The Writing Mother
As I've had such a difficult time trying to mesh writing with living in a basement and taking care of my family, I wondered how other women did it. Do you get up early in the morning to write? Snatch small amounts of time where you can? Write after the kids go to bed? Write only on weekends?
What is your writing schedule like? (Share all the gritty details - I'm trying to get some inspiration here!)
What is your writing schedule like? (Share all the gritty details - I'm trying to get some inspiration here!)
Sariah Wilson — 1/30/2011 08:27:00 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I wished I could inspire you, Sariah, but I've always heard that for all things there is a season. I spent the past twenty-five years raising my very, very active sons and taking care of, well, there's no need to tell you what a wife and mother, and woman in the church does on a daily basis. And I can't even imagine what a working mother has to go through.
But that was a different season for me.
My kids are grown now, and they don't need my constant attention. My strength isn't spent on keeping them safe and healthy, and happy, and I don't feel guilty sitting behind my computer writing for hours at a time. For you to eek out an hour a day, or thirty minutes to concentrate enough on writing a work in progress is absolutely amazing to me.
I applaud you.
I too wish I knew the grand secret to writing and still living a very hectic life, but alas I have not the faintest idea. I currently work four very time consuming jobs. This means most days I leave the house around six or seven in the morning and return home at around eight or nine in the evening. Pretty much all of my free time is filled with church callings and spending time with my younger siblings. I absolutely love to write and so my writing happens mostly at the sacrifice of my sleep. Sometimes I just want to put the pen to paper so badly that I decide its worth whatever sleep I lose in the process. I do have to say I think its incredible that not only do you find time to write, you have branched out and allowed us all to benefit from your talent. Good luck and I cant wait to read your newest masterpiece! :)
www.flylady.com Fly Lady saved my sanity. My house is clean. My kids get their homework done and I have scheduled writing time every day. It's all about the control journal and setting routines.
I have four littles (very little) and I write/rewrite/query from 5 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. M-F before they wake up. They don't even notice they're missing me.
However, I have noticed that book marketing takes up a lot of my normal family time and I'm trying to be careful to keep a balance on that. Good luck!
My son is an early riser, so I can't get up early and write. He would want to hang out with me. And I'm not so much a morning person anyway.
I go through phases of wanting to write and then not wanting to write. I also believe there is a season for everything. For some people writing successfully while taking care of a family works. For others they have to take it slower.
Now that I'm in the writing routine again, this is what I do.
Send husband and then son off to school. Spend some time getting some cleaning done while taking care of two girls that stay home. (One is starting kindergarten next year. Yay!). I let my daughter play video games (if she wants to) when my 2 year old goes down for a nap. Then I get a good hour or two to write.
It doesn't happen every day, and usually not much on the weekends. I try to play a few games with her because she wants me to play. She is really good at letting me write when I take the time to play with her first.
This probably happens maybe 3 times a week. A few nights I take time writing after the kids go bed.
It's slow, but steady.
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