How to manage writing and life is a difficult question for most writers to answer. I’m speaking of writers who still work other jobs and are pursuing their passion of the written word. Having this question posed to me recently, I tried to answer it honestly. Without sounding offensive, irrational or just plain crazy, I came to some conclusions that will hopefully help other writers who are trying to maintain their sanity, while also trying to achieve success in their craft.
I have always had a number of interests that stemmed from math, science, food, and art to writing. I used to be bothered by my numerous interests, until I learned how to use them to my advantage; I developed the talent of shuttling between interests. By Concentrating on what I was presently doing, it prevented me from thinking about what I had just done. I took a breather, a step away from what was consuming me, and kept my peace of mind. I learned one of the greatest lessons of time management: by switching interests at just the time I needed a break I was able to cut out stress. This created an opportunity for my mind to explore.
To understand this fully, some comprehension of science is needed. The brain has two halves; the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere. Each side performs tasks. If you’re right handed, your left hemisphere is activated. If you’re left handed, your right hemisphere is activated. When I write, one hemisphere is activated more than the other. To relax that part of my mind, which can feel overworked when writing, I switch it off and turn to another one of my interests, such as math.
Instead of my interests getting in my way, they assist in my growth as a writer, artist and creative person. This other interest utilizes different parts of my brain, allowing relaxation of the part that I had been using. When this happens, my mind becomes less stressed, causing my brain’s mechanisms to expand from the stress reduction. This gives the main powerhouse of my body the ability to think more clearly, and be open to problem solving. It’s with this clarity that writing blocks are lifted, creativity flows, and what feels like is an epiphany, is many times, just that, an epiphany.
Making time to write every day is part of the equation. Time management skills are a must. The importance of learning that skill takes time. It won’t happen overnight, but with practice and patience, it will be reality. Knowing when to write, when to let go, when to return, when it’s okay to write backstory that will never appear, all of it is okay and is part the process of writing successfully. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is knowing what works for me, what doesn’t, and how to use both to my advantage.