Balancing Act by @KristineAsselin

Work. Kids. Family. Pets. Volunteering. You know, Life. Oh right, we’re writers. Add writing to that list.

Lately, my life has felt like a metaphor for balancing these golf balls. And not particularly well, I might add.

I’m guessing some of you have experienced the same feeling?

This is a picture I actually took. Two is pretty easy.  We did this on my dining room floor in a few minutes.  I’ve been able to balance three before…but I didn’t have the patience today. 

I constantly beat myself up about not writing enough. You know how it goes, “you should be BIC (butt in chair) every single day. You’re a writer, you must write.”

The thing is, we all need to give ourselves a break. Especially this time of year. Last week, I had an end-of-the-year school commitment for my daughter every single evening. Plus her first semi-formal. Plus two writing workshop commitments on Saturday. And then another work thing on Sunday. Every day for the last fifteen days, I’ve had something scheduled outside the house. Not including “the day job.”

Then I remember the golf balls stacked up. And I know that with one fell swoop, they’ll come tumbling down. It takes care and patience (a lot of patience, I’d say) to get complete balance.

When things get a little crazy, and I find myself taking that much needed break from writing, I think about all the ways to “fill the well” while I’m not working. I may be taking a break, but watching AGENTS OF SHIELD with my daughter gives me ideas on character development and story arc. Listening to my Pandora station keeps me in my character’s head. Sometimes just listening to the chatter of girls in my back seat gives me a snippet of dialogue or a plot point. It’s all useful!

By the way, according to a quick google search, Don Athey of Bridgeport, OH holds the Guinness World Record by stacking nine golf balls (without adhesives).

Nine. Try it, I dare you. You’ll find balancing your life much easier.

Things settle down next week. I’ll be balancing golf balls working on my novel with my butt in the chair. I hope you will be as well!

Signing up for Kid Lit Summer School is a great way for you to get your mojo ramped up and roaring.

Click HERE for details.

Kristine Carlson Asselin writes Young Adult and Middle-Grade fiction. Her YA novel Any Way You Slice It (Bloomsbury Spark) is currently available and her debut middle-grade, The Art of the Swap (co-authored with Jen Malone) has recently sold to Simon and Schuster for publication in 2017. Kristine is also the author of sixteen nonfiction children’s books for the elementary school library market. Kris does query package critiques under the alter-ego @QueryGodMother and loves doing school visits for kids all over New England.

To keep up with Kristin, follow her on Twitter at @KristineAsselin and check out her website at www.kristineasselin.com.