So, you’re one of those fortunate few who’s privileged enough to get to do what you love every day—You found your dream job, the thing you so enjoy, you can work your tail off, seven days a week, ten, twelve, or more hours a day and you never hit the wall or burn out.
I’m blessed to be able to pursue my passion, though just a few years ago, I thought teaching was the epitome of fabulous vocations for me. Until I started to write, that is. And the more I write, the less I want to teach, at least in a structured classroom environment. Teaching writing workshops to adults, that’s a whole different story.
I do absolutely adore doing author presentation to kiddos though. That they get excited about.
They’re not going to absorb my passion for writing via osmosis, any more than I’m ever going to love hunting like the hubby does. Anyway, I digress. This is about taking a break.
I went back to school in my mid-forties to become a teacher. Getting a Bachelor’s of Science and a Master’s in Teaching in three and a half years is brutal. Yet, my passion for what I thought was my calling, drove me onward. Once I had my license, I began substituting and started my first book, Highlander’s Hope.
Suffice it to say, I have absolutely no desire to teach much at all these days, let alone full-time.
Writing on the other hand? I never take a break. And that’s not always a good thing.
Authors are insanely busy people. It’s not just writing the new book (or books if you’re foolish enough to be writing more than one series at the same time and are a hybrid author like I am), but there’s the editing, social media, marketing and promotion, and business aspect too. As I’m writing this, another part of my mind is stewing about the workshop I have to for an Australian Romance Writers conference, the email I need to send for the conference I’m presenting in August in California, getting all my contacts and subscriptions switched to my new email, and finishing the list I made last night with over twenty to-do things on it.
Picture me tearing my hair out.
Image courtesy of Flickr Commons
My hubby and family, yard, relationships, and my health had all started to suffer from neglect. But hey, I loved what I was doing (except that promo and marketing stuff—bleck!) so what harm was there in working so hard? It wasn’t as if I went to a job I hated every day and came home stressed and grumpy.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Little things started to nag me, though. I’d snap at someone for interrupting me while I wrote. I’d skip my workout or run because there were so freaking many emails to answer or edits were due. My yard started to look like it had been taken over by carnivorous weeds; the dogs had become pudgy from lack of exercise, and worst of all, I stopped attending church or reading my Bible. Much too busy. God would understand. After all, HE could make things easier for me if he wanted to.
That’s when it hit me. Yes, I adore writing, by I need to find balance, and I’d pretty much let everything go to hell in a hand basket as my grandmother used to say. Now I schedule down time and time for other important things. Don’t laugh. If I don’t put me or family time on my calendar, or have set times I don’t do anything writing related, I simply stay parked at my computer with my gaze glued to the screen. There’s a visual for you.
I’d love to visit England and France again.
Hubby and I make a point of taking at least a mini vacation every year, and every couple of years a big one or two. Scotland and a cruise next year. Whoop!
He does let me take my IPad and computer, so I can stay in touch with the writing world, but I limit how much author activity I do. Sort of.
I take mini breaks on my days dedicated to writing related activities too. For instance, when I take the dachsies potty, I’ll hop on the treadmill and run for five minutes. And you know what? I’m more productive. I love trips to the beach, bird watching, and working in my yard and make time for those things too.
I could easily be a writeaholic (made that up), but I don’t want my love affair with writing to become more important than anything else.
What about you? Have you ever found something in your life that seems to take over at the expense of everything else?
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Working in a school is stressful. I now work with 5th and 6th grade as a PE assistant. Before that I was a special education instructional assistant. Before I got my job full-time, I was a substitute. I still love teaching, but my passion for it is not like it was. I have not finished my degree. I can’t decide if I want to finish it. When I was working in my degree before I felt like I ignored my kids. I was always writing papers and doing homework. No time for friends and family. I have a book I have been writing, but I don’t have much time to work on it. Maybe this summer.
I know exactly what you mean, Ann. I started out as an special ed assistant before getting my degrees. For those 3 1/2 years, I had no life. I just as busy with writing, but it’s different. Probably because I love writing and all that stuff I had to do for graduate work was a pain.
I have a full-time job as an office manager at a small manufacturing firm. I’ve been there 8 years and I work with my nephew and son. It is a relatively stress free job and I love it. Up until last year, I treated my writing as more of a hobby than a job. Actually, for me, the writing part is easy. It’s all the other stuff you mentioned that is so time consuming and tedious…that stuff wears me out, because it’s the same sort of stuff I do all day at work. It really is like having another full-time job.
My get-a-way from the computer techniques are crafting, watching movies and, of course, reading. I get up every few hours and do one of these other activities for a while. I read and reviewed 100 books last year. It seems like all I did was read and write. One or two weekends a month, I go visit the grand kids and visit with friends, go to dinner, a play, etc. I tend to become really reclusive and I don’t want to lose touch with the important people in my life. Also, several weekends a year, I go up to the mountains and just relax.
Kimberly, if I had the time I spend doing all the other stuff related to writing to dedicate to actually writing, I’d get way more books out every year.
I can become reclusive too, so I make an effort to get out when I notice the trend happening.
i was a teacher but then i got a nerve disease which at first just affected my right arm and hand badly then after a few years went thru my body so i had to quit teaching and now read. Last years and years before read over 125 books and that is all i have but i do have 2 chiwahwahs that 1 we just got from the humane society she was so expensive but our little boy chiwahwah had just had a heart attack 3 mo before and deedee was so lonely so we got daisy. The answer what she is wearing around her neck is a choker with a cameo on it so pretty. My husband and i garden well i watch but we do go to church regularly and play with the dogs.
Peggy,
I teach part time too! We’re pretty sure our newest dachsie is part chihuahau, even though she’s supposed to be purebred.
You’re right about the choker!
So glad you have the doggies and the reading…and the hubby, too!
Don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t read.
Yes, my quilting addiction takes over quite often. I have to step back and take a break from the sewing by reading and/ or painting. It definitely is a time consumer.
Isn’t if funny how even the things we love can take over?
the kids’ sports–but that’s not my passion taking over my life. lol
Denise
dholcomb1 (at) aol (dot) com
I remember those days, Denise!
It’s so interesting that you blogged about this. I feel just the same and spend hours and hours at my desk on my ‘dream’ job. But I try and make myself take the weekends and stay away from whatever I’m working on. It’s amazing what two days of not looking at a manuscript will do for me in terms of creativity and energy. It’s the balance that is always so hard to achieve, but as full-time writers, we need to realize that we also need days off.
I try to schedule an administrative day to do all the business end of being an author as well as blogs, and so on. I’ve spent the last three days just catching up on that sort of thing and I’m still not done. I think I need to look at scaling back in other areas of my author arena too.
You need ‘A S.G.W. and D.W.P.A. – “A Slowly Going Wacko and Deranged Writer’s Personal Assisstant’…(wink, wink, nudge, nudge.) I will come and help you interview them if you wish!? Cheers Net.
Netasha, what would I do without you?
You would be a much faster “A SGWandDEPA” but at lease you will now know what to call it.LOL ;o)