On Writing & Balance

Newsflash. Most writers have day jobs and juggle other work. Not to mention their personal life. How to balance creative pursuits with demands of the real world.

Welcome back to Writer’s Edge! What’s the best word to sum up my life right now?

Juggling.

Anyone else relate? Most writers have day jobs (unless you’re funded somehow or in the elite top tier of earners). And often … more than one job. Many also teach, like I do with my writing workshops. We give talks and visit classrooms and book stores. We do book coaching and editorial. This is all what I’d term “writing adjacent” work.

But many of us also have regular old jobs. It's incredibly hard to make a living off writing fiction alone. Not to mention, the cost of living has skyrocketed pretty much everywhere. I’ve started a new job on top of my author and teaching work.

But how do we balance it all? And stay creative and not lose that spark? How do we still produce ideas and pages and weave them into story magic?

I don’t have all the answers. I succeed as much as I fail, just like everyone else. But I’m going to share some of my insight into the juggling act of a creative life.