Marshall and Kelly Goldsmith summarized what their friend found out about happiness by interviewing a lot of elderly people, asking them the lessons of their lives. Three points came up:
1. Be happy NOW.
2. Appreciate your friends and family.
3. If you have a dream go for it.
Here is how I think these apply to writing:
1. Be happy about the process of writing, don't make it dependent on getting published or produced, or getting good reviews, or making the best-seller list. Of course I hope my books and scripts will sell, but in the meantime I have a great time with my characters and the alternate realities they represent.
2. Find a balance between writing time and family time. If you need to research something for your writing, get your kids to help you (they'll find information online much faster than you), or make a research trip into a family vacation.
3. Don't put off your writing dream. Tell your inner critic to take a vacation and start writing your novel, screenplay, poem, short story, or whatever you secretly would love to write. Too many people say they'll write when (when the kids are older, when we've fixed up the house, when I retire, etc.) but as they reach each of those stages they move the 'when' into the future. Let's face it, we all are going to run out of 'whens' someday. Better to make it 'now.'
(for guidance on how to be a writer, see "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)
