According to the Oxford Mini Dictionary Thesaurus and Wordpower Guide, the definition of juggle is to toss and catch several objects, keeping at least one in the air at any time; manipulate skillfully. In my case, to juggle means trying to handle family, the home, work, and finding time to write while maintaining some level of sanity in the process. There are no answers on how to make it all work out but being creative and keeping a positive outlook helps.

The thing to do is to keep trying no matter how many times you feel like your head is being smacked against a brick wall.

Trying to write at home is like driving in rush hour traffic. In the evenings when I begin to cruise along, I have to put on the breaks because somebody needs something.

Okay, I get up, handle the situation and then get started again. Now, I’m slowing at the curve on a very important love scene, then bam! The baby starts screaming. I fly out of my chair, forget to save what I’d just written, and go see what the matter is. I find my daughter and one of the cats in the middle of the kitchen floor with this ‘he did it-she did it’ look on their faces. So I pull her out of the cat’s food, clean her up and put her to bed.

Okay, I return to my computer, the highway, to find yet another roadblock; one of my darling fuzz balls is lying on the mouse and partly on the keyboard, with a paw conveniently on the delete button. He’d just obliterated the last page and a half because I did not push the save button.

At this point, I’m screaming inside and cursing aloud. The frustration level is so high that my road rage begins to spin out of control. Parking my futile attempts and giving up seems to be the best option at this point. But, staying positive is my only saving grace. I have to tell myself that I did get something accomplished and I thank God for at least getting a little time with my work in progress, then painstakingly try to remember the lost page and a half.

So in crazy conditions like this, the thing to do is to keep trying no matter how many times you feel like your head is being smacked against a brick wall. Honestly, some work actually gets done.

Since time at home with the family is just as important and writing often gets put on the back burner, I try to make it all fit however possible. I started keeping a notebook in the kitchen to jot things down that come to mind while tending chores. Also, while the hubby and baby are watching wrestling and I’ve got dish duty and can’t write, I keep my trusty little tape recorder on hand. When running errands and the hubby is driving, the notebook and tape recorder sometimes go with me. You never know when the optimum answer to a difficult plot issue will strike. Keeping some form of scratch paper and a pen in the purse comes in handy too.

The job is one of my favorite places to work on my writing. I get two fifteen minute breaks and a half hour lunch. Every minute of those breaks is precious. My cool co-workers that know what I’m doing are courteous enough to leave me alone. (But, there’s always one that wants to stop and talk.)

The job also offers a wealth of information. For instance, I’m an international auditor and work in the international side of the accounting office. There I have access to thousands of foreign names which make great character names. Dealing with documentation from different countries tweaks the imagination. Having my own personal recycle box give me a fresh supply of scratch paper whenever I need it. When nobody is looking, I download things from the computer that will help with my writing, on breaks of course.

There is always a downside though. No sooner than I get on a roll on an idea, then break is over. Oh well, at least some work still got done. It’s great being able to e-mail my WIP back and forth to myself.

Goal setting is essential. I set very small goals and bask in the achievements as a way of continuing that positive outlook. Everyday I try to get at least a page or more written on my breaks at work and strive to build on them at home. I also set dates, or little deadlines, to keep the momentum going. That doesn’t always work because your attention is constantly being diverted, but remaining loyal to your ambitions will sustain you in keeping the dream alive.

Frustrations can be overwhelming and make a person want to throw it all in but sticking it out is even harder. The quest for time is unending. I’ve learned that this craft is fun and fascinating and that dues paid are not easily earned. My wonderful mentor, Ann Peake, told me “it’s the journey, not the destination.”

In everything I do, I find that she’s right. All aspects of writing are truly amazing. Being able to apply the imagination and turn it into something incredible like a published work is astounding. Getting published is the icing but the learning process with the result of a completed manuscript is the cake.

If all this sounds like madness, well it is. It’s remarkable how you figure it all out as you go without compromising those you love. No matter how aggravated you get from all the trying and failing, don’t ever give up. I heard a pastor on the radio say, “trying and failing does not make you a failure. It means that you had the courage to try."

Terri Cocek proudly claims “Official Novice and Wannabe” status. Her current WIP, Madrigare’s Moon, is a fantasy and she hopes to continue writing in the FF&P genres.

Copyright © 2005 Terri Cocek. All rights reserved. Used with permission.