Compelled to Write, Commanded to Love

I'm having difficulty juggling everything in my life right now. I'm about to embark on another move, one that will be cross-county in stead of cross-town. And this time around, I'll have a 15-month old with me. Whoa. (I know...say a prayer for me, please!)

But ever since I've really taken on writing as a full-time, part-time hobby, my life has changed. Priorities have shifted that maybe shouldn't have. (Okay, probably shouldn't have.) My evenings are spent glued to a laptop screen (and it IS beautiful...as is my backlit keyboard on my new MacBook...but I digress) instead of talking with my hubby. Now that this is to my attention - and I'm so glad it is - I have to do something about it.

Real people first. Characters second.

Of course, Christ is truly first. Perhaps if He hadn't slipped down the priority chain, real people wouldn't have. It's all about keeping your perspective, isn't it? I'm compelled to write. But I'm commanded to love.

It's that simple.

Q4U: Anyone else out there struggling with priorities surrounding your writing, job, family? How are you dealing with it?

Writing/Reading Tension

How many of you writers out there find it hard to balance your love for reading with your love for writing? (Inherently assumed in this question is that you DO love to read.) Most of you probably have day jobs that aren't writing, which leaves exactly a few hours in the evening (likely when you're trying to cook dinner, spend time with family, etc) for you to wield your craft. So do you alternate nights reading and typing?

When I'm in those precious few hours in the evening, I find myself loath to pick up a book when I have the laptop sitting right there and know I could work on tweaking a chapter or starting a new scene. But here of late, my to-be-read pile has been stacking up higher and higher. So, on the trip to the doctor's, I brought one with me (Linore Rose Burkard's Before the Season Ends - see my Shelfari for more info) to read while waiting to be called.

I was thrilled yesterday to open it and get engrossed in the time period and language or the regency. Regency romances make you wait a bit for the first introduction of the heroine and hero, and I was jonesing for it! When it finally happened, I was so satisfied. It was great to get involved in a book again...it's been a long time since I've had the motivation to do so.

But perhaps one good book was all that was needed to open the floodgates once again. Of course, on the flip side, if a book doesn't grab my attention, I'm not going to read it. I use to be pretty masochistic about this and would read a book regardless because I had paid money for it. But no more. Free time is such a commodity I'm not willing to waste my time!

Q4U: Is this a problem for anyone else? Are you able to read and write as much as you want? If you are reading other books, are you able to turn off your internal editor?

Part-Time Will Put A Hole In My Head

I suppose you could say that I'm a part-time writer, although I have not claimed this status for tax purposes. I write every spare chance I get, which isn't a lot somedays, as I'm taking care of an almost-one-year-old during most days.

I go absolutely bonkers when I'm in the middle of a scene and I get interrupted. This is why I imagine that being full-time will afford some luxuries like not being interrupted. But maybe I'm talking about something I don't know.

Currently, my little darling child is having a whining hissy fit. Nothing is wrong with her at all, she just wants all of mom's attention. She's got toys to play with on the floor, her belly's full, yet she just whines at my feet, upset because I won't let her slobbery hands grace my beautiful white MacBook keyboard or pull out my royal blue jump drive or unplug the power chord, which glows a tempting orange.

I was in the middle of writing a most prolific scene when my heroine encounters her ex-fiancé. Seriously gripping stuff. But I've had to forego the conclusion of said scene as the decibal on her whine steadily rises, in favor or ranting about it here on my blog.

I'll go for now, as she's reaching the point of no return. My scene will wait until her bedtime tonight around 8:30. Or maybe not, as my husband will probably want to finish the movie we started and had to also forego because of her. Hmm....see the problems inherit in this?