For the first time, my kiddos are both in school and I have oodles of time during the day to write. I'm not even a full-time writer yet as I work two days a week in my private practice, but that leaves THREE whole days of interrupted free time. Therein lies the problem. I wrote three novels in the past two years, and did it in the one to two hours of time I had in the evening after the kids went to bed. Those one to two hours involved nothing but fast, hard writing--because it was all the time I had to do it. I envisioned that once the kids were in school, I'd be able to multiply that output by ten, and could crank out a book every two months. The kids have been in school a grand total of 5 weeks now, which means I should have another book almost finished, right?
Not quite. First, I discovered the joy of grocery shopping without little ones underfoot. If you haven't tried it, it's an amazing experience. Next, I thought I'd conquer my possessed laundry basket which never empties no matter how many loads I do. I've seen the bottom of my laundry basket several times in the past few weeks, a sight I haven't seen in years. My to-do list has been tackled, my dogs have have enjoyed walks with me in the morning after I take the kids to school, and I've caught up with friends for lunches and brunches and other food-related outings. The most productive writing time for me in the past few weeks...has been in the one to two hours after the kids go to bed at night.
What the hell? I mean, I'm still writing but not nearly the amount I thought I'd be. Part of it is probably the habit of night writing, and part of it is probably the fact that I have quiet time in the house by myself for the first time in over eight years. Part of me worries that even if I were a full-time writer, I wouldn't be writing more than I am right now--Stephen King would mock my current habits (if you haven't read On Writing, you should). I'm hoping the novelty of being home wears off quickly, and I just ordered a day planner and am going to set myself up on a much stricter writing schedule (NOTE: the day planner itself looks so fun and amazing that I'm sure I'll do an entire post on it once it arrives.)
Anyone else struggle with this issue? Any additional tips you'd like to share? Pretty please. Or just let me know if you're in the area and want to go to brunch. ;)
My little one isn't in school yet, so my 1-2 hours are in the morning before she gets up. I have to really focus to get any writing done (damn internet). I keep telling myself I'll do better when she goes to school, but I'm not so certain. Ignoring housework to write has never been a problem. ;) Good luck!
Amelia--I used to be fabulous at ignoring housework, but I feel more guilt about it now that I have more time! Also, it's great that you're a morning writer--I'm really trying to be more productive in the am. Thanks for stopping by. :)
I struggle with this too!!! I think the novelty will wear off though. I think making a planner to schedule writing time, and days off would be a good idea. Days off are important too! I've been reading about how it works for people, so I think I'm going to start doing it for myself.
Yeah, my problem right now is too many days off-lol. I'm counting down the days until my planner gets here! Thanks for weighing in and good luck with your scheduling too. :)
Kristi, I hope your planner works better than mine did. And better than the calendar I hung on my wall.
The secret is that the planner (or calendar) has to be looked at! And followed! For some reason, once I retired and started to write "full time," I often "forgot" to look at either one.
The only thing that really convinces me to write instead or procrastinate is an awareness of time. I'm almost 61, and I can't count on more than another 20 years to write at best. I have worlds and characters clamoring for attention. If I don't have enough internal drive to write my stories NOW, they may not be written.
*sigh* As always, it comes down to willpower, deciding what you most want from the rest of your life. If it's writing, you'll write. If you don't write, then it's something else.
Don't be too hard on yourself, though. There's a transition time, and if you're still in it, allow yourself to transition. Just make sure to keep your eye on the ultimate goal and don't put off the writing that claws at you to be done. Time is an issue, and the older you get, the more of an issue it becomes.
Oh no, don't dash my high hopes for my planner! You're right, though, and I think I'm finally coming out of my transition. I've actually been writing all morning and have only folded one load of laundry. ;)
Also, best of luck with your writing...I think of 61 as young!
