".

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  4. Thanks for your wonderful words of wisdom. I appreciate that your husband notices when you are ‘spinning.’ I think we all need someone who will help us to realize when we are crossing the balance lines to our detriment. Sometimes we don’t notice as fast as those around us. Thanks again, Tracy.

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    1. And often we don't want to admit it! (I'm NOT spinning, she says, hair standing on end...)

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  5. Oh yes, I recognize those two extremes in myself, spinning or lethargy, when life gets unbalanced. I like your idea of finding that balance between working on new (exciting) projects and polishing (cleaning up) old ones. I've been working to find that balance these past few months. Thanks, Tracy, for a great post today!

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    1. PS. Like you, I'm also trying to maintain "productivity, sanity, and joy".

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    2. it is so important but not always easy to implement...

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