Please welcome ~ Tonya Macalino author of Spectre of Intention her debut novel, you can check out my rave review here! Thanks to Tonya for posting today!
Making Time for Dreams
The books I write are geared toward busy parents, the kind that are lucky if they get a full fifteen minutes of blissful peace and quiet to take a mental break—in the parking lot waiting for the kids, on the train to work, in bed before their weary eyes finally slide closed for the day.
I write these books, because I am my own audience. Between the kids on opposing school schedules, their activities, the small business I run, and my writing career, my chances to read are quick and furtive. The action needs to be fast enough, the emotion high enough to pull me all the way in during those precious fifteen minutes, to give me the break I need to recharge and get out there and face the day again.
A lot of people are amazed that I manage to juggle the business, the writing, and the children and stay sane. I generally find this amusing, because when you talk with them further, you usually find that they are juggling just as much—the balls just have different names.
But if I were to answer that inevitable question, “How do you do it?” with something other than, “The same as you,” then my first answer would probably be: “Boundaries.” I am a boundaries fanatic. The two hours between kid pick up and drop off in the morning are for business/writing projects only. The afternoon is usually focused on kids and housework unless a deadline is looming large. The early evening is food and family. The late evening, back to work.
My second answer would be: “Learn to take breaks.” Sometimes my brain and body are screaming stop. Sometimes that deadline just has to wait. And that’s okay. Bodies are less forgiving than clients. And generally it’s best to catch it before it hits the screaming level. Let it get that far too often and you end up with burn out. And that’s bad for you and the writing!
My last answer would be: “Encourage and appreciate a supportive family.” I’m lucky. My family knows how important my writing is to me and they do their best to make sure my writing time is uninterrupted. I am very aware of how lucky I am and I do my best to support them in return.
For everyone with a dream who has a kid begging to go on a bike ride: Give them a big hug. Tell them how much you appreciate them respecting your project time, set the timer for twenty minutes, and then get back to work. But when that buzzer goes off, close that laptop and give back a little of the love and support that we should expect from our family at any age.
Here’s to making time for dreams and for life!
Tonya Macalino lives in Hillsboro, Oregon with her husband and two children. She is an avid collector of folklore and folk history, far too many to fit comfortably within the pages of any given book. When not working on her latest novel, she runs a handcrafted lotion, cosmetics, and bath company. To read more of the little gems she unearthed during her research, please visit her blog at www.tonyamacalino.com.
Disclosure: This Guest Post was provided by the Author as a part of the Bewitching Book Tours. I was not compensated to write a positive or favorable review. This is Keeping Up With The Rheinlander’s personal opinion.
