The trouble with a writing career is that there’s always something more I can do.
Another eHow. A bit more work on a short story. A new draft of some idea floating around in my head.
I think one reason I was stressed out for a while was that with my schedule upended by the census work, I didn’t know where to draw the line. I’ve lost some of the time I’d be writing, and I anticipate losing more; if the census work goes well and I get an early evening, I feel like the free time should immediately be put to better use than say, reading or watching a DVD. Because who knows how much I’ll have tomorrow.
So I’ve decided I need a tighter schedule. X amount of time on the census (with eHow to fill the gaps), Y amount of writing. And when it’s finished … I stop and relax.
Depending how much census work I get, I may adjust the exact quotas as I go along. It seems a shame not to make the most of the job opportunity while I have it; on the other hand, I will NOT wind up shoving my fiction aside.
So the exact formula may require some tinkering, but at least for the moment I have one.