A new feature we’ve added to my website: Ask The Author. I’m typically NOT a shy person when it comes to answering questions…so if you’ll ask, I’ll answer 🙂

If you have any questions, please feel free to place them in the comments below or email steena@steenaholmes.com.

Question: “I always wanted to know what a day in the life of my favorite authors look like.”  – Colleen Turner

Let me start off by saying, no day is a typical day for me. I work from home and have a busy household consisting of three teenage daughters, 2 busy dogs. I no longer hold regular business hours from 8-4pm or 9-5pm. I bring my work home with me ALL THE TIME because I work from home. Not only am I a writer, but I’m an entrepreneur. I own my own business, I’m the CEO of my own publishing company and this is my life.

But that being said, typically…what does a normal day look like for me? First off, I drink copious amounts of coffee in order to wake up. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. How sad is that!

I’m trying to learn to enjoy my first cup of coffee and I’m realizing if I get behind my computer, I forget I even have coffee until it’s too cold to drink. So I don’t head right away into my office, instead I’ll sit in my comfy chair and read, or if I’m extremely tired, I stare listlessly out my window…or if I was up late the previous night writing, then I’ll veg in front of the tv and catch up on a show until I can move and think coherently. (Do I need to admit I’m not a morning person? No, I didn’t think so.)

Woman Hands Working With A Laptop At HomeThe following is based on a lax writing schedule where I don’t have upcoming deadlines…when that happens…my day consists of coffee and quiet space to write 18 hrs a day if needed.

I spend the first portion of my time on my computer online. I’ll respond to emails, check my group on Facebook and see how everyone is doing, head over to my author page and then get sucked into cute videos that lately seem to make me cry. This is when I create a daily ‘to do’ list and watch it grow and grow and grow…(shudder). This is also the time to catch me if you need me…so phone calls, conference calls, unexpected drop ins, urgent emails…

By 10am: I want to be writing. I need to be writing. I have a word count I have to meet each day and then I always try to go over that. Right now I’m working on 2 separate projects, so the morning is for one project and the afternoon is for the other and then the evening is to work on whichever is calling out to me the most 🙂

By 4pm: My kids are home. That’s when I’ll take a break. I’ll start making dinner, chat with my husband about his day – you know, the typical mom/wife/woman stuff that happens around this time. Making dinner is not an enjoyable task for me…I really don’t enjoy cooking. So I typically forget to think about making dinner until everyone is home and looking at me expectantly.

Half of the time I just stare back and ask what they’re making for dinner. This summer, my kids will be in charge more often then not for meals. You have NO idea how much I’m looking forward to it!

By 7pm: After dinner and when my hubby is dozing on the couch (shhh…I didn’t really say that), I’ll head back into my office and catch up on things still on my ‘to do’ list. If I didn’t hit my word count on both projects, then once everyone is in bed and I’ve watched a show with my hubby before he goes to bed, I’ll crawl back down to my office and write. Then bed – where I’ll read for a bit.

Now, the above paragraph (the part where I head back into my office) is sometimes a dream. It maybe happens once or twice a week. The reality is I have to drive my kids here and there, stop at the store, pick up dog food, buy groceries…once, my family thought I should run most of these errands during the day,because after all…I’m at home doing nothing. But writing is my source of income. It’s my career and I need to treat the days as if I was heading into my work place down town…there’s no difference, IMO. Thankfully, my family now understands that.

And then start all over again the next day. Sometimes my friends can drag me out of the house for coffee. Sometimes my family reminds me of errands I forgot to run – or if we are out of food (which happens all too often). But more often then not….this routine puts me in my happy place.

WHY?

Writing is a passion of mine. It’s not just my job. It’s my world. It’s an essential part of who I am. I don’t miss the days when I went to work, came home and then dreaded having to repeat the day for the rest of the week. I love sitting at my desk or in my comfy chair and having a story unfold on the page.

Does that mean I know what it’s like to live a balanced life…nope. I try. But a lot of what happens in my day varies – do I have a tight deadline or a lax one? Tight – then forget everything you just read…I’m in my office or up in my comfy chair in my bedroom writing for the whole day and everyone fends for themselves.

A little secret I’ll share with you. If I’m overly grumpy…ask me if I’ve written today. More often the answer is no. 

Note: what works for me, does not work for another author. Some are better at balancing their lives. Some are worse. Some don’t know what the word even means. But we all find a way that works for us, a way that allows us to live/breathe our passion while living a normal life and somehow making it all work – for us.

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK? ABOUT MY WRITING OR STORIES OR ABOUT PUBLISHING? ASK AWAY!