E.A. Brady

Sometimes it’s not easy being married to a guy who moonlights as a career coach.

The other day we were out running errands and the topic of my writing came up. I was explaining my ever-changing goals for the stories I write. Some days I definitely want to publish them. Other days I just want to keep working on them and living in my made-up worlds, never letting them see the light of day – or face the criticism of the people who might read them!

Out of curiosity, my husband asked me how many stories I have written that have hit at least the 80% mark of the first draft. I had to stop and think about it and said, “Four. Plus a shorter work to give away to people on my mailing list.”

He turned and looked at me and said, “What?! What the fuck are you doing?” Once he finished laughing, he said, “If you really want to keep them to yourself, fine. But if you want to get them out into the world – and I think you should – we’re going to sit down this afternoon and figure out a way to get you there.”

So that’s exactly what we did. I listed all the stories I have, the series they belong to, and the approximate percentage of completion of each one. Then we looked at the calendar and blocked off weeks to devote to each work I have – straight through Halloween, at which point we’ll come back together and reevaluate.

The funniest part of this whole situation? Years ago, when I worked outside my home, I was an admin for the Director of IT for a tech company. In my reviews from my boss, he told me I was the best admin he’d ever had. Meaning, I know how to prioritize. I know how to organize. I know how to get work done when it needs to get done.

When it was for someone else.

When it came to working for myself, I found that I struggled to prioritize (ooh, look at that shiny thing!), struggled to organize (I have no less than four versions of the same story in different folders on my desktop!), and I struggled to get work done (did I mention most of my stories petered out around the 80 – 85% mark?).

Sometimes you just have to know when to accept help! And then be intentional in acting on that help. My husband’s a career coach, but he’s not going to write my stories for me.

Have you ever had to ask for help for something you thought you should be able to do on your own? It’s not always easy admitting you need help, but sometimes it can make the difference between failure and success!