Writing is Not My Highest Priority

Just what the title says. It isn't. It might not even make the top five.

Hello readers, I've noticed on occasion people talking about how you need to make writing a priority if you want to actually get anywhere. And sometimes my writing gets shoved away by many things. But that is not a bad thing and I'm going to tell you why.

The first thing is to be expected. As a Christian I try to put God before everything else. That's what everyone would expect. And I must set aside time to spent with my creator and redeemer. And of course my family comes before writing. But that doesn't just mean spending time reading the Scriptures and talking with God, or spending a bit of time with my family every day. It means much more than that.

If I felt that God had something for me to do that stopped me from writing, I hope I would stop. I certainly do for short periods of time. Things with my family might mean a holiday on which I don't have time to write. It might mean spending days working in the garden or building.  It includes the work I do in our family business. There are times I'll put writing before that I admit, but only sometimes. Besides I certainly will never be able to afford anything like writing software or conferences if I don't work.

And then there are just other interest I have. I might spend a few days researching how to dye fabric. I might spend a week or two sewing a skirt or dress. (I probably will even give you photos when I'm done.) Or I might decide to do a free course on biochemistry or some other subject of interest. I think those other passions come from God as much as the writing does. I'm not going to put them aside just so I can finish a book.

So sometimes I might drop writing for a few weeks, or work on it very slowly. Because in the end I want to serve God and writing isn't the only way I can do that. I have no intention of dropping it entirely now. I want to finish my stories. I want to come up with more to write. And I mostly likely will.

However, if an opportunity to do some kind of missions work or outreach I wouldn't let my desire to write stop me. Not because that's necessarily better than writing, just because I wouldn't resist adventure, the chance to do something new. Or when I someday have a family of my own, i may have to drop my writing, to properly serve them. Especially if we're involved in the kind of things I think I'd like to be involved in. God has so many things we can do. I don't want to just stick to one. There are things I'd drop writing for. Maybe not forever, but quite probably for a long time. I'm a person, before I'm a writer.

And in case you're wondering, I haven't written a lot in the last two weeks. I editing my first chapter and actually sent it to a few people for feedback. That was a big first for me. And overall it was a good experience. Now I can't decide whether to try and finishes rewritten the whole thing, or try and edit it more at the beginning. The first choice would probably be smarter, since I'll probably just end up changing anything I do at the beginning. But I want it to be read and I do want it to be edited. I'm certainly not stuck, possibly just a bit burnt out from Camp NaNo. I did 25,000 words, without difficulty and without putting my blog on hold, I know I can write a lot if I put my mind to it. But right now I haven't. I think I need the accountability.

How about you? What do you put before writing and how is it going at the moment? I'd love to know.