After a six year break, I am back! And back with a vengeance. Or, at least, a plan. One of the things I learned on this journey of being a writer is that you have to find your balance. You have to look at your life and set your priorities. Like many writers, I can’t afford to quit my day job to be a full time writer. And so, balance is key. I started this journey in 2011 when I accepted the NaNoWriMo challenge at the recommendation of a friend. I surprised myself and completed the very first manuscript of “Candle Lake” in that one month. I then spent time revising it and then sending it out for queries. Feedback I received was to build my author platform and to do some more revisions on my manuscript. And so I set forth with the idea to get my name out there and started to build my platform. I networked with many talented writers. I felt great. However, I quickly learned, I had no balance. Working a full time job, being a mom to four very active, young children, volunteering as a Scout Leader and Group Commissioner, and partnering with my husband to run a household, all while trying to become a published author, I simply could not find enough hours in my days. I wanted to do it all. And do it all well. Better than well. Sadly, in 2015, after a devastating car accident and another injury that my eldest son endured, my life as I knew it came crashing down around me. I left the social media world and closed all of my writing projects. Even my art journals. I have spent the last five years trying to make sense of the accident and incident, recovering both physically and emotionally, and focusing on raising strong and healthy kids. So, why now? Simply put, writing is my passion. I have stories I need to tell. To be an author whose books are at the public library is my dream. Following my dream is teaching my kids that one should never give up. What makes this time different? Well, for starters, my children are not so young. I no longer volunteer, although I miss it dearly. I have switched companies for one that fuels my passion in my profession. It’s amazing how working for the right employer makes your work seem less like work and therefore doesn’t drain your mental energy force. Most importantly, I have a plan. Because, the truth is, I am no less busy or in demand today than I was six years ago, the demands are just different. I have made the edits to Candle Lake and currently it is with a reader. While it is off, I am working on resurrecting, and finishing, Cold. If you are a returning visitor to my blog, thank you for coming back! You may remember, Cold was my Serial Saturday Series (I love alliteration). I have pulled all but the first chapter off the blog and am working on finishing this piece. When Candle Lake comes back, I will do the last set of edits and send it out for query. Follow me on this journey that can be sometimes discouraging but oh so rewarding. I also have books on their way to me so that I can do some reviews for fellow authors. I hope you will read those and show some support to them as well. From time to time I will invite you to give me writing prompts so I can practice my craft. I will share adventures with you, my readers, of the great city I live in and various places in Western Canada. There is some beautiful scenery here that everyone should experience once in their life. My notebook is filled with ideas of blog posts and social media posts to share with you as I make my way through this journey. I am ready to make adjustments as I go along because finding balance is a life long project. What are your struggles and how do you find balance? Please leave a comment below or on my Twitter or my FaceBook. As always, thank you for your support.
3 Comments
7/15/2021 05:41:56 am
Welcome back; so very sorry to hear of your son's misfortune. I too have taken a break from my blog but do plan on going back when the time is right. I'm now working on a book/journal of my life for my two grandsons who are going to be 6 and 5 next month. I also have a book of my life's adventures in the works as well. My thing is I will take on too much getting exhausting myself so I leave myself with no motivation so advise in that direction. Good luck with it all.
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Rachel
7/16/2021 06:11:00 pm
Thank you Sheryl. It feels good to be back. I’ve missed the G+ crew!
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Rachel
10/24/2021 04:47:13 pm
Sorry for the late response Sheryl. It feels good to be back! How are you? I would love to hear what’s going on in your world.
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