When Life Gets in the Way
My husband was on a business trip when he called to complain that his meetings had gone awry. As the organizer, he felt responsible, but the errors were beyond his control. He was not in charge of the facilities, so when there was a problem gaining access, it wasn’t his fault. He was not the IT expert, so when the computer network crashed, it was not his fault. Of course, he did his best to fix the problems, but by then his carefully crafted agenda had long since disappeared.
I commiserated, because his experience feels like a metaphor for my own writing life. I try my best to make time to write, but the kids need an unexpected drive. I sit down at my computer, but the power goes out. I’m on a roll, but my invalid mother calls. Life is always against us writers—at least that’s what it feels like. No matter my best laid plans, no matter my clear organization, my carefully crafted agenda flies right out the window.
But then I do what my husband did. I take a moment to vent (him to me, me to him). Then I regroup. Okay, I won’t get as much done, but I’ll get something done. Okay, I won’t get anything done today, but I’ll get something done tomorrow.
Writing often falls to the bottom of our priority list, not the least of which is when everything else gets messed up. It sucks, but it happens.
And then after that? After that, you get back to writing.