Balance has always been something I have struggled with. My brain is designed for obsession. Every new interest gets my undivided attention. How long a topic holds my preoccupation depends significantly on why I am learning about it. This compulsion to immerse myself in a learning experience has its advantages and disadvantages.

As an English Instructor, being absolutely focused on pedagogy and educational technology has helped me quickly develop my teaching skills and recognize the needs of students in higher education. However, I have to admit, my personal life has been a minor satellite orbiting the gasious giant of my career. It has not allowed much time for writing.

After years of ignoring my writing, I knew I would need to register for an MFA in Creative Writing in order to impose the structure and deadlines I would need to complete my first novel. It is working. I am carving out time to complete the required work in each course, but the crutch of external accountability will only be there for so long. As a writer, it’s time to demand more focus on this aspect of my life.

It is a big mental shift for me. Writing still feels like a self-indulgent hobby, rather than a career. I thought I would get over this feeling once I was getting paid for my writing, but that hasn’t happened, yet. Obviously, I am suffering from some sort of imposter syndrome.

One thing that did help was my Business of Writing course in the MFA program at Southern New Hampshire University. Our final project for this course was a freelance career plan, a plan that indicated how a writer plans on supporting themselves financially while they pursue their creative writing.

Although the course had a lot of useful information that I will cover in a future review, the most impactful part of the course for me was simply the validation that my writing is more than a hobby. It is a business, and it deserves the same dedication and professionalism as my teaching career.

I find that one way to ensure that this happens is through the support of my peers in the program. Over the course of the past year, I have built relationships through online discussions and by participating in peer reviews. This builds a comradery that reminds me that I am a writer, and my writing deserves my attention.

In the end, it is my attitude towards writing as much as the time that I need to write, that most determines my success as a writer. Balance is not only a matter of managing my schedule, but also a matter of balancing my sense of identity. I am not merely a teacher who writes, but a writer who teaches.