Damn you, Real Life!

As I type this now, I am sitting in a hotel room in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I’m here for a legal seminar. As an attorney, I am required to take a certain number of courses per year to make sure I am up to date on the latest laws and cases. I guess that’s why it’s called a “practice.”

I just finished a trial that lasted three weeks, and I have two more scheduled for next week. I also run a nationwide live action role-playing game, act as parliamentarian for the local Democratic party, and take care of my wife (a cancer survivor who is a bit handicapped because of it). Sometimes I get to go to conventions where I can talk about the writing that I am not doing.

I’d bet each one of you have similar time problems.

I know that professional writers say “Be sure to write something every day” and that’s a great piece of advice. I’d gladly do it if Real Life didn’t get in the way. And sometimes Real Life is so stressful that I don’t want to do the thinking that writing involves. I’d rather load up a computer game and kill some zombies, watch a movie, or read a book. Or watch a movie based on a book about killing zombies.

I know that the more I write, the better I get. I can see it in my work. I know I should try to spend some time every day writing.

But damn, that’s hard to do!

I guess some of it is a matter of priorities. I have already cut back on the amount I do for the game; I do not volunteer as much for political campaigns as in the past.

But as far as work goes? Hey, I have to pay the bills.

Then I think to myself “If my new book gets picked up by an agent and then is published by a major house and produces some income, maybe I can cut back on the legal work.” It’s nice to dream.

But until that day, I will write whenever I can while shaking my fist at Real Life.