Part #3 of our chat with @MelindaCurtisAuthor What is your writing day like? How do you balance work and your personal life? I’m going to admit here that I’m striving for balance. I used to rise at four a.m., get to the gym by five, be home by six-thirty, and begin my workday at seven-thirty. I’d work until my husband came home at six-thirty or seven, rarely venturing out of my desk chair other than to get more coffee. After dinner, I’d write some more. I never said no to any project that came my way. In short, I was a workaholic. And according to my doctor, something had to change. I resisted it, of course, because that’s what workaholics do. But along came covid, my husband retired, and we moved from California to Oregon where we bought a fixer. And by fixer, I mean this house needed remodeling from top-to-bottom, inside and out. Over the past two years, I’ve worked in our bedroom, in the laundry room, in a gutted bathroom, on the back patio, and in our son’s dated motorhome. Just imagine trying to write while workers and my husband were tearing down plaster walls and studs, pulling up floors, ripping out sinks and cabinets, and then building it all back with loud nail guns and air compressors. Worst case writer scenario. Or perhaps the best thing to happen to a workaholic because life got in the way of sitting all day. Today, the property is 90% complete and I’m probably 90% of the way to achieving that balance my doctor wanted me to find. My day starts at six a.m. with an appointment on my Peloton bike. By eight, I’m at my desk in my newly refurbished office with a view of our fish pond and waterfall. My presence is required to walk the dogs at eleven, and to be a co-chef with my husband at five-thirty. If the weather is nice (I live in Oregon where it isn’t always nice), I try to write outside for a few hours. Unless I’m behind on a deadline, work stops at the dinner hour. I try to write 3,000-5,000 words a day, 5-6 days a week. And I’m more selective about projects I take on. I like to share my story because I think it might help someone in their journey, even if they aren’t a writer.

Posted by LUV Team at 2022-07-27 19:00:33 UTC