Finding Time to Write

This blog is called LDS Mommy Writers. The staff has allowed this LDS grandma writer to join in with a monthly post. You might think I’d have all the time in the world to write—no children to interrupt, no carpools to drive, relatively little laundry to do, only one other person to cook for, no homework to help with, the list goes on and on.

I remember laughing at (not in front of her) at my older sister when she and her husband retired and she said she was as busy as ever. She’s eighteen years older, and I was in the middle of raising our eight children.

I’m not laughing any more. I serve the mid-day shift at the temple on Wednesdays, babysit grandchildren, serve as an assistant compassionate service leader, substitute teach on occasion, have Toastmaster speeches to write and practice, and more.

Yes, most days I do have more time to write than a busy mother, but it’s easy to find distractions—books to read, okay; I’ll admit it; Face Book to check out, blogs to read, needlework to create (TV while doing that), I'm only up to 1999 on scrap booking my pictures along with the normal cooking, errands, and cleaning.

I need to find my writing time during the day and early evening. I can look over other writers’ projects later in the evening, but can’t work on my own stuff after 7:30-8:00 pm or I’ll have problems sleeping because my mind won’t turn off.

It takes self-discipline to make myself sit at the computer, especially when I hit a brick wall in my WIP. I think of other things that need to be done—oh dear I haven’t watered and cared for my vegetable garden in a couple of days. Gotta run.

A Day in the Life of an Indie Author

An ideal writing day is one where I sit at home and tackle my WIP, and I’m not interrupted by errands or life. I try to set aside the hours between ten a.m. and two p.m. to write a rough draft, revise, or edit.

So what about the rest of my life?

I wake in the wee hours of the mornin’. I have two and a half hours from the time I wake until the time I send the last nugget off to school. In those hours, I accomplish amazing things.

I eat. Wow. I pack lunches and wake kids. I either load or unload the dishwasher. Counters and floors are wiped down (everyday). Within those bustling minutes, I make time to stretch and tone and time to read spiritually uplifting material, often a religious magazine or book. Somehow I get dressed and ready for the day.

I slink back to the house after carpool and give myself an hour of electronic housekeeping. This is updating my blog and the two other blogs I post on. I clean out files and make memes or graphic images. Emails are dealt with.

It’s ten o’clock. Lunchtime. I’ve been awake for four hours. Need to fuel up.

Now I dive into my works in progress. I set a timer for forty-two minutes. In the middle of wherever I might be, when that screaming bomb goes off, I jump up and hightail it to my kitchen. “Not to eat again?” you ask. Nope. To dance. I crank up the music in the room that has the most open floor space and shake out the stiffness in my body. This is great and energizing before I get back to the grind.

My dance-a-thon happens three more times.

Then the best part of my day happens. A steaming hot shower followed by an hour-long nap.

Crunch time has arrived. If I haven’t thought of what to make for dinner, I palm through the frozen foods in my freezer and invent something. I usually preheat my oven and prep before running off to scoop kids up from school.

We’re all home. Dinner ensues. Now it’s me time. I either catch up on my shows or curl up with a good book while interspersing time with the kids and homework.

But this is a best-scenario day. Often anything flies.

What does your writing day look like?

Rejuvination

Everyone needs a break: writers, moms, hospital staff, kids, teachers, doctors, garbage men, artists, etc. You get the idea. 

Spring Break came really late this year. This means a couple of things: warmer weather at the beach and less school until the end of the year. 

Back to that beach. I LOVE the beach. All times, all weathers, all seasons. A bad day at the beach is 

still a day at the beach. 

Flying kites, Duck donuts (if you vacation at OBX you know what I'm talking about), eating out, beachcombing for shells, watching movies, board games . . . you get the picture. 

Of course, I still have writing/publishing deadlines to meet, which I'll squeeze in between everything else. 

Rejuvination is part of balance and promoting creativity. 

Maybe you can't take off a whole week to go to the beach. So take a day to do something that rejuvinates you: a museum, art show, hike in the mountains, visit a garden, see a movie, have lunch with a friend, paint that room or furniture piece you keep putting off, etc. 

Can't take a day? An hour will do. Read a book. Watch an episode of your favorite show. Talk a walk and chat with a friend. Yoga. 

Rejuvination is only limited by your imagination (and sometimes your budget ;) ). 

Even Christ took time to be apart from his disciples and demands for balance and peace. If the Savior can find the time to do it, so can you. 

What will you do today, this week, to rejuvinate your life?