Priority Panic: Part II in the No More Somedays Series

I haven't been writing lately. Not even in my notebook.

For one, there's too much sunshine right now to stay huddled in the A/C with only a laptop for warmth. Then there's my back. It hurts after sitting for long periods of time and I do enough of that at work.

But remember Nancy Drew? Remember this?

I often think about my book-writing dream when I should be, well, dreaming. I recently outlined a fiction idea that's been occupying my brain space for the past several months. Got it down. Great. Yay, me.

Except...

I haven't been adding anything to it, so I end up going over scenarios in my head at night when I should be shutting down, not ramping up.

I was starting to stress about it because lately I haven't been able to find the time to get things down. Panic buttons were going off all over the place: "When am I going to write? Oh no, I didn't write today. Holy crapy, I forgot to write. Oh man, I was going to write about something and now I can't remember what it was."

I was getting jumpy.

And, I was starting to lose sight of real life. Actual human people. Not ones made up of English characters on a lined and perforated page.

A few weeks ago, I won a book after participating in a blog tour kickoff at WOW. I received the book, Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning, but like writing, I haven't been able to find time to read either!

I e-mailed the author, Danette Haworth, to thank her for sending me her new book and I asked her how she found time to write when her children were very young.

What she said made a lot of sense to me and she gave me permission to share it here.

"You have to go with your own life, and the main thing with children is that you'll always be a writer, but your children will not always be little. Enjoying this time, right now, is a priority. Fit the writing in where you can, and as your children grow, your schedule will change and so will your writing goals and ability to accomplish them." -- Danette Haworth

She's so right. My schedule has definitely changed in the last year. (Hint: less minutes napping equals fewer written words.)

So, I've been taking her advice. I'm not panicking. I'm enjoying my new one-year-old and all he wants to do and say, and someday I'll get back to writing...

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Visit Danette's Web site, http://www.danettehaworth.com and her blog, Summer Friend.