Everyone Else Puts Up With It

Now I'm loving Tuesdays

as well as Thursdays.

Here is another author

I'd like to share with you,

Alana Woods

I have a perfect writing and life balance.

I write and everyone else puts up with it.

Just kidding.

Let’s jump back several decades.

In my youth I wrote short stories as and when I thought of one, so it wasn’t a scheduled regime.

A schedule of sorts happened when, after reading an appallingly-written bodice ripper (does anyone remember them?), I threw it down in disgust and said ‘I could do better than that.’

(I always remember that book, among others, when people scorn the so-called poor quality of indie published books).

But to get back on track ... my husband happened to overhear me and came back with ‘Why don’t you.’ Something I think that if he were really honest he might in hindsight have been a bit more careful with.

Twelve weeks later, with me scribbling at all hours and in all places into a notebook with a pen, he asked ‘Haven’t you finished yet?’

Fast forward 30 years. The question he now asks is ‘When are you going to start making money?’

Back we go again in time to when I had a full-time job and children still at home. When the children were young I negotiated two nights a week with my husband for writing. When they were past wanting my attention I renegotiated the two nights to all day Sunday. During the rewriting stage I also pulled in the two nights.

I imagine others do the same sort of thing. My husband has always been extremely supportive but I’m conscious of not letting the writing take over to the point where he would start to resent it.

And you know the saying that if you want something done ask a busy person. I think that can be extrapolated to this situation. By that I mean that I found it easier to find time to write when I had a full-time job and a family to care for. I now work at home as a part-time editor, so you would think I have plenty of time during the day to also write. Wrong. 

So many other things of a computer nature now draw me in. 

Every indie author alive will know what I’m talking about. The marketing, the blogging, the promoting, the looking for promotion and marketing opportunities, not to mention keeping all of my social network sites current, as well as interacting on other blogs to get my name out there in the blogosphere. 

Every day I wake up saying ‘Okay, today I’m going to ignore the 50 or so emails that come in. Today I’m going to write.’ Then I log on, download the email and something always catches my attention and ... groan ... I’m gone.

If I have a paying job then I work on it to the exclusion of everything else.

And then there are the family duties such as collecting grandchildren from school occasionally.

So as you can see actually getting creative can be difficult. In reality I tend to work in bursts. When I’m in the thick of writing I try to put in the afternoons. When I’m not, it’s a bit more of a scattered approach.

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Alana Woods’ bio

 

My family emigrated from the UK to Australia when I was four.  I grew up in the coastal suburbs of Adelaide but now live in Canberra.  It’s where two of my children live. We (that’s me and my husband John) also spend time in West Sussex with our oldest daughter Simone, also an author.

I’ve been a professional editor for over 30 years. I’m no longer in full-time employment—haven’t been for about six years. Most of my time now is taken up with my own writing but I continue to contract edit part time.

 

I have four books published. Two are thrillers, Automaton and Imbroglio. Another is a short story collection, Tapestries and other short stories. And the fourth is non-fiction, Family medical history, which is a journal for families to keep a record of everything that happens of a medical nature. They are all available on Amazon.

I’m currently working on a writing guide for aspiring authors which enlarges on advice I’ve given to young writers who have asked for my help over the years.

I’m also working on a third thriller.

 Alana Woods is a thriller novelist, short story and non-fiction author and editor.

Her books are available on Amazon:

Automaton

Imbroglio

Tapestries and other short stories

Family medical history

Alana Woods books on Amazon