Author Insight: The Balancing Act

How do you balance life and writing and all the obligations that come with being an author?

 

"When I’m drafting, my rule is that I have to write a certain number of pages every day, depending on how busy I am. I write more pages if my schedule is open, fewer if I have lots of demands on me. These small, attainable goals help me stay productive on a daily basis." - Amy Kathleen Ryan, author of Glow.

"I don't. But I did read somewhere that balance only comes when you neglect everything in your life a little. Wait. That doesn't sound right. I'm totally messing up the quote, because that sounds kind of like a jerky thing to do. But maybe it's true. I'm finding balance right now by neglecting to look up the actual quote." - Brodi Ashton, author of Everneath.

"It hasn’t been much of a problem for me so far, probably because I built my life around my career. I decided at an early age what I wanted to do, and built a life that would enable me to do it easily." - Anna Sheehan, author of A Long, Long Sleep.

"I'm kind of an obsessive planner and scheduler. I think that's key. It may occasionally drive some people in my life a little nuts but I think if I didn't plan things out, sometimes hour by hour, I just wouldn't make things happen." - Jeff Hirsch, author of The Eleventh Plague.

"Carefully! I am a relatively new author, so I am still learning how to juggle various plates. I prioritize creative projects at times of day when my energy levels are high. I work long hours to make sure I meet my writing goals and take care of emails and social networking. It helps to have a very understanding family at those times when work takes over or I have to travel." -Teresa Flavin, author of The Blackhope Enigma.

 

"Not very well. When I'm working on a book, it occupies my mind day and night. Friends and family and cleaning my apartment get short shrift. Especially cleaning my apartment." -Susan Beth Pfeffer, author of Blood Wounds.

 "I do writing and author stuff in the morning for a few hours, every day, no excuses. That’s when I have the most energy. I’m a terrible procrastinator and easily distracted, so if I knock it out early I don’t have the Cloud of Shame hanging over me all day." - Jennifer Castle, author of The Beginning of After.

 

"I'm not sure I do it well. I try very hard to make sure I write at least a little bit each day. Anything else that fits in is gravy. That's the best I can do." - Melissa Walker, author of Small Town Sinners.

 

"Not nearly as well as I'd like to. When I get a good balance on it, I'll let you know!" - Julia Karr, author of XVI.

"It is very much a juggling act.  Especially since I’ve sold my book and I’m almost to release now – there’s much more time spent on marketing where before when I had free time I could spend it writing. But even before I sold, there was the blog and the website and the sort of things authors need to do to be prepared when they sell their book." - Kiki Hamilton, author of The Faerie Ring.

 "Not always very well... I put a lot of pressure on myself. It's hard to take a break when your job is always there. This is one reason I find travel so necessary--and I usually don't take my computer with me or any other internet-capable device--it's the only way I can truly break away from the whole world. Unfortunately this year I haven't done much travel and the travel I did do was writing retreats, which I realized was a poor use of my time and money. I love the social aspects of it, but I need a retreat FROM writing, not TO writing." - Jaclyn Dolamore, author of Between the Sea and Sky.

Find out Thursday how the rest of the authors balance life and writing!
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