On Balancing Writing and Family Life by K. Dawn Byrd
How do I balance writing and family life? The great secret is that I make time by writing in 30-day marathons. In addition to working a full-time job, I also work two to three weekends a month on call either Saturday or Sunday. If I don’t make time, it isn’t going to happen
I’m a plotter, so it’s perfectly natural for me to spend some time plotting out my story before I actually begin writing. I also scour magazines for photos of what my heroine and hero look like. If it’s a young adult book and there’s a prom scene, I might even find a prom dress on-line or in a book that matches the one in my mind. In addition, I’ll find what kind of car they drive and I’ll start looking for photos for my video trailer. I acquire these photos and place on a story board, which gives me inspiration as I write.
After I’ve filled out a character work-sheet and feel like I know my characters well enough to write about them, I map out my schedule. For example, if I’m writing a 60,000 word novel, that breaks down to 2,000 words a day. I’ll map out how many words I should have each day. I try to get a head of the game in word count early on just in case life happens and I have to take a day off.
How do you make time to write?
K. Dawn Byrd’s Latest Novel: This Time for Keeps is available now!
About the Book: India McGuire’s peaceful life is shattered when on the night of her engagement to David Richards, she comes face to face with Chase Porter, a long lost love. India must come to terms with her overpowering feelings for Chase and choose between David, the neighbor who says he loves her, and Chase, the man who broke her heart.
Chase’s plans of leaving quietly turn to disaster when he finds that it’s impossible to disappear without seeing India one last time. Feelings begin to surface that he believed buried forever and he finds himself fighting to win her back even as David struggles to hold onto her.
India longs to follow her heart, but she’s been hurt too deeply. Who will she choose? The neighbor who can provide stability or the man she vowed to love forever who may once again heed to the call of the open road?
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