Rose Zediker: Keeping All the Balls in the Air

Merriam Webster’s definition of a writer is: A person engaged in writing books, articles, stories, etc.. This is a true a statement except Mr. Webster left out one very important detail. So I’m revising his definition.

A writer is a person engaged in writing books, articles, stories, and can juggle.

Yes, you read that correctly. A writer needs to learn to juggle. Of course, I don’t mean oranges, balls or even chain saws. I mean writing, meeting deadlines, completing art sheets, handling revisions, appearing at book signings and maintaining an online presence. Sometimes while working a full or part-time job, many times simultaneously, and always while life happens.

If you‘re not yet a published author whose found a tried and true system for keeping all the balls in air, I have a suggestion for you. Create self-imposed multiple deadlines and take them seriously.

What I mean by multiple deadlines is not write one thousand words a day or thirty-thousand words in a month. Your self-imposed deadlines need to be simultaneous because that is how multiple deadlines and juggling works.

Start out slow with multiple simultaneous deadlines. Try one week.

Here’s your first ball. Set a word count goal of a 1000 words a day. That’s a pretty standard goal which you should have no problem completing.

Get ready to catch your second ball. Create a sheet with pictures that depict your characters and your stories setting. Be choosey. Copy and paste just the right people to portray your characters and just the right house or town square where your story is set.

That’s a nice balance with one ball in each hand, but that’s not juggling. So here’s another ball. Describe three romantic scenes in less than one hundred words that would make a good cover for your book.

Are you keeping your eyes on the balls in the air? Great. You’re going to make that goal. Wait a minute though here come some more balls you didn’t expect. A parent/teacher conference, overtime at the day job, a sick child or spouse. Are you’re balls still in the air? Did you drop any? Were the balls you dropped, the first, second, and third?

I hope not. If you did, set the same goal the following week. Keep doing this until you complete all the goals and manage to take care of the ‘extra’ activities thrown into your juggling routine then you will fit the definition of a writer at the top of this page.

Published authors don’t face multiple simultaneous deadlines every month, but they do happen. That is why it’s imperative for unpublished authors to practice their juggling routine prior to publication. Once you get used to multiple simultaneous deadlines, they don’t seem daunting at all and you’ll always be able to keep all your balls in the air!

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Rose Ross Zediker was juggling three publisher deadlines and two self-imposed deadlines when she wrote this blog post from her home in rural South Dakota. She writes for Harlequin’s Heartsong Presents line of inspirational romance novels. During the two decades she’s been writing, her byline’s been found on over sixty-six works of fiction, non-fiction, and Sunday school curriculum. Rose works full time at the University of South Dakota and enjoys sewing, quilting, embroidery, reading and spoiling her granddaughters. Visit Rose at www.roserosszediker.blogspot.com

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Sweet on the Cowgirl:

Laura Barnes Wants to Be a Cowgirl 
Laura has always dreamed of being a trick rider in her family's Wild West show. But her father will only allow her to perform if she disguises herself as Mr. Buckskin Jones. When soda-pop king Guy Roberts shows up to do business with her family, Laura is torn between keeping her identity under wraps and revealing her growing feelings for Guy.

Guy is drawn to Laura's poise and beauty, but he, too, guards a secret. As their affection for each other grows, Guy begins to think about a future that includes Laura. When both their secrets suddenly come to light, their romance will face the ultimate showdown.

Rose is giving away a copy of SWEET ON THE COWGIRL to one lucky winner who LEAVES A COMMENT HERE on this blog post. Simply comment to be entered in the drawing.