Susan Abel Sullivan's Blog, page 15

The Ole Back Burner

Writing is something I need to do regularly, and if I can't commit to a regular schedule, then I don't want to do it.  It's like exercise; if I knew I'd only be able to workout once a week, I wouldn't work out at all.  Now there are writers out there who would say I'm not a "real" writer because of this attitude.  But I learned long ago that there are times in life where I have to make hard choices on how I spend my time.  They've always been related to earning a living or dealing with illness and injury.  And because I don't earn a living from my writing, it sometimes has to go on the back burner for awhile.

Which is where I am now.  So what have I been doing with my time?  Well, I opened an official online store on eBay: Bama Sue's Online Zoo in April.  The picture above is part of my logo.  I specialize in stuffed animals, especially Steiff and vintage plush.  Opening a store, whether brick and mortar or online requires a large time commitment.  I'm the sole proprietor and sole employee.  I wear a bunch of hats, including CEO, CFO, COO, Marketing Director, Listing Agent, Customer Service, and Shipping Director.  But on the plus side, I get to use my writing skills to write the copy for my listings. 

In addition to the eBay store, I'm still teaching fitness classes locally and I'm now an official continuing education provider for the Aquatic Exercise Association.  And in my personal life, I take care of my 110-year-old Victorian home and the zoo of critters that I call companion animals.  It's like caring for a bunch of little kids, except I can leave home without requiring the services of a babysitter (although I do have a house sitter come in when I have to be away overnight or longer).

There are writers who are able to handle all of the above and cut out sleep to write.  I don't function well that way.  I wind up shambling through the day like a brain-fogged zombie and actually get less done. 

I've gone through these periods of writing vs no writing since I was eighteen so I know I'll be able to get back to writing regularly at some point.  In the meantime, the life I'm living (versus writing about life) will give me fodder for my fiction.  So my cycle is essentially live, then write about it, live and then write about it.  And when you stop to think about it, that's not a bad scenario.  So many professional authors (ie, writers who can make a living writing) wind up writing about writers because that's all they do.  At least I'll be able to write about all sorts of things like mermaids in the public pool, and an online store that sells spare body parts to zombies, and were-pets who turn into people during the full moon.  And I won't make myself sick or crazy trying to do it all and have it all and be it all.

A win/win in my book.

A Peek at My Personal Library

World Weaver Press recently ran a blog on the theme: Show Me Your Bookshelves.  I have seven bookcases in my house and deciding which one to feature was a tough decision.  But I finally narrowed it down to one: my massive Stephen King and Robert Jordan collection.

http://worldweaverpress.com/2013/03/26/show-me-your-bookshelves/

I also have a stack of books "to read" on my dresser.  I'm trying to limit how many books are in that stacks, but you know the saying: So many books, so little time.  Ditto for magazines.  I belong to several professional fitness organizations and receive journals from them every  month.  Several people have given me subscriptions to Shape, More, and Southern Living.  And I also have a subscription to Reptiles Magazine since I have 2 ball pythons.  I'm quite a bit behind on my magazine reading, too, but my husband likes having fresh fodder for bathroom reading.  Ha!

Juggling Act

When I was in high school I juggled multiple activities: competition baton twirling, being a majorette, concert band, dance lessons, Honor Society, teaching dance and twirling, and church youth activities.  I had a full plate you could say.  How I was able to do all of the above and maintain a 4.0 GPA amazes me even today. 

So why am I bringing up high school? 

Because I'm back to juggling again, only this time it's independent contractor jobs.  With the bum economy, I definitely need to make a buck (or two or three or several thousand).  And I like the flexibility of working for myself rather than doing the nine to five thing. 

At the moment I'm teaching Zumba and Water Fitness classes for the city's Parks & Rec, I recently received Continuing Education Course Provider status from the Aquatic Exercise Assocation (AEA) and will be leading water fitness workshops soon, and I'm running an eBay boutique.  In addition to all of this, I take care of 11 companion animals and clean my own house which is a large Victorian home.  The home and pet responsibilities easily require 20-hours a week to keep everyone alive and maintain a modicum of order and cleanliness.  I am definitely not a clean freak, but there's only so much pet hair I can tolerate on the hard wood floors, furniture, and computer!

So when do I write?  (And no, I am not a proponent of the skimp on sleep to write idea.  As an older athlete my body requires 8-10 hours of sleep every night.) 

When DO I write?  When I can.  I'd love to be able to write every day, but I need to be able to focus, and sitting down for half an hour a day just doesn't cut it for me.  I need several hours in row to be an effective writer.  It's an interesting juggling act in the same way the Chinese used to say, "May you live in interesting times."  I'd prefer to be able to focus on just writing, my pets, and one other job.  But at the moment, that is not to be.

What I do is check my progress every month and ask myself, am I moving forward with my writing?  That is, am I finishing projects and submitting them?  It might take me longer these days to complete a novel or a blog or my newspaper column, but the goal is eventual completion.  As long as I'm moving forward, then that's really the best I can ask for at the moment.  Making myself ill or crazy trying to maintain strict deadlines on everything will just burn me out and put me in the hospital or nut house. 

And there's the added benefit that at some point I'll use my crazy schedule in a novel.  If my life had a theme song, this is what it would be. Cue "Sabre Dance."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCA_-KSa5tE

Happy juggling!