A lack of inspiration

Staying inspired to write is a constant struggle for any writer, whether you are a journalist ­ novelist ­ greeting card writer ­ whatever.

I am finding that, as I re-enter the web writing and freelancing market, gaining inspiration is a bit harder than it was in years past.

My first tour in freelance writing was during a time when I had very little responsibility in my life. Today, I have a home, a husband, a child, pets, a full-time job and a side business.

Adding a freelance career on top of all my other responsibilities is proving to be quite difficult. Not only do I need to find my inspiration, I must find the time to harness that inspiration.

I try to set aside time to write, but my son, who is just 14 months old, just doesn’t agree with my decision to stare at my laptop instead of playing with him. Even when I lock myself in my office, I can still hear him whining for me down the hallway.

On top of that, I run in to the same roadblocks as many freelancers who work from home, constant interruption from friends and family who just don’t “get it.”

They believe that because you are home, you should be available to them. The whole concept of “work from home” is lost on them.

Working from home means just that ­ WORKING.

But alas, it all comes back to me. What I should do is lock the office door and put out a “do not disturb” sign. If that doesn’t work the next best thing to do is go to the library or coffee shop to get my work done, though this option requires me to get dressed and lose the slippers.