<h2>Back to the Grind</h2>

It's definitely time--time for me to return to writing, that is. Over the last couple of weeks my desire to get back to writing has been renewed. Don't get me wrong, I have been enjoying Baby Amara very much. She is a delightful little baby and every day brings something new and cute. My favorite is the sweet gummy grins she now showers me with on a daily basis, but I digress!

Writing is a part of who I am and something that I have been passionate about since I was very young. It gives me value as a human being--other than being a wife and mother. It defines me and gives me self worth.

So how do I get back to it after taking such an extended period of time off? For me, the time off was personal. I had a baby and my mind was preoccupied with baby things, but lots of people take time off from writing for lots of different reasons. So here are four tips that may be helpful for anyone trying to get back to it.

(1) Write every day. What? I'm just getting back into it again, what do you mean write every day, you ask. Don't let this scare you. You can still ease back into it, but do something every day. A great way to do this is by journaling (which has many of its own benefits anyway). Getting yourself into the habit of writing will help you find greater success as you get more serious about it again.

(2) Look for inspiration around you. An inspired person is a motivated writer, and inspiration is literally everywhere! Perhaps it's in a favorite blog, the words of a cherished poem, or maybe it's in the wildlife that surrounds you. Find your own source of inspiration and draw from it.

(3) Set some realistic goals. For me, I want to focus on building up a client base again, so I need to think about how to do that. For example, spending a predetermined amount of time per week marketing myself will be one of my goals. Applying for X amount of jobs a week will be another. What do you desire to achieve from your writing, and how are you going to go about that are a couple questions you might want to ask yourself, then set your goals accordingly. This is a very productive suggestion for anyone--whether just starting out, or for an old pro who needs a new perspective on what he's doing.

(4) Don't be too hard on yourself. I'm going to have to try to remind myself of this one. Having a new baby in the house can be very tiring some days. I'm going to have to be honest with you, sometimes an afternoon nap will look much more tempting than spending an afternoon writing. So as long as you can maintain your focus (and if you have clients, keep your work a priority) then don't beat yourself up if you have some days that aren't real productive. Remember that probably one of the reasons you chose to be a freelance writer was for the flexibility in your schedule.

So good luck with your new or renewed endeavors, and wish me luck with mine!

Have a wonderful day!