A Tale of Two Writers

 Stop! Yes, you; this instant.

 

That’s better. Now, find yourself a comfortable seat. Maybe pour yourself a glass of wine/ make a cup of tea/ mix an exotic cocktail first. 

 

Okay, so I’ve got your attention … hang on a minute. Oi, you at the back! Stop scrolling through your phone.

 

Well done. Feels good, doesn’t it? I’d like you to close your eyes while I tell you a little story.

 

Once upon a time there were two writers, both with dreams of how their words would change the world (or at least be picked up and read by someone who wasn’t their mum, or their second cousin twice removed).

 

The first writer threw herself whole-heartedly into preparing her magnum opus. She scribbled away late into the night until well after the hardiest owl had given up and gone back to bed, and she got up again just as the local teenagers were returning home after a lengthy night drinking over-priced gin in the city centre. She survived on coffee and Hobnobs, showered only when the cat wrinkled its nose in disgust, and turned down all social engagements until 2024. By the time she was three-quarters of the way through her book she would have passed for a slightly prettier-than-usual orc in a Lord of the Rings remake. 

 

The second writer was equally determined to finish her novel, but sometimes life got in the way. She diligently set time aside to write but allowed herself the luxury of seven hours sleep each night (or six when the cat threw up on the landing). She – naturally – loved coffee, but tried to drink a sensible amount of water, too. On more than one occasion she insisted on having a proper breakfast before starting work for the day. From time to time she was even known to close down her laptop and spend an evening with friends in the pub, where the subject of writing was not even once discussed.

 

All right, I recognise it’s not exactly Dickens – but that’s not the point. If we’re honest, I imagine most of us would identify with both of these writers. We all – theoretically – understand the importance of looking after ourselves, but I suspect that sometimes we become so absorbed in what we’re doing that we lapse into poor decisions about our own well-being.

 

So, my challenge to you today is to think of one thing you can do to look after yourself a bit better – and I promise your writing will benefit. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

 

And for those of you who were wondering which of the two writers finished their book and got a publishing contract, I’ll leave that to you to decide…

Fiona Lloyd is Chair of the Association of Christian Writers and writes regularly for Together magazine. Her novel, The Diary of a (trying to be holy) Mum, was published by Instant Apostle in January 2018. Fiona also works for Christians Against Poverty.

 

Twitter: @FionaJLloyd & @FionaLloyd16