Being Realistic

Let's practice saying a word together...

NO

How did you do?

For some people, saying no is a difficult thing to do, but it is something you have to be willing to consider, especially if you are a new writer that is caught up in the wave of this business.

Too often, I find writers getting completely burned out with their writing because of the "can't say no" syndrome. Their chapter has asked them to be an officer, they volunteer at nationals, they start running chapter contests, and then, the editors start throwing projects at them. Eventually, something is going to give and in all likelyhood, it will be you.

You have to be realistic with yourself and your time that you set aside for your writing. How much time can you honestly give to your craft and the other elements? If you can't give it a strong dedicated devotion, then something has to give.

I bring this up, especially for those of you that start writing for one publisher and then start new projects that go to other publishers. Editors really don't mind if you write at multiple houses, but remember, their house is the one that get's the number one priority. If you have multiple houses pulling you, then something suffers.

So, your homework today. Lay out a schedule for yourself. See what you can honestly do and can't do. Make a priority list of the things you believe are more important than others and if the list is too long, start hacking away at the bottom.

And people, please... remember you have to factor in your family and your health.