Stirring the Pot

I try to post on Mondays, but this week is all out of whack thanks to Thanksgiving. Relatives came to visit. It’s been wonderful, but I have found myself longing for my regular work routine. It seems like nothing is getting done. Then I had a think on that between the second dessert of the day and helping my dad repair the sink,  and I realized a break in habits is a good way to stir the pot. Sometimes we can be too disciplined and forget to look at the way we are doing things. Yes, it may be efficient, but is it the best way to approach our work? Stagnating habits can produce stagnant work. That said, I miss my walks to clear my head and if I eat one more turkey entrée I’m going to start strutting around the yard with my own wattle on.

In a few days the house will be all mine again. I will miss my family, but a deadline looms and my YA novel is waiting for me to finish revisions. As I return to work, though, I’m going to be reexamining how I work and when I work. Tis the season. I will also try to let go of my routines, knowing that disruptions can be beneficial and even produce fodder for writing and illustrating to come.

Have you changed your routine lately?

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Balancing Act

This morning I was thinking about the day ahead, and like most people realized I had an endless list of things I needed to accomplish and too few hours to probably get it all done. I needed to check all of my emails, write a post for my blog, feed a small zoo worth of animals, work on the an illustration for my current picture book, read a manuscript from a friend, continue painting a Tuscan countryside mural for a client, and oh yeah, cook three meals, drive and deliver one of my sons to work, grocery shop, yada, yada yada. The list was more than a little daunting.

The point is, writing and illustrating for children requires more than passion. It requires discipline–lots of discipline. There’s no boss who is going to fire me if I don’t show up for work, no time clock to punch, no life and death decisions to be made (so far) to help me set my prioroties, but I know that each minute of each day is packed with potential. All I have to do is show up.

So if you are reading this and wondering how you’re going to manage your life and still find the time to write the next Great American Kids Book, keep the faith and make an appointment with your work.  Many drops of rain are needed to fill the pond.

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