Taylor Bennett is a dandelion-wishing, world-traveling lover of books, words, and stories. Based in the PNW, she dreams of seeing the world and writing stories set in unique locations.

Although she dreams of traveling to many different places, her favorite destination thus far (aside from her charming hometown in Oregon) is Lahaina, Hawaii. Her love for this tropical hamlet led her to write about it, hence her debut YA novel, Porch Swing Girl, the first in a series of books set in Hawaii.

When I first started writing what would become my debut novel, Porch Swing Girl, my life was nothing less than beautiful. Five months into the first draft (yes, I was a slow writer back then!) the world as I knew it collapsed.

My dad broke his shoulder.

My grandma died after a short and brutal battle with pancreatic cancer.

My mom developed a rare eye condition.

Writing took a backseat as I made spending time with family a priority, and it was several months before I dove back into the world of Porch Swing Girl.

Since that crazy summer when nothing was as it should be, I’ve learned a lot about the less-than-shiny parts of life. Yet I’ve also experienced some of the best days of my life. One of those amazing days was when I signed a publishing contract for my Tradewinds series.

But as the ink on my contract dried, I was met with a slew of new life challenges that threatened to rock my world once again. Being under contract, I had no choice but to write as often as necessary to meet my deadlines.

While being on a deadline and having to write can be frustrating during tough times, I’ve also learned that it can be a welcome escape, an enchanted portal that transports me into a different world, where I can escape life’s craziness—if just for a few hours.

So if you find yourself in the midst of a trial in your life, or if your days are so hectic you can barely find the time to tie your shoes, take heart. I’ve been there. I’ve learned how to keep writing even then. And I have some encouragement for you.

You Don’t Have to Write

Whether you’re on a deadline or not, remind yourself—you don’t have to write every day. Contrary to the sage advice of former scribes, writing every day (gasp!) is not a necessity, especially when life has gone a bit haywire. Don’t take this so far that you completely ignore an important deadline, but give yourself permission to take time for yourself. If you’re wiped out at the end of a bad or busy day and don’t feel like writing, don’t pressure yourself.

Instead, reevaluate your word count goals and devise a way to get those words in some other day. Take the day/evening/whatever and focus on YOU. By taking care of your physical, mental, and spiritual health, you’ll be priming yourself for productivity the next time you do have the time/energy to put words on the page.

Disappear

Sometimes life gets so hectic or messy that we’re dying to get off the map for a while—change our names, move to Brazil, you get the picture. And, while physically running from our everyday life is impractical and impossible, we can hide in a different way. You guessed it.

We can write.

Writers are experts at disappearing into imaginary worlds and hiding out there. So if you’ve had a rough day and are looking for a way to unwind, sometimes writing is exactly what you need. Brew yourself a cup of tea, wrap yourself in a fuzzy blanket (or sit in the sun if it’s summer), and light a yummy-smelling candle. Step into your story world and stay there a while—enjoy a break from life and have fun hanging out with some of your favorite characters.

One day, after I’d taken a week off from writing during a particularly hectic time in my life, I sat at my laptop and shocked myself by pounding out 4K words in only a few hours. Not only was my manuscript that many words bigger, I also found that I was considerably more relaxed after my writing marathon!

Get it Out

Oftentimes, the art I create—the books I write—greatly reflects my reality. Sometimes it’s a subconscious act, and other times I paint my writing with scenes from my life as a way to let out my emotions. Sometimes this writing is for my own benefit, but other times it goes a long way to strengthen my story as a whole.

When I finally came back to writing Porch Swing Girl after watching my grandma die, I found myself creating a scene where my main character describes what it felt like to sit in the hospital as her mom fought a losing battle with cancer. I let myself forget about the overarching plot of the story and focused on writing to help myself heal. And, while a bit of that scene did get cut during edits, most of it made it into the final copy—a small piece of my heart shared with the world.

While putting our experiences and emotions on the page like this can often be nerve-wracking at first, it’s an incredible way to express ourselves when our hearts and minds are at war.

No Matter What

If you’re walking through a difficult time right now, hear it from me—I get it. Life isn’t easy, and sometimes it feels like every day is another “Dark Night of the Soul.” Every day brings a new inciting incident that sends you off on a new hero’s journey and…you’re…tired. So take heart and know you’re not alone. If you can, take a break. Focus on you and on those around you. Take a walk. Read a good book. Pray. When you’re ready to come back to the page, give yourself permission to let it all out—sometimes sharing our feelings of grief, frustration, or hurt with a beloved character can make all the difference.

No matter what, know that this difficult time in your life doesn’t define you or your writing. You will survive. You’ll emerge from this battle a stronger person—and, more often than not, your writing will benefit too.

Hang in there, dear writer! And if you’re finding yourself in this place today, feel free to reach out to me either here or via my website/Instagram/etc. I’d love to pray for you and encourage you in this time.