Sometimes life overwhelms us.

A novel is languishing in my WIP file, the first draft one-third completed. It’s not that I don’t want to write it, but I’ve hit one of those life stretches where everything’s coming at me at once.

My semester started two weeks ago. The afternoon of the first day of classes I ended up taking my younger daughter to the ER. Turns out she had a ruptured appendix. Surgery in the middle of the night. (She’s fine now.) Less than three days later I was on a plane to Bosnia for a conference. While I was in Sarajevo, I received edits on a different novel. Then I returned to edits on a novella, a blog tour that needs preparation, a manuscript review due for the day job, a doctor appointment for me, a follow-up appointment for the kid, a minor surgical procedure for my husband, half a dozen minor work crises, and 160 students with urgent questions. Oh, and I’m leaving for Orlando in a little over a week.

Sometimes life is like lolling in an inner tube on one of those lazy river rides–we move along, but at a relaxing pace. We have time to admire the scenery as we go. And sometimes life is a Class 5 rapids, where rocks loom and it takes everything we have just to keep our heads above water.

I guess things would get boring if all we had was the lazy river. Nothing to get the pulse going. And honestly, I’m often more efficient and productive when I’m slammed, mostly because then tight time management is essential. And if you examine that long list above, you’ll notice that most of the things flooding my schedule right now are good things. Nonetheless, when I hit those rapids, it’s a little scary and a lot overwhelming. I begin to wonder how I’m going to make it to dry land.

So I’m coping as well as I can. I’m eating chocolate, crossing things off my to-do list, and listening to a good audiobook when I’m in the car. I’m reminding myself to be thankful for all that I have–including excellent health insurance. Sometimes I even stop for a few deep breaths. And eventually I’ll get back to that poor, languishing novel. My characters will wait for me.

How do you manage when you hit those rapids? Do you have strategies to keep from being overcome when everything hits at once? Please share in the comments!

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Kim Fielding is the bestselling author of numerous m/m romance novels, novellas, and short stories. Like Kim herself, her work is eclectic, spanning genres such as contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and historical. Her stories are set in alternate worlds, in 15th century Bosnia, in modern-day Oregon. Her heroes are hipster architect werewolves, housekeepers, maimed giants, and conflicted graduate students. They’re usually flawed, they often encounter terrible obstacles, but they always find love.

After having migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States, Kim calls the boring part of California home. She lives there with her husband, her two daughters, and her day job as a university professor, but escapes as often as possible via car, train, plane, or boat. This may explain why her characters often seem to be in transit as well. She dreams of traveling and writing full-time.

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