It’s my first-ever vlog!

Writing may take time away from your family, friends and other pursuits. If you’re struggling with guilt over devoting time to writing, this is for you!

The notes I spoke from (not really a transcript, but good enough to get the gist)

Recently, I had a lot of family in town, and we were talking about writing. The conversation turned to a friend who was a writer as well as the primary breadwinner for his family. I confirmed that most writers don’t make enough money to quit a day job, so essentially this guy was working two jobs, one to feed his family, and one to feed his soul.

All of us sacrifice something to make the time to write, whether that’s time with our family and friends, sleep, other hobbies, entertainment, recreation, or even cleaning. (guilty) Sometimes these sacrifices make us feel like we’re abandoning our responsibilities. We even feel guilty.

I stay at home with my four children, and squeeze in working around their schedules. Sometimes I my schedule is extra demanding, and I’m not as engaged with my children as I feel like I should be. I feel this guilt, too.

But I also feel it’s really important to do what I said earlier, and feed my soul. Writing helps me feel happier. It’s a creative outlet, and it’s part of who I am.

Accepting that has made finding “balance” in my life so much easier. I’m a better friend and a better wife and a better mother when I do take this time to refuel, to do something for myself, to pursue a passion. When I give myself permission to focus on taking care of myself sometimes, to set aside some time for writing, I’m a happier person, and I’m better able to fulfill my other roles and responsibilities.

Conclusion

But fretting over what I “should” and “shouldn’t” do has only hindered me and hampered me with guilt, making it harder to write and to be happy when I’m not writing.

I’m a writer, and writers write. I can still have relationships and a life, but I need my writing time to make all of those things more fulfilling. Give yourself permission to write, to make sacrifices to write, and banish the guilt.

Be sure to join my email newsletter by Wednesday, March 12, for more about giving yourself permission to write!

I’ve wanted to try vlogging for a while, but I probably won’t give it another go until I can find a way to minimize the buzz from my computer’s fan.

What do you think? Have you given yourself permission to write?