Here's the Thing About Being Writer

No matter what is happening in your life, words must be written, deadlines must be met, projects must be completed, edited, rewritten.

After spending two weeks in China, I arrived home knowing that I had several tasks before me. The first was to incorporate my new daughter into family life. My second was to keep my other four children from feeling displaced. My third was to write.

It isn't easy to be creative when your thoughts are caught up in the reality of life. The mini traumas and the major ones, the doctor appointments, fevers, medicines. The laundry and dishes and cooking.

It isn't easy to be creative, but if you're truly going to be an author, you must be.

Sometimes that means allowing yourself to daydream, to imagine the scenes that you'll put into your book. Sometimes it means sitting down and forcing yourself to put words to page. Any words. All words. Whatever is in your mind and heart.

I have found myself doing both things in the past ten days. I've got a proposal for my second book in the HEROES FOR HIRE series due in a couple of weeks, and no matter how jet lagged or sick (we've been stricken by the flu) I am, the writing will get done. That's how I've made a name for myself with my editors, and it is how I continue to sell to Harlequin. Good books turned in on time. It is my MO, and I refuse to slip into anything else.

I suppose there is a life lesson in here somewhere. Something about learning how much we really can accomplish when we're motivated enough. Maybe something even more profound about God giving us the time we need when we spend our time pursuing His will.

Unfortunately, I'm too tired to wax poetic about my writing journey. Instead, I will simply say that being an author means reaching beyond what you think you can do and discovering that you are much, much more capable than you ever imagined.

Blessings on your writing journey!

PS..the photo is of my beautiful treasures. I'm one blessed writer mom!