Balance

The PR profession is notoriously busy—long hours and unpredictable schedules. So if you’re also a fiction writer, is it possible to balance both successfully? Well of course it is possible—few things aren’t—but how many people actually do it? Terry Fallis is a recent example of someone who does PR and writes fiction. Martin Waxman is another. And I’m sure there are countless other examples like these out there. I’m heartened every time I hear about a person who is successful in multiple arenas: and I marvel at the idea that these people find the time (because writing a novel is so time-consuming!) to work full-time, carry on personal lives (friends, family, sports) and write books. I do media relations for the Writers & Editors Network in Toronto. As the name implies, WEN is a group of writers and editors of various levels of experience who get together for readings and workshops, to learn and to network. Working for this group is a perfect experience for someone like me—someone who is truly passionate about public relations and who also has creative writing habits. I leave our monthly meetings reinvigorated about my career in PR, and equally inspired to write creatively despite the demands of a busy work life. Today’s guest speaker was an up-and-coming Canadian writer named Anthony De Sa whose new collection of linked stories, Barnacle Love, is earning critical praise and selling like hot-cakes. De Sa finds time to write fiction despite his busy career as the head of the English department at a high school for the arts in Toronto, where he also teaches creative writing workshops, and his busy home life—he is a husband and father of three boys! I know this blog entry isn’t saying anything terribly earth-shattering—but I had “a moment” today where I felt like the impossible is possible. And maybe my excitement—and reinforced commitment to writing—will rub off on someone who’s feeling beaten-down, tired, overwhelmed. Hard work pays off. Plug away, my fellow scribes.