IWSG - Work/Life Balance

 

It's that time again. The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the first Wednesday of each month. We support each other in our writing fears. Anyone is welcome to join. Simply click on Alex's name and sign up.

This month's co-hosts are: PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, Gwen Gardner, Pat Garcia, and Natalie Aguirre.

This month's optional question is: Where do your story ideas predominantly come from?

Most often they spark off something I saw or heard. A what if based on a twist or a quirk. While I'm a vivid dreamer, dreams are very rarely a source of my stories. In fact, I can't think of a story I based off a dream. Which is weird, because I've seen that's a huge source of story ideas for a lot of people. Most of  my dreams are pretty nonsensical.

While a different project is on hold, I'm editing a WIP. I've been making good progress on it. Not as good as when I wasn't working, obviously, but I've been able to work on it nearly every day, because I'm making myself cut out of work by a certain time. As I mentioned last month, I'm really trying to work on work-life balance. Unfortunately, "work" includes the day job, writing/publishing, and the podcast, so just as many of you have to do, it's getting all that established and still ensuring I have time to rest, as well. I'm giving myself a brain off day every other weekend and I've been walking again after finding some solutions for arthritis in my knee. (Walk one day, rest one day, exercise bike one day; ice and Voltaren gel on walk days as needed). 

The job balance is improving and I'm getting so much more reading done this year than last. I'll be hitting my Goodreads reading goal early this year, which makes me happy.

How do you reach work/writing/life balance? What are your insecurities? Where do your ideas come from? What are you working on right now?

May you find your Muse.

IWSG - Taking Time for Myself

 

It's IWSG time again! Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the IWSG gives writers a place to air their insecurities and support other authors in their insecurities.

Before jumping in, I want to say a quick goodbye to "Chemist Ken," Ken Rahmoeller. I was sorry to hear of his death. He was a nice guy here in IWSG-Land and Blog-Land, and there will be a hole without him.

This month's co-hosts are Patricia Josephine, Diedre Knight, Olga Godim, J. Lenni Dorner, and Cathrina Constantine. Be sure to stop by!

This month's optional question is "If you ever did stop writing, what would you replace it with?"

I tell you what, I'm in the middle of a big writing project, but am in limbo while I wait for something back from the publishing company, and I've gotten SO. MUCH. done! So many things that I set aside repeatedly, because I don't have time between writing, podcasting, and my day job. Photo things, cleaning things, and organizational things. So, admittedly, I would probably just get more normal life things done and focus a bit more on photography and scrapbooking. I'd get more outside time. Sometimes I fantasize about just having free time to organize the pantry or read during the day. But it turns out when I've set aside all other writing projects for one that requires a quick turnaround, only to then be left waiting for over a week for something I need to move forward, my stress levels change, as does my "free time." Given, I put free time in quotations for a reason. I still fill the time, but it feels different. Normally, if I have any time, I guilt myself into writing to fill that time.

Last night, I relaxed around the firepit with my husband, because I'm also trying to keep myself to clocking out at dinner time from the day job, and to not sign back in at night. I need to draw some lines. There's only one night per week that I should be working late into the evening, and that's Thursday. All other nights I should be keeping my day job to day time. Most days, I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the computer lately, and that's not okay. We also ate at the dinner table for the first time in about two weeks, because there was stuff piled up there and I was busy working, anyway.

With the free time, though, I also went through and submitted a handful of short stories, which I was not doing for a while, as I had set aside short stories to work on my novel. Since that is also on hold, though, it was easier to submit some already written stories than to go back to novel editing only to have to stop when it's time for next steps in the current project.

Best laid plans and all that. When an opportunity drops in your lap, you drop everything else and put your all into it. Here's hoping it comes to fruition. If not, I got a peek into a different kind of writing world.

Have you done anything for yourself lately? Do you have anything you can do to give yourself more sustainable time? What would you do with extra time? What are your insecurities?

May you find your Muse.