Pacing Yourself – When Creatives Get Busy

So this has been a week of longing to creatively write and being busy with so many other tasks.

I have the longing of this girl staring into the banana field.  My finished novel and books are somewhere in the distance.  But now I need to use that longing to walk into that path and continue, and to keep searching for pockets of time to write.

I managed to figure out a new approach to a tricky picture book idea and write half of it down.  Then another task demanded I do it.

I gave myself one session on my novel, but longed for more.  But Sunday is looking good to continue on this.  The novel is ticking away in my head even though I am not writing it.

I kept editing a piece written for my brother’s memory.  A writer generously gave me the tools to find the most moving and emotional way to write this story.  Sometimes writing can take a lot out of you.  I understand now why my memoir (which I have done a lot of work on) needed more time.  I think I now know the way to write it, although I don’t have time for it just now.  I realise it is going to be a roller coaster ride to write, so I will have to brace myself for that one.

I know that Sunday writing session is going to be great!  But I want to build up my writing sessions to be more regular and give them some priority.

I am working on a project which is shaping up to be interesting and helpful to others, and just have to bring together the whole proposal and find the funding.  I will allocate some time to it in my work diary.  I just love it, and hope others will as well.  The team for this project are just wonderful and I look forward to sharing our plan with you.  I do love collaborating.

I’ve had some wonderful guests from the Sandcliffe Writing Festival on the blog, and tomorrow I am on a panel.  Doing some more rehearsal for it today!

I am loving the energy these blog  visitors bring and am delighted they are happy to be in this space, and am set to have more of them.

It has been empowering to connect with many other poets for children.  Two so far have guested on the blog.

I just found out one of my childhood friends will be in the Sandcliffe Writing Festival audience.  So excited about catching up with her and it will help having her and a few other people I know there and know some of the journey until now.

Those who are there at the beginning often understand just how hard you have worked, and how many obstacles you have had to achieve your dreams.

I love guest blogs,  interviews, and connecting to other creatives, and so a huge highlight for me was meeting Melissa Lucashenko who I had heard so much about for so long.

I’ve completed some more reading for a spirituality and arts course (including writing) online and journalled some poetry ideas (again really keen to do more work on this once this week is over).  I have a month to do a creative piece for my assessment for that.  Thank you creative journal, as I know there is something in you that I can develop now.  Why do study when I have so much else to do?  The course has enriched my creative practice and given me a new found sense of purpose and direction.

I wrote one blog this week,  inspired by a conversation with a writing friend about the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels.  I think I will come back to this topic again, as it intrigues me my grandfather and other relatives possibly were there for that time in Australian history.  I wrote a photo essay about visiting Bullimba to drop off some books.  Sometimes just doing fun things like this give me more energy.

On top of this is the usual balancing with life, and stopping to discuss philosophy with my daughter in the kitchen, and movies with one son, and life in general with my eldest who is a third year uni student, as well as meet with my children’s teachers and thank them for the work they are doing to educate my children. Too often as a society we don’t thank teachers, we choose to ignore the wonderful work so many of them do.  Being married to a great teacher makes me appreciate their role so much.  He works so hard, and cares so much about his students that he inspires me every day.

I do wish I had a bit more time to catch up with friends, but there have been a few social media and email chats, especially to people understanding where I am this present moment in the creative and life journey.  I love that we all find a bit of time to support each other, even if it is virtually a midnight email or a catch up when we are selling our books outside a shop.

Dear hubby is a great sounding board.  Some times writing puzzles are worked out when we are just having a quiet chat.  Something about vocalising to him some things troubling me with a plot, or a character helps the problems unravel. I am appreciative that he seems to help by just listening.

As for Book News

There’s been lots of great news, like a review in Australian’s Children’s Poetry.

Magic Fish Dreaming has arrived at a new book shop, Chapter in Yeppoon. (They aren’t open yet, but Magic Fish Dreaming is there for opening day!)  The book is now in ten Queensland bookshops.

I received a replenishment order for Riverbend Books, who had sold out, and also another library order from Peter Pal.  Hoping so much that sales continue to rise.

The new shops stocking the book love it!  Hope their customers do too.

I’ve been asking some successful indie authors for tips on how they streamline their distribution and printing, and save money.  They are just wonderfully generous in sharing this information.  Many of them are just so good at what they do and I hope to learn from them.

Looking for Balance

As for the future, I am working hard to pace myself and find balance.  I don’t want to be skit, skatting, and not attending to my writing.  I want to find a rythmn to my creative day and somehow maintain it.

I want to plan far enough ahead to prepare well, and to have my bigger pockets of creative writing time.

I want to limit more of my time on social media, as once in there I just follow so many trails, of interesting things to look at and read, and I need less of that and more time writing!  True it is space of finding opportunity, and for that I am grateful, and true it does make me less lonely on writing days.

Maybe I need to be more lonely until the book is finished!

With perseverance I hope to get there.  Ah the life, work balance that dedicated parents, and peace seekers, seek.  True my children are teenagers now, but I like to be there for my family, community, students, and my spiritual self as well.

All the best to my friends, extended family, and readers seeking their balance in life. I like writing you letters on my blog as it allows me to reflect on what I can do to improve in my life journey.  It also lets you know why sometimes  I take so long to call, email, phone or visit.

I haven’t forgotten you but am just trying to find a balance and pace to fit everything together, in some cohesive way.  Somewhere amongst all the writing, parenting, community, connecting, there is the writing of the eternal spirit onto mortal paper.

Keep well and all the best if you too are striving for balance.

And thanks to all my understanding friends, whose kindness and care, gives me the courage to keep on with this quest for balance, and to write to the very best of my ability for the very best of reasons.

June