Finding the Neverland of Balance

Finding the neverland of balance is never easy. Especially for artists and, yes, that includes writers. For many of us, writing is our life. Non-writers don’t understand that we literally write twenty-four seven. How could they know how our minds work? For we are a different breed.

We look at a group of people and zero in on the face of one. We wonder about that stranger’s story. And since we don’t know it, we simply play the “what-if” game until we mentally write a fictitious life account about this unsuspecting soul. For us, this little mental exercise is joy.

We hear a snippet of a news narrative or read an article and think, wow, we could really weave that into a great tale. On walks, we study houses and architecture and dream about the events that could or should happen within the building’s walls. Even when we are away from our computers, our minds are creating, reviewing and rewriting. Would that we could turn it off, but often the “off” switch is broken.

Even in dreams, our storylines and characters visit, overtaking that part of our lives, as well. How many times do we wake with the thought “I need to rewrite that paragraph on page eighty-nine” sprinting like a sprite through our minds? Grumblings escape our lips as we crawl out from the snuggly warmth of a blanket to power up the computer. Non-writers simply don’t understand.

Nor do they understand that we’d sooner plot the next scene than go to lunch with a friend or spend the day cleaning. We moan when anything, anyone pulls us out of our created worlds into reality. Yet, at times, we must step into the real world for we need balance. Our creative souls require it, even though we mentally resist.

The laughter of a child, the hug of a loved one, the excitement of speed and explosions in a movie, the wind blowing in our faces—all of these rejuvenate. We need to step away from the writing and live, even if our storylines percolate in the backs of our minds while we do. We need balance.

And so I wish all of you time away from your writing this Easter weekend. Worship and reconnect with God. Spend time with family, laugh, embrace and listen. Eat lots of chocolate! Give yourself the gift of balance. Your creative mind will thank you for it.