Kim Neville

It’s mid-February and I’m happy to report I’m midway through the first draft of As-Yet Unnamed Changeling Novel. The year so far has been productive. I’ve been focused. I’ve maintained my presence.

The down side of all this hard work is a sense of imbalance. It’s hard to keep up the writing pace, go to work, take care of my home and family and still remember to give myself a chance to recharge. The first thing to go when I get busy is always my social life. Sometimes it has to happen. There are only so many hours to go around.

But friendships are important, even to those of us with solitary tendencies. After a couple of months of burrowing in my little writer hole I invariably begin feeling lonely and cranky. Which is where I found myself at the end of January.

So this month I’ve been making an effort to reconnect with people who bring joy into my life. It’s amazing how a couple of dinners with good friends can fill my little mouse soul with harmony and fullness.

This might put me a week or two off my ambitious writing schedule. Or maybe not. Maybe a happy mouse is a better burrower.