Writing and School: The Juggle

Probably the worst thing about being a young writer is the juggle between overwhelming school work and the pressing ideas in your head, begging you to pay attention to them. There must be some sort of balance but finding it is tricky - I still haven't. I find myself immersed in writing for hours when I should be revising. I just can't resist the temptation of my battered A4 notebook, crying out for me to write in it, to fill its yellowed pages with smudgy black ink.


During lessons, my mind is constantly wandering and I've taken to carrying around three different notebooks with me at all times, just in case. I'm a paranoid writer: I'm convinced that all my pens will run out of ink so I carry - at last count - a grand total of forty, scattered in the bottom of my bag, with the notebooks for different things. My big white one is for my current story and any notes on it. The little brown one is to make a note of any interesting people or conversations I see/overhear, usually in coffee shops.

My addiction to notebooks doesn't help. It seems that anywhere I shop, I will buy a notebook, whether it's 50p or £7, just in case the three in my bag run out of pages or disappear. I worry about not having anything to write on more than I worry about getting a bad report at school; probably an unhealthy attitude but it's just so hard to break! I suppose the one benefit is that I generally do well in the creative subjects.

I would advise to steer clear of my method, if you can call it that. I try to let my writing wait but I don't want to lose my ideas. If you know something is going to play on your mind and distract you, I would advise you to write it down so you know that it's there, in case you forget. Just don't become like me, a work-shy writeaholic!

Do you have any working balances? - comment below!

Lydia