My Brand of Crack

This week the question was raised in the blogosphere on when does your writing become an unhealthy addiction? The answer to that should be obvious. If your writing becomes a destructive influence, then it's time to take a hard look at your life. I think anything can become an addiction if you let it but the underlying cause is you.

I admit that writing is time consuming and for those of us who love it passionately, it can become a sort of addiction. Dinner may be late or we may lose sleep. We might forget about an appointment or a phone call that should have been made. We may even have to dig a pair of jeans out the hamper and wear them an extra day because we forgot to do the laundry. I'm not saying that happened....but it could.

We do NOT lose our paying day jobs or put our family's health and well being at risk. Writing is not crack or alcohol and if this is how it makes you behave, its an excuse for behavior issues that were already in play. It can be an escape but keep in mind what you are escaping and realize that it will be there when you return.

Writing is more than a hobby and I do not agree when it is described that way. It is not the same as bicycling or needlepoint. This is my art, my expression of life but it does not control me. I am the creator in my world and I control all. You can believe your writing flows and has a mind of its own, but it comes from within you. When you lose control of it and it threatens your life, then take a break and remember why you began writing in the first place.

Don't let it be your brand of crack.