Have you ever had one of those days, weeks, and/or months where the phone keeps ringing, the kids want you to play Candyland a million times, family and/or friends keep popping over, and you have a bunch of emails to read? Do you ever feel like you should just give up? Put your WIP aside and your goals and just say, “Forget about writing”?
This has been my life since summer started at the end of May. I guess because it is summer everyone thinks I have nothing to do. Or maybe because I stay home as a mom and writer, they think it means I have all the time in the world to get the things done. I wish it were like that. I wish I could just do what I want when I want. The problem is when I want to write . . . the kids need me. When I want to update my websites . . . I have earns to run and they always seem to take longer to do when a deadline is staring me in the face, too.
I wish I could say I have my nights to get all my writing done, but with a husband, who works the swing shift (3pm to midnight), I don’t. And forget about the daytime hours. He’s sleeping in so it’s me, the teenager, the monkey girl, and baby getting all the housework done. Okay, maybe the baby isn’t doing the housework, but she sure watches us do it.
So when does that leave me time to write, update websites, post on my blogs, and network? It doesn’t. How I find the time to get it all done is really a miracle! I have no other way of putting it. I find those 5, 10, and 30 minutes here and there to type a quick reply, read an email, write a sentence, or edit a paragraph. Sometimes I get lucky and monkey girl will watch a movie and my teenage son will hold the baby. Boy, how I will miss having him at home when school starts back up again.
Don’t get me wrong . . . I love my family. I love my kids. But there are days where I ask myself - why am I doing this? There are days when I look at my WIP and think; maybe I should put my goals out of mind! I mean they take up so much time that I do not seem to have. Will they ever see the light of day . . . I wonder.
Then I get a few extra moments in a day to sit and read some of my fellow writer’s blogs. I get a chance to read one of the writing newsletters I have piling up in my inbox or on my desk. And that’s when it hits me . . . I love writing. I love sharing my experiences with other writers. I love working on Stories for Children Magazine and keeping Stories for Children Publishing, LLC going. I even love doing writing workshops and speaking engagements. It helps keep me sane amongst all the housework, crying monkey girls and new baby. It helps me stay in touch with my teenage son. It even helps me not drive my husband crazy about things needing to be done around the house.
So will I ever give up what I do? NO! I love it all and it’s all me. If I stopped doing one thing, it would be like cutting off an arm and throwing it a way. I just can’t do that! And who knows . . . maybe I will see a few WIP’s in print along the way. If not, I’ll have all the time in the world once the kids are out of the house. Or maybe not!
Judy Snider , Joan’s sister lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her husband, Gil, and two silly cats. She is the author of the CWA award-winning children’s picture book, Goldy’s Baby Socks , and on a team of authors of The Scared Purse . The Writing Mama Interview with author Judy Snider VS: What do you do to help balance your writing life with your family life? Judy: It is easier now that my kids are in their 20’s and out of the home. I get up very early, and some of the best writing I do is in a sunny place with a glass of water or coffee and my silly cats nearby. When my oldest was a baby, I took a write-away-course, and would write when he took his naps. Some of my best writing was at a table while I waited in those days for them at parties, video arcades, etc. I work out of my home on projects, so working with my sister on our latest book, and the phone usually did Cady Driver, our illustrator. VS: How long have you been writing? Judy: I wrote my...