Changes and distractions
My oldest turned thirteen today. It's sort of a scary thing, knowing he'll be able to work next summer and get a learner's permit in three years. Even scarier is the fact that my middle one is twelve and my youngest is ten...so in about eight years I'll be all alone here.
I was thinking earlier about how hard it can be to motivate myself to write when I'm home alone all day and the house is quiet. Almost too quiet. When I first started writing, my youngest was in preschool and I learned to ignore the distractions and find a few minutes here and there to get a couple of paragraphs done--mostly late at night after all the kids were tucked into bed. Of course, back then they went to bed at seven o'clock. :grin:
Once my youngest started school full time I started writing full time, and my schedule slowly shifted. It's been a few years and I'm still not used to it. I'm looking forward to the summer, when I'll have those distractions again.
Has your writing schedule changed since you started writing? Do you have trouble writing with distractions, or have you learned to work around them?
I was thinking earlier about how hard it can be to motivate myself to write when I'm home alone all day and the house is quiet. Almost too quiet. When I first started writing, my youngest was in preschool and I learned to ignore the distractions and find a few minutes here and there to get a couple of paragraphs done--mostly late at night after all the kids were tucked into bed. Of course, back then they went to bed at seven o'clock. :grin:
Once my youngest started school full time I started writing full time, and my schedule slowly shifted. It's been a few years and I'm still not used to it. I'm looking forward to the summer, when I'll have those distractions again.
Has your writing schedule changed since you started writing? Do you have trouble writing with distractions, or have you learned to work around them?
posted by Elisa at 8:38 AM
8Comments:
My life IS distractions!
My kids are still small: 8,5 and terrible, terrible 2 (Did I say terrible enough there? Holy cow, it's like the terrible two's hit full force as soon as we came back from vacation. My once docile and easy baby is now the hellion of the family). THAT said, I'm lucky if I get an hour or two during the day to write. Depends on nap schedules and what needs to be done during the day and how quiet I need to keep the house if DH is home working (Rambuctious boys and a DH who works from home are NOT conducive to the writing woman).
I can't write with all those distractions. I wrote six pages yesterday afternoon, but just as I got cooking the boys got up from their naps and all hell broke loose. I couldn't concentrate. I do most of my writing at night when they're all in bed - DH included. Unlike you, I'm sorta dreading summer when all three will be home full time. Ay ya ya.
Glad to see you back, Elisa! We've missed you!
I go to Borders. No problem with distractions! But I tried writing at home ... doesn't work.
I started writing when the kids started school. I wrote for two hours every morning then did all the household stuff in the afternoons. Now with them all out of the house and the DH leaving for work at 6:30 am - I have a lot of time to write. But I answer e-mails, blog, IM, and write. And now, I'm blogging in an avoidance tactic! LOL
Although I am doing much better than earlier today when I wrote myself into a black void - I now have the story back on track, but I need to go stretch.
Anyway, I can write with or without distractions. Some times I write in complete silence ( like now) or I'll have on some cds or radio. Just depends on my mood and muse.
My oldest just turned 15! And she has her first boyfriend. They started holding hands last week.
YIKES!!!
Damn, this is scary.
She starts driver's ed and health this summer (like next month), which means she'll be able to get her permit and drive by about July/August.
WHEN IN THE HELL DID THAT HAPPEN?
Anyway...about the writing...
I've kept a pretty regular morning schedule--couple hours every morning at a local restaurant on the days I'm not working.
The rest of my schedule has hit the skids. I used to write while the kids were at sports practice--I don't do that anymore. I used to write at night--I rarely do that anymore.
I'm a bit burned out. And fire season is here - so I don't see that burnt feeling to lift anytime soon.
Now...if I made a sale...
When my daughter was still in public school, I had the whole house to myself and I could write as much as I wanted when I pleased. Since I started homeschooling, I write at night - after dinner and dishes and everything is done for the day. Sometimes that means not sitting down until 9pm, and not hitting bed until after 11pm. It's worth it though.
And if all is going well, I can use breaks during the day to edit and query. =o)
Eli...terrible 2s. I still remember that age (my middle one was a holy terror, too LOL). Good luck. :)
Spy--that's a great idea. My next computer is going to be a laptop so I can go to places like that and write.
Paty--I use blogs as an avoidance tactic, too. LOL I find I can write if I have the radio on or a CD playing on the computer, but I can't write if I'm using my mp3 player. For some reason, the music that close to my ears is a distraction I can't ignore.
The kids, on the other hand...well, I guess I've learned over the years to tune them out. :grin:
Joan--that IS scary. Good luck to you. A few years ago my SIL lived with us and she got her permit. I let her drive my car a few times...what a harrowing experience that was.
B.E.--I don't know how you do it all and still manage to write at night. I would be dead on my feet by the end of the day.
I'm pretty lucky. My daughter is a teenager now, and she's pretty self-sufficient. I give her assignments, and she does them on her own - only coming to me with questions or for discussion. But lemme tell ya, learning chemistry at my age was HARD, and we won't even discuss my problems with algebra. ;o)
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