Author Tracy Krauss--Top Ten excuses

Please welcome author, Tracy Krauss and her excuses for not writing. 

This is downright embarrassing. I’m about to reveal the number one reason I don’t always get around to writing.  I can sum it up in two letters. TV.

Okay, there I’ve said it. When Jessie put out the call for authors to write a post on why they DON’T write, I had a few other thoughts pop into my mind. Things that would sound a whole lot more legit.

For instance, I spend a lot of time marketing and promoting my work. Although I am trying to become more efficient, it isn’t uncommon for me to spend three hours in an evening online. I’ve even set aside entire days on the weekend or during the summer to ‘catch up’ on all the online promoting that seems to be part of the ‘new era’ in publishing.

I also blog. While I could lump this into the above ‘marketing’ category, blogging for me has become something more than that. I love journaling and from way back I have been filling journals with my thoughts, frustrations, dreams, and prayers. Since I started blogging over three years ago, I find that I write many of these things on my blog instead.  While I still keep a personal journal, many of the things that aren’t too personal have found their way onto my blog. It takes time to blog consistently and to keep coming up with new content. As part of a few writing groups, I also post on a couple of group blogs. While it is still ‘writing’, it’s not the same as writing creatively, a.k.a. writing fiction, which is what I’m lamenting here.

Oh, I could mention that I work full time as a high school teacher; that I direct an amateur theatre group which rehearses an average of four hours a week plus puts on two productions a year; that I coordinate the worship at my church and most Sundays lead as well; that I am on the executive of the local Arts Council; that I have a husband and home to look after not to mention four grown children, family and friends…

All of this stuff – LIFE – takes time.

However, when I stopped to examine why I am not writing as much as I want to each day, I had to admit that all of the above are not the things that are interfering with my word count. Watching TV is the number one reason I don’t write as much as I’d like to. This isn’t really a revelation. I decided I needed to address my ‘addiction’ a few months ago. However, it is something that kind of snuck up on me unawares.

For most of my adult life I have not had much interest in TV. After thirty years of marriage we only just got satellite TV four years ago. We were satisfied with one channel (CBC - The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) My daughters’ idol growing up was Peter Mansbridge – the long time anchor of ‘The National’ (CBC news), and other than ‘George Stroumboulopoulos’ or ‘Hockey Night In Canada’, we were satisfied with renting videos once in awhile to satisfy our TV urges. 

To appease our then teenaged son when we moved in 2008, we promised that we would get satellite TV so that he could watch TSN and all the sports he wanted.  He has since flown the coop, but guess what? Mom and Dad are the ones who got addicted to TV.  HGTV is my main culprit, while my husband favours all those crime scene investigation shows. Part of the problem is our open concept living space. In our previous homes, the TV was in a separate room. Watching TV was an intentional activity. Not so now! It seems to be on all the time. Sometimes I turn it on and tell myself I’ll just watch a tiny bit while I make dinner, but inevitably I end up watching the entire episode. When my husband comes home in the evening he likes to spend time with me.  If one of his shows in on, I try to work on my laptop at the same time, but it’s hard to concentrate on your own plot when another murder has just taken place right in front of you…

My daughters have advised that we cancel our satellite subscription. (All three of them are very sensible.) They love to point out that they never had the luxury of so much TV while growing up and add that my husband and I have become worse than the average teenager. I argue that I need it for research. All that TV watching is helping me stay in touch with current cultural trends. Plus, now that CBC no longer broadcasts my football team’s games, I couldn’t possibly go without it. They just shake their collective heads. We could be investing all that money in our retirement fund, they say.  *Sigh*

Never fear. A plan is in the works. We are currently renovating a new house and when we move in we are most definitely, absolutely, without question, going to cancel our satellite subscription. With that in mind I need to go watch another decorating show. I need some new ideas for my new kitchen. *Smile*

It was great to have you with us today, Tracy. I learned a lot about you. Be sure to check out Tracy's book, Wind over Marshdale. Click on the book cover to purchase the book. 

About the Author
Tracy Krauss is a high school teacher by profession, and a prolific author, artist, playwright and director by choice. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Saskatchewan and has gone on to teach Art, Drama and English – all the things she is passionate about. After raising four children, she and her husband now reside in beautiful Tumbler Ridge, BC where she continues to pursue all of her creative interests. She has several romantic suspense novels and stage plays in print. For more information visit her website at http://www.tracykrauss.com