Balancing Act

Because I am a freelance writer, one of the most difficult challenges of writing for me is balancing the time I spend on writing to get paid, writing for my nonprofit organizations, and writing "that book" I keep trying to write.

I need to earn income, so nonfiction writing takes up a large part of my week; I want to help my church and nonprofit groups, so that writing takes up another part of my week. Between that and the rest of my life, I have little time left to work on that book I want to write.

However, the one thing that keeps me going on my fiction writing is my SCBWI critique group. There are four of us in the group, and we meet once a month. Knowing that three other people are expecting me to contribute helps motivate me to keep plugging at my children's book.

If you find yourself putting off that book you want to write, I highly recommend you join or form a critique group. You won't be disappointed!