Writers Need Balance And Slow Times, Too

Today I had the honor of interviewing author, Susan Titus Osborn. Susan's interview was done some time ago, and sadly, I had misplaced it in my office. But as the old saying goes, "Better late than never!" Susan has some wonderful advice to share and I truly hope you gain inspiration and wisdom from it.

Has there ever been a time in your writing career where you had to tell yourself to "slow down"? And if so, what was going on at the time?

Three years ago, I learned to put on the brakes. I had written three books in a year and a half, which may work for some of you, but doesn't work for me-especially since running The Christian Communicator Manuscript Critique Service takes so much of my time. I put on the brakes because I developed a heart condition. I began to look at all that I was doing to decide what was important and what wasn't-regarding work and home.

Another factor that happened shortly after I learned about my heart condition was that my husband almost died from a gangrene gallbladder.

Both these incidents made me realize how fragile life is and how precious family is.

When you finally realize it's time to slow down and take a breather how do you go about it without dropping out of the "rat race" altogether or asking for extensions on current deadlines?

I asked God to help me decide which things I was doing were priorities and which were not. Fortunately I did not have a major book writing assignments due during these crises.

An area where I have really cut back is doing the manuscripts that come into my critique service. I now have a capable staff of 18 people, and they do most of the manuscripts. I only edit for my long-term customers.

How can a writer balance his/her writing career with parenting duties and life responsibilities?

Now I try to only write one book a year. Sometimes that doesn't work, but that's my goal. I don't write very many magazine articles anymore, although at one time I was a magazine editor. I only occasionally do a pay-for-hire assignment, but when I was hungry, I did lots of those! Plus, I pick and choose my speaking engagements.

My children are all grown, which cuts down on the stress of time and money there. However, I try to spend lots of time with them. Over the holidays, we were able to visit with three of our children and eight of our grandchildren. Plus I visit regularly with my two little ones in London over Skype, a camcorder computer program. I read books to them, teach them about Jesus, and stay online as long as their attention spans last. Grandkids are a priority over my work.

As I grow older, I try to stay in tune with what God wants me to do-and that often seems to change, so I need to listen very carefully. To offer a bit of advice from my years of experience, I would say, 'Be careful not to neglect your time with the Lord, your time with your family, or your health. It is easy to get caught up in a writing project and neglect all three. Trust me, I speak from experience."

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