Balancing Act

Kelly Parra posted a while back about "The Balance" between life and writing. Her post was timely for me.

I recently joined RWA. I've made a personal commitment to the Oshkosh Area Writers and reviewing long manuscripts every other week. I have two off-line crit partners.

Oh, and I work full-time, have two kids, a husband, two dogs and a website that I like to update daily.

I've always been efficient. Organized is the one word I hear over and over again at performance reviews. I'm not a great housekeeper; if my husband had wanted the house cleaned every week, he should have married a maid.

I also decided that 10 pages a week will get me somewhere on my own book. After all, I'm in this for me and getting my writing polished. Helping others is a perk I really appreciate.

I guess I could cut back on sleep, except the last time I did that, my husband threatened to move out and my coworkers moved the coffee pot to my desk.

Scratch that idea.

The other things that happens as I write, I get other ideas. Characters, plots, storylines, good phrases or settings that I fall in love with. They want to lure me from my 1/3 of the way finished manuscript.

Dealing with life versus writing is becoming easier. Every so often a day or a week with throw me and I simply have to clean. Or write 5,000 words because if I don't, the characters are going to revolt.

Dealing with writing ideas is more difficult. I've been jotting those tempting words and ideas in a blank document for later. It sort of works. Every so often they'll escape in the form of a short story.

What challenge overwhelms you, my fellow writers? What obstacle continually rears its ugly head? Have you found a solution?