Every writer, whether you are full-time or part-time, has had life get in the way of producing content. Maybe a family member isn’t well or perhaps there is a disaster. It could be the day job is more challenging than usual.

So what do you do when things interfere with your writing?

Do you wail and moan and gnash your teeth saying things like “Woe is me!” or “If only there were more hours in the day!” or do you smile sadly, refocus your dwindling energies and get as many words down as time allows? Sometimes dwindling energies means no energy so you regroup the next day instead.

Whatever your response, it is critical that you don’t sit back and hope that a big block of time with no interruptions will appear. Those sorts of things do occasionally happen, but they are the exception, not the rule.

I’ve been having “one of those weeks” myself for the past couple weeks. Work has been very stressful and I’ve been trying really hard to get several of my projects done. Then there are the outside things that are demanding my attention too. All of it has meant less creativity than I would like.

But, I’ve forced myself to keep forging ahead. I know very well that if I don’t, the time will pass and the writing won’t get done. I’ll be unhappy with myself and the nasty cycle will continue.

So, I keep at it. If I miss a day, I shrug it off and try again the next day.

I know it doesn’t sound very inspired, but as I have said many times before, perseverance is a key part to becoming a published author. If you cannot work through the hard times, chances are good you won’t work when things are easy either. So what does that leave? The rare times when all the planets are in their proper alignment, the ambient temperature is perfect and your muse speaks clearly about what needs to be written.

That would be perfect, but it would likely mean you would only write for fifteen or twenty minutes a year. Not quite enough to make a living at it.

So, I will laugh in the face of adversity, perhaps more quietly some times than others, and force my muse to bend to my will. It will mean less sleep some nights and perhaps less time being lazy, but it will allow me to continue down the path to becoming a full-time writer.

What tricks do you use? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Tags: author, challenges, life, perseverance, published, stress, writing