Looking back over April I’ve come to realize it was a pretty sparse month. I had big plans for the month (can anyone say a poem a day for National Poetry Month?) but I didn’t achieve many of them, just for lack of time. There was lots of visiting and travel this past month and I didn’t write every day or even blog every week. But I’ve come to realize that I need to allow myself the space to relax and enjoy the moment, rather than focus on what’s not getting done. I don’t want to look back and realize I missed out on some meaningful memories because I was so consumed with sticking to a schedule. I’ve mapped out the upcoming months a little bit better so that I can continue to be flexible while still completing the goals I set for myself back in January.

In April, despite a full schedule, I wrote 1,765 words, read This Is How You Lose Her, outlined three short story ideas, and started editing an abandoned NaNo novel which was in desperate need of an overhaul. Not a stellar month, but there was still a lot accomplished and I’m feeling pretty good about heading into the summer. It will be full of weddings and parties and late night fires; I just need to make sure it’s full of sentences too.

How do you balance a busy life with a creative life? What things have you given up to make space for your art form?