Balance

Catherine Dilts

When I retired from the corporate office job recently, I envisioned sitting at my computer for eight hours a day, churning out fiction manuscripts at a frenetic pace.

Even though I knew better.

During my day job years, I wrote some of my published stories in fifteen-minute increments with time seized out of a busy schedule. Like many writers, the flashes of brilliance I had during work hours had to be jotted down surreptitiously, for later development. Not exactly satisfying, this process felt like piecing together scraps to make a quilt.

When off the clock, I might have the luxury of six to eight hours to focus on a project. A few writing marathons went even longer. I wrote on Sundays, and even used holidays to write fiction. I participated in NaNoWriMo several times. To get 50,000 words slammed down in a month, you have to plant your rear on a chair and work long hours.

When I went to my doctor with a shoulder complaint a few years ago, I did the math. Between the day job and writing fiction, I was frequently at the computer twelve hours a day. Not every day. But often enough. That kind of workload is not sustainable. Physically. Excessively long writing sessions resulted in a couple stints with physical therapy.

When I no longer had a day job whittling away my time, I slid to the opposite extreme a few times. Briefly. I am at heart a workaholic. These forays into slackerdom didn’t last long.

Realizing I can go to either extreme, I keep a timesheet for my writing. And a fitness schedule for my walking and running. Both need to happen, or else everything starts to break down. Both require consistency. Both work and fitness activities also require breaks. Recovery days.

Saturday the weather finally cleared up enough for an outdoor walk. My husband and I enjoyed the fresh air, sunshine, and birds. The small brown birds were chirping with delight to bask in warm sun after a long cold spell. I almost felt like chirping, too.

Taking breaks from writing is necessary. Breaks offer a refreshing change of pace that often inspires a new story. On the flip side, inspiration is nothing without work to give it form. It’s all about balancing work and play, diligence and rest.

How do you balance the demands and delights in your life?

Life Balance

In addition to having written three novels (the third, Graveyard Bay is scheduled to be released in September), I have a day job.  I’m the president of the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce here on the Crystal Coast.  It’s a fantastic gig.  I’m the cheerleader for one of the most beautiful places on earth.

In itself, that’s a full-time job but additionally, I sit on numerous boards (economic development, public school foundation, transportation committee, downtown development, juvenile crime prevention, etc.).  On top of that, this year I’m the president of the Business Alliance Protecting the Atlantic Coast, BAPAC,  an organization representing 42,000 businesses and 500,000 commercial fishing families from Maine to Florida.  This group is dedicated to doing what its name says,  protecting the Atlantic Coast, primarily from offshore oil and gas drilling and seismic testing.

When do I get a chance to write?

Sometimes early in the morning, even before the coffee is brewed, I might be jotting a few thoughts down.  At lunch, while I’m wolfing down a chicken salad sandwich at my desk, I’ll knock out a few sentences or rewrite a paragraph.  After work, before I start making dinner, I’ll hammer out a page or two.

Where I do the bulk of the writing is on weekends.  Before my wife is up, I’ll walk down to the ocean, then come back and work out.  Then, I always have breakfast with Cindy while we read the multiple newspapers we get on weekends.  Yes, we still enjoy getting newspapers delivered to the curb and spending time with them at the breakfast table.  And we always find something interesting to talk about.

Then I’ll go upstairs to my office over the garage, dither for a while on the internet, look at my watch and figure I’ve wasted enough time.  I turn on some ambient music and begin work in earnest.

A balancing act.

Luckily, my three children are grown.  I don’t have to drive them to soccer practice, or help them with their homework, or take them to the park or the beach.  More time for me to write.

Unluckily, my grown children and my grandchildren are a long way from where we live. I would love to see them more often.  But the fact that they’re not here gives me more time to write.

I take time for the things I enjoy doing.  I love reading (I’m nearly finished with Don Winslow’s The Border, a 720 page thriller I can't seem to put down), and I do all the cooking.  Something else I love.

Cindy and I make certain that we spend time together and with friends, we watch movies on HBO and Netflix together, and every couple of weeks, we go out for dinner.  This part of North Carolina has some world class restaurants. And being the president of the chamber of commerce, we’re often invited to events on weekends, most of them revolving around food.  It’s a wonder that I don't weigh 300 lbs.

 Writing is a solitary adventure, but life is meant to be lived with the people you love.

Knowing that this is Easter weekend and my wife’s birthday, this blog will be blessedly short. My advice is this: write when you can but always stop and smell those flowers.  It’s springtime here, and in our little patch of the world, the flowers are spectacular.