Haha OH MAN I know. If I have too much time, I get less done. A client just requested a piece from me on martial arts safety and gave me two whole weeks to write it--two weeks! As a paid ghost-blogger, I usually get a few days, so naturally, two weeks felt like an eternity, and I completely forgot until the last minutes. More time, less done.
Same with fiction. But with fiction I'm finding that interspersing my novel with shorter fiction assignments--like flash fiction contests, or short stories--gives me a boost! It's like I rush to finish the little bit of writing so I can get back to the REAL work--my novel--and then that passionate rush carries over into the novel. Getting things done helps me get momentum, so when I intersperse big projects with little projects, I get more energy going.
I can so relate to that. I have an entire year to write the second novel in my trilogy and I know I could do it in a few months...a year seems like forever! I like your idea of doing shorter things in between and will have to look at that. Thanks!
Hee hee, no problem.
As a full time university student, I can absolutely relate to having only an hour or two daily (with a few extra hours on the weekends) to craft your masterpiece. My rule was hit the pages hard and hit 'em fast. My crazy schedule has only allowed me to complete three horror/paranormal romance short story collections, published on Amazon, in a little less than a year. I'm taking a page from your book, Kristi, and trying my hand at a much longer novella for 2013. Kudos to you, as I can't imagine myself as a full time writer because the grocery store is just that intriguing. : )
That's amazing that you've been able to complete three short story collections while being a full-time student--congrats!
I feel your pain. After homeschooling four children for over 20 years, I finally get to say goodbye to them for most of the day. Yet I'm getting far less done.
One of my tricks is not having wireless internet in the house. As soon as I unplug the laptop from the ethernet cord (and move away from it!), I'm free of the internet distractions that so easily suck me down the drain of good intentions.
~Debbie
You are one brave lady--my kids keep begging me to homeschool them, and I keep saying no (though I homeschooled them for pre-school). I totally agree about the internet. I don't have internet access at my office, and am free of the temptations of twitter, FB, etc. Thanks for stopping by! :)
AMEN Sister! I have a solid 6 hours a day to write ... who wouldn't envy that?! But do I write? Nope. I run errands, do laundry, cook, read and play on the internet. Most of my best writing was done ... wait for it ... at night, after everyone had gone to bed and still is! I think eliminating wireless in my house during the day would be a HUGE help! So would eliminating cable, the stove, the washing machine and my cell phone. Is that gonna happen? Not likely but it sure would help.
I've also set deadlines (contests, conferences, critique submissions) and this seems to help. But alas, I'm still conflicted. Maybe it's because I feel like it's a hobby instead of a job -- a lot of guilt goes into my day because it's the first time I'm not a co-bread winner. Guilt. Guilt. Guilt. Fingers crossed I'll get over it soon and finish the d#$% trilogy I'm writing.
Good luck to you too! Jen
It's so nice to hear from someone who shares my pain. The deadline thing works for me too, and my critique group deadlines are especially helpful. Best of luck w/ the trilogy and let me know if you find the magic solution. :)
Great post.
I've had more time to write lately, time off from my day job, and have found that I still get more writing done at night after they go to bed then I do at any other time.
I've been wondering the same thing. Will I really be able to write full time and not go crazy with all the extra time I'll have?
There seems to be a lot of us who write after the kids go to bed...maybe that's not such a bad thing. It leaves the days free for more brunches. :)
Without a deadline it's easy to get lost in the norms of life and the time sapping internet. Think I should get myself a planner as well. It would definitely help to keep me focused on the task at hand.
Yeah, my planner should be arriving any day now, and I'm really excited. I'll let you know how it works!
I'm in the same boat, Kristi--except for me it's the first time in 16 years that I have the house to myself.
I'm using the program "Cold Turkey" to kick me off the internet. But, as with you, grocery shopping w/out kids has become a sort of pleasure. And yesterday, I just HAD to buy a new washing machine. Somehow, these things never used to eat into my writing time. Why now?
Time to get that shiny new planner!