Writer, Interrupted, or What to Do When Life Gets in the Way

This is not the post you think it is

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Lunch table=your life. Elephants=your interruptions. Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

When Life Interrupts Your Writing

Because, you know, it happens. Right now, it’s summertime and, well, the living is easy. Long, hot (a bit too hot at the moment) days that make it easy to slack off, vacations to prepare for, go on, and come home and recover from and evenings outside with a glass of something good to drink and lots of good noshes. Now, more than any other season, it is gloriously easy to let life interrupt your writing.

I could go at this topic from the usual angle. And bang on about just doing it, or taking a break, or any number of other productivity edicts. I’m all for productivity stuff, but this is not that post. Instead, I’m coming at this from the opposite side of things. Instead of talking about what to do when your writing gets interrupted, we’re going to start by discussing where you are as a writer and what your goals are. Because that, more than anything, can determine your strategy for dealing with distractions.

Some Questions

Where are you as a writer? Are you just starting out, with big dreams (best-selling novel! mega-book contract!) in your pocket?

Are you a hobbyist writer? Is writing something you do mostly for fun and maybe some cathartic edification? You do it when the spirit moves you, so to speak?

Are you a fledgling career author? With one or maybe even two books out in the world?

Are you a full-on career author, with multiple books out and a fan base to boot?

Some Answers (Wildly Idiosyncratic)

If you’re just starting out, keep dreaming! And for you, I recommend going with the distractions. Because—the things that distract us also give us something to write about. And when you’re just starting out, you need all the inspiration you can get. (Pro tip: it takes A LOT of things happening to fill out the pages of a novel.) So enjoy every bit of this summer while drinking it all in. You get a free pass.

And for you, my lovely hobbyist writer, my answer is nearly the same as above, but we’re going to step it up a notch. Enjoy your time off! But while you’re cavorting, think about your writing. Maybe even jot some notes on your phone or in a notebook. You get half of a free pass.

For the fledgling career author, no free pass. Sorry, not sorry. But I posit you have enough experience that you love writing and the thought of slacking off entirely is painful. So don’t. Figure out a way to sneak in some writing time. Get up earlier. (My favorite.) Stay up late. Do whatever it takes. Because I’m getting you also know how important it is to your career as a writer and your self-esteem to keep going.

Photo by Michael SKOPAL on Unsplash

Hello, full-on career author. You don’t need this post. You don’t need my ideas. You’ve got it going on already. Keep doing what you’re doing already. Keep on trucking.

When Not Writing Makes You Cranky

Then you know it’s time to get back to it. I can’t go more than a few days not writing before I start to feel ill at ease, discouraged, untethered. And then I know that I must do whatever it takes to return to my writing. Then, and only then, will I feel like myself again. The first few words on the page are painful but after that I breathe a sigh of relief and think, this. This is what I’ve been longing for.

Whether you are writing or not writing, I hope that you are having a lovely summer.

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