Saturday, August 11, 2012

Distractions. If It's Not One Thing, It's Another.


The only sunny morning we had this week, I sat on the edge of my deck brainstorming plot ideas. I couldn't help but notice the grass, which was in desperate need of being mowed. Far from a perfect lawn like those found in the suburbs, my Vermont yard is made up of dozens of different types of grasses and weeds. A clump of grass near my left bare foot was a fuzzy variety and the dew stuck to it like a hundred tiny diamonds, glistening in the sun.

Of course, as I stared, the dew evaporated. The sunshine, the very thing that lit up the drops of dew and made the grass so beautiful, also destroyed the miniature artwork. There has to be a story in there somewhere.

The grass reminds me of burnout. I struggled a bit in July, having took on too much--even though it was all stuff I loved. Really, it was just life playing its tricks. I had an end-of-the-month deadline, and only had to cram because I had whooping cough for most of the month of June. I worked through the illness, but afterward, I wasn't happy with the quality of that work. So, July became utter madness. It all turned out okay, though. I submitted that book and while I wait for the edits to come back, I’m working on the edits of a different book. Round and round we go!

Distractions. If it's not one thing, it's another. One month it's whooping cough, another month it's a great new idea for book, but you have a deadline for something different. Some days I have to mow the lawn. Some days I spend with family or friends. Distractions come in all forms, good and bad, big and small. Good thing I’m a Libra—I’m good at finding balance.

Balance is key, not that you haven’t heard that before. For me, it’s very important that no matter how hard I work at my writing career and how busy I get, I don’t neglect my family and friends. It’s so easy to do. But, if my best friend wants to go out for lunch, and I have a deadline… I go out for lunch. I wouldn't have it any other way, and it all works out. 

What distractions, good or bad, have you faced recently?

1 comment:

Linda said...

Lovely blog! I feel the same way about my lawn. The balance is in the diversity. Distractions are something every writer faces, but you are right. Family and friends can't be forgotten along the way. It's just a matter of learning how to best juggle the distractions