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

I’ve blogged and podcast and Tweeted many times about networking and the importance of reaching out to meet new people. It is always very rewarding to meet new people and build those online relationships.

It is even more cool (for me, anyway) when someone reaches out to me. For example, a few weeks back, K_A_Dewberry contacted me and told me she had found my podcast (Get Published) recently and had downloaded all the episodes and listened to them. She said she loved the show.

Hearing that someone likes my podcast is very gratifying. Learning that they downloaded all fifty-four (at the time, I think) episodes and had done a marathon listen to them was outright stunning. I mean, the episodes average something in excess of fifty minutes each. That is a HUGE commitment to the show and an amazing display of stamina.

When she asked me if I’d like to do a blog interview, I jumped at the chance. I am a strong believer in cross-promotion, after all.

The questions arrived in my email inbox and I was delighted with them. They made me think and really look back at why I do many of the things I do. It reminded me that writing isn’t a competition to see who can outdo whom and get the biggest, best and most book contracts.

It is, as I’ve said many times before, about community and helping your fellow writers to succeed. After all, readers are always looking for new stuff to read. If you happen to have some affiliation with a writer someone enjoys, they might just try your work out too. Helping others doesn’t have to be totally selfless.

Now, before you start to think I only agreed to do the blog interview out of ego and self-interest, let me say this: it was extremely flattering to be asked and I always do my best to help out wherever I can. I don’t know if anyone will read the post except Ms. Dewberry. If she gets something out of it, the effort was worthwhile.

I know, I got a great deal out of answering the questions. As I said before, it reminded me of why I do many of the things I’m doing today. To move forward, you must know where you’ve been. To improve, you must remember the mistakes. To help others in their writing journeys, you need to shine the light on what worked and what didn’t.

I hope I can be a light through my answers.

You can see K.A.Dewberry’s site at: http://kadewberry-author.blogspot.com/. Drop by and say ‘hello’ if you get the chance.

Tags: blog, blog interview, cross-promotion, interview, irreverent muse, k.a.dewberry, k_a_dewberry, Michell Plested, promotion, self publishing, writing