I know not all of you are in the same boat, but writing is hard for me during the summer. I have five kiddos, three of which are school attenders. We've been out of school around here since the last week of May, and I haven't written more than a page a week on anything, because my out of school schedule hadn't figured itself out yet.
But it finally occurred to me that I have to do now what I've always done: carve out time to write. If I let life and kids take over all my time, they will. If I let TV or Facebook or Twitter or just websurfing take it over, it will. There are important things in life, and my kids are one of them. But my writing is important, too. It is almost as vital to my emotional well being as prayer or scripture study or spending time with my husband. Without it, I have very little to give the other people in my life who need me.
So here's to finding a schedule and sticking to it. Flexibility is key, but what is in that flexible is up to me.
So what's in your schedule this summer and how are you going to carve out writing time?
For me, the answer isn't to be flexible, it's to make a date with my writing and keep it! I've discovered that the best time to get what's in my head out and on to paper (or my keyboard) is to wake up EARLY and write. Just like scripture study, if you do it early it's done and you can get on with your day. I find writing works the same way. The bonus is that after I write I can spend the rest of the day pondering, jotting down notes, and then revising my latest work before going to bed. The next day I get up and start again. Sounds like a fool-proof plan, right? NO! Well, maybe it would be if I were a morning person, but I am not. So what's my biggest obstacle? SLEEP! Then again, I'm a mom of three, so I've learned to get by on a wink or two. Who needs sleep, eh?
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to figure this out, too! I think that the best writing time for me is in the evening, after I get my kids to sleep. My kids are up in the five o-clock hour most of the time, so getting up early to write isn't really an option. At night, it's calm and quiet, and I can write while my husband watches the game.
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