The writer hunches at her computer, the blinds pulled, all of her attention focused on what’s glowing on the monitor. Nothing stirs in her room. Her husband and dogs know very well to leave her alone during this time. She is alone. Isolated. Locked away from the world. Now imagine the sound of a needle being pulled across a record. (For all of you millenials out there, a record was what we Gen Xers and older used to listen to music on.)

This is truly not the life of a writer, at least the writers I know. However, it’s a scene that many readers may have of many writers. A question that I get many times is, “Is writing the only thing that you do?” My quick answer is absolutely not. No, I tend to think that I lead a widely varied life, one where, yes, writing is a large part, but one that may be as loud and colorful as any other person’s life.

First off, like many writers, I must hold down a day job in addition to my writing. I happen to work for the North Carolina Division of Water Quality. In a nutshell, I have a great group of coworkers in the Infrastructure Finance Section, and we work to supply low-interest loans to local government units who need to improve their wastewater infrastructure or who want to complete “green” projects like stormwater best management practices.

Also, I love to work out, and lately, running has become my passion. So I do make sure to find the time to exercise. Not only does it keep me in shape physically, but it helps me to keep my sanity during very busy periods of my life. Road races and the occasional triathlon keep goals in front of me.

Friends are also invaluable to me. I truly treasure those coffee times with my girlfriends and catching up with others who I may not see on a regular basis. But most importantly, I most value my times at home, relaxing with my husband and dogs. I cherish my relationships, and they help to keep me grounded in reality.

So, as you can see, this writer has many different facets of her life. I firmly believe that we writers need to live a balanced life. With that balance comes the opportunity to not only recharge our batteries but to observe our surroundings. And that observation, though not explicitly shared, is what can lead to the richness in our writing.

So, of course, comes the question: How do you find that time to write? And that, my friends, is the topic for a future post.