Balance by roguerider via www.deviantart.com
Writing can be all consuming. I get a story in my head and I want to start writing and keep on writing. But, I can’t write all the time. If I did, where would my ideas come from? So it’s important to get up away from the computer and interact with other human beings.
During the day, my hubby and I tend to do our own thing, though we generally go shopping together. He’ll do household maintenance, go hiking with friends, or play around in the garage. I’ll work on my garden or work on my volunteer stuff or do crafty things. I generally write in the afternoon. In the evening, we watch favorite TV shows.
Other interactions, we go hiking on Tuesday with the local hiking club. Exercise is important for people who sit in front of the computer for hours a day. Monthly I have Bunko, serve on the home owner’s association board, volunteer for the fair, volunteer for project management, and daily we walk the dog, meet with friends, and have fun in general. All of these things help me stay grounded and provide fodder for story ideas.
Fortunately I’m retired so I don’t have to try and write around a demanding work schedule. I’m not sure if I could have done any writing with the job I’d held so I’m glad I don’t have to try. Also, my daughter is a grown woman, so I don’t have to try and write while a baby is demanding attention. Though, I remember doing college homework with her as a toddler. Much fun.
My husband and I also like to travel, especially car camping. Travel to new locations, camping in a tent, meeting new people is a joy and recharges those writing batteries. I’ve had many an idea for a story from new locations I’ve explored. The only problem is that writing while travelling can be difficult. I’m more interested in seeing new things or staring into a camp fire than writing.
So that’s my work/life balance. A little of this, a little of that and a dash of writing.
The Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour is sponsored by the website Forward Motion (http://www.fmwriters.com). The tour is you, the reader, travelling the world from author’s blog to author’s blog. There are all sorts of writers at all stages in their writing career, so there’s always something new and different to enjoy. If you want to get to know the nearly twenty other writers check out the rest of the tour at http://merrygoroundtour.blogspot.com! Up next: Jean Schara!