I finished the first draft of my novel on December 31, 2021. On January 1, 2022, I started editing. Today, on January 3, I'm finding it difficult to do real world things. A close friend of mine reminded me to take care of myself. We had a funny discussion regarding keeping up with real world obligations. So I'll share a couple of thoughts I had with you.
It's important to feed your body while you're reading or writing. You need to keep up your strength physically by doing things like eating, drinking, and maybe doing some exercise. It's easy to get so engrossed in what you're reading or writing that you forget the real world around you. Take breaks every hour or so to get up from your chair or bed to at least stand and get the blood flowing. Maybe take the time to switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer. Yes, that's a thing I need to do today.
It's also important to feed your inner child. Today my inner child is absolutely thrilled. We get to play in an imaginary world. (Well, it's the real world but with imaginary people and fantasy themes.) We get to read a great story - that we wrote! And we get to go through that story and make it better. At times it feels like work because we have to watch out for punctuation and grammar and continuity errors. But it's fun to read what we've written and be so engrossed in that world that the real world fades away.
The problem comes with balancing the two. Today I will remember to feed my inner child while remembering to take care of things that need to happen in the real world. Try to do both for yourself as well. And feel free to email me if you have any questions about balancing your inner child with your real world obligations. I may not have all the answers but I can sure empathize with what you're going through!
