Writing and Balance in Everyday Life

Yeah!

It's balance Thursday.

And today we have

Jeanette Fratto!

Read on . . . 

I’ve always loved to write and have done so all my life – short stories, essays, and articles. I’ve even won awards for some of them. It wasn’t until I retired from a 26-year career in law enforcement that I decided to write my first novel. That’s when the desire for balance really set in.

All of my previous writings were efforts that only required a few pages. I could write most of it in my head while cleaning the kitchen or driving to work. When it was time to put it on paper it didn’t take me long to have a finished product. Balance with my day to day activities was never really an issue, as I was able to fit my writing in “here and there” when I had some time.

Writing a novel seemed to be a natural progression of my writing experience. After much thought, I decided to make it a mystery that unfolded through the inner workings of the probation department, where I had worked. My reasons were two-fold. When I worked I realized that most people outside the field did not know what probation officers did, and as a mystery reader, I noted that writers rarely mentioned probation in their books, and it is an important part of the criminal justice system.

For something as complex as a novel, I knew I needed a writing plan more specific than when I could find the time. So I began the search for the “holy grail” of when, and how often, I should write. My husband and I had many activities we enjoyed together, including extensive traveling, and I didn’t want to give those up. A book requires dedication, so I looked for ways to write with optimal results, while still living an active life.

I attended book festivals and endless workshops of published writers. When questions were taken from the audience I would always ask, “how often do you write, and when do you do it?” The answers I received were as varied as the authors. Some wrote between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. every day. Others started writing at midnight after their children were in bed and the house was quiet. None of these plans appealed to me. Most wrote every day, which agrees with what most writing tutorials say to do – WRITE EVERY DAY.

I started out writing every day, usually after breakfast. But then my exercise class interfered. So I moved to the afternoon, but someone would drop in. Each day writing would nag at me until I sat down and wrote a page or two. If I missed a day I felt like a failure. This was obviously not working for me. Then one day I read an article in Writer’s Digest by an author with young children. She said she knew she couldn’t write every day so she didn’t obsess about it. Instead she wrote a few sentences when she could. She had certain designated times which were devoted to writing, but they were short periods. Eventually her book was finished. Her advice – there is no one best way to write. It all gets finished in the end. The best way is the one that works for you.

I felt like a weight had been taken from me. What if I made one day a week my writing day? Only in rare circumstances would I let anything interfere with it. The rest of the week I would think about my plot, maybe jot down notes, but there would be no more daily nagging because I hadn’t yet written anything. My mind would be free to think about my story without feeling the obligation to put something on paper. I chose my day and announced to my husband that he needed to find something interesting to do on his own, because I'd be unavailable from 9 to 5. He was fully supportive.

My first novel was published two years ago, and I just finished my second one. I still follow the one-day-a-week schedule. It may not work for everyone, but since it works for me, I’m sticking to it.

______________________ 

 I live in southern California and am a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, with a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Social Science. I planned to be a clinical psychologist when a flyer on being a probation officer caught my eye. I applied, and after a rigorous four-month process, I was hired and began training. I had a wonderful 26-year career and retired as a Division Director. I'm now concentrating on being a novelist and have begun a series about a female probation officer and her adventures. I have two adult children and three grandchildren. My husband and I travel, take pilates classes together, and enjoy life. He supports my writing efforts and is my best publicist, promoting my work everywhere he can.

 

 

  My Books

                NO STONE UNTURNED was my first novel. It is available in paperback, on Kindle, and as an E-Book via my website, which is: http://outskirtspress.com/nostoneunturned   It follows the experiences of probation officer Linda Davenport, who comes to California for new beginnings and gets more than she bargained for.

 

                NO GOOD DEED will be out by May or June. It is a sequel to my first book and continues with Linda Davenport's experiences.  Both books are in the mystery/romance genre.

 

                Readers can connect with me in a variety of ways, as follows:

 

                                       http://Jeanettethewriter.blogspot.com

 

                                       http://twitter.com/Jeanettewrites    

 

                                       Bjfratto@aol.com     

 

I'm also on Goodreads and Linked-In and I promise to respond to any contacts I receive!

* * * 

Thanks Jeanette!

I hope you all enjoyed reading.

If you would like to be considered for a post

let me know.

For You

I can't get enough of the blooms.

Can you?

JUST NEED ANOTHER HOUR IN THE DAY

I don't know about all of you,

but I'm loving learning about balance.

Everyone has been so incredible

to offer their words of wisdom

and here is another amazing woman author,

 Kathryn J. Bain

I never realized how busy I was until someone pointed it out to me. I’m a part-time paralegal for an elder law attorney. I am the Membership Director and Public Relations Director for Ancient City Romance Authors. I blog, I network, on and on it goes. Put on top of that I have two novels and a novella coming out this year. When do I sleep?

Everyone’s busy these days, and as a writer it does seem hard to find the time to write. The most important thing to do is make time. You can’t get published if you don’t write.

I get up at 5:00 in the morning and start my day. I leave for work at 7:30 so after exercising, showering, and breakfast, that gives me over an hour to write. Being a fast typist helps. I can type more than seventy words per minute depending on my focus and if I’m in the “zone”.

If you set a goal of five hundred words a day, that’s fifteen thousand a month. Within five to six months you have a completed draft. Make it one thousand per day, and that’s twice as fast. At fifty words a minute, that’s between twenty to forty minutes a day.

My goal is to do at least one chapter a day when I start something new. If I stay focused, I can have it done in less than an hour. I also spend my evenings marketing, blogging, networking, and catching up on e-mails. Writing is my main objective in the morning.

Setting goals and turning the television off is one of the ways I reach my target. I can honestly tell you I don’t know who won American Idol last year, and I have no idea who got voted off the island. Those things aren’t important to me. Getting published is, so I stay focused.

I may only have a dog to worry about, but my best time for work is still early in the day. While I get up at five, I’m usually in bed by nine at night. It doesn’t leave much time for a social life, but alas an artist must suffer for their work.

Getting up early is how I get my writing in. Some people are night people and write better in the evening. Basically, when would you have the least annoyance from your family?

Then stop making excuses, and just write.

____________ 

I was born in Spokane, Washington, then immediately shipped to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho where I lived until the ripe age of 19 when I graduated from North Idaho Jr. College. I then packed my bags and moved to Boise where I lived for two years until I could no longer tolerate the winter weather.

Once my toes hit the sand in Florida, there was no turning back. I have lived in Jacksonville for over 26 years where I am a Florida Certified Registered Paralegal. I have worked in the legal field for over twenty years specializing in guardianship, probate and estate planning. I am also the mother of two grown daughters.

My first book Breathless was released January 13, 2012. My second, a humorous novella titled Game of Hearts will be released in March 2012.
Some of my groups and leadership roles include:
President of Florida Sisters in Crime for 2010-2011.
The Public Relations Director for Ancient City Romance Authors, 2010-current.
Membership Director for Ancient City Romance Authors, 2012-current
Co-author of the First Coast Romance Writer quarterly newsletter.
Other membership groups: American Christian Fiction Writers, Florida Writers Association, Southeast Writers Association, Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of American.