Melanie Nilles

Admit it–we all wish we had more than 24 hours in a day. Some days, between two kids and a husband (who usually gets short-changed), a horse, my writing, working full-time in a non-writing profession, etc., I wish I had more.

My latest project–besides the character interviews, which take one-two hours of writing time total–is a read-through of the Legend of the White Dragon series in a final pass for consistency and readability. I’ve found a few minor things to fix and some places where the writing needed a little more than a few words to smoothen the flow. I’ve said before that writers write. We have a need to express ourselves through words.

Some of us also have the need to feel busy, or just can’t say no. Then, again, I finished the latest newsletter of the Bismarck English Riders, a volunteer position I enjoy but which takes a couple hours every other month. It doesn’t take long, but it does take away from other projects and happened to be due this month. At least I’ve accomplished something.

Now, to get back to work on the series. However, I have this other idea for another novel in the same world I created for Dark Angel, but an adult story. I keep getting bits of scenes for that one and have to make notes. That’s a third project, but one I have to tell myself to not immerse myself in. It’s hard, but it just has to wait.

Priorities are a necessity when we are given a finite number of hours and minutes in each day. First come the kids, then myself (because, let’s face it, kids are a handful and demanding but we need a break no matter how much we love them), then my writing, my husband, and my horse. The cats (yes, I found another one, but two is enough) come last, although they have a knack for pushing ahead in the line, as anyone who has or has ever had cats knows ;P

But I always make time, even if only fifteen or thirty minutes a day. When you want something, you make the time. I just wish I had more of it.