The Writer Life
If it’s one thing I’ve learned as a writer, we can be nosy. Often inclined to introvertish behavior, we find the appeal of other writers’ lives to be fascinating. I know I do, finding myself inclining an ear to a conversation about another writer and how they make it work. What’s their secret? Their routine? Maybe if I ask enough questions, I can get a glimpse into their driving imagination that’s propelled them into a future I so desperately crave?
But as my husband loves to point out, quoting a famous ESPN sportscaster who I can’t recall the name of, “they put their pants on same way we do”. (rough quote, also a common phrase around our house) Authors, writers, in-laws, celebrities, Peyton Manning….they’re all human. Okay, maybe not Peyton Manning. (Big Tn Vols fan here) .
The point being we make it work, albeit differently. So let’s get to what you want to know. What’s my routine? How do I make it work? Let’s be crystal clear, I’m a mom of three children (find out more here), one of which just started school. So I spend the majority of my day mothering my two youngest children — the beautiful handfuls that they are, leaving little time to a perfected writing routine. But it works for me. And that’s the key.
My day in a nutshell:
Wake up at 4:45am to teach English to Chinese youngsters till about 8am.
Take my son to school and do my mothering for the other two kiddos, including the mandatory breakfast and lunch. After lunch, comes my time while the kids nap.
I have sleepers so I’m fortunate enough to have a 2-4 hour block of time to get things done for myself. Now this excludes the other duties I need to perform in order to maintain a functioning household. But I stay pretty rigid, writing during these hours as often as I can. However, it’s not consistent because it can’t be, not at this time in my life.
Afterwards comes picking up the third kid from school, spending time with family, eating supper, and preparing for it all over again. I also go to bed early (no later than 10pm usually) because I have such an early start and must be awake to teach. Yawning is unprofessional.
End of day.
That’s it, a window sized glance into my daily routine. Glamorous, I know. But I want to be transparent for others out there struggling to find time to write. It has to be planned and intentional. You can’t wake up and hope to write. You can’t wait for the fleeting muse to visit. You write in sun, in rain, on slow days and on brilliant days. And finally, most importantly, you write for your family, not against them.
Something in your calendar will likely have to be sacrificed in the interest of writing time. Make sure it’s not your family—they should always be your top priority. Never sacrifice your family on the altar of your writing career.
-Jerry Jenkins (read more here)
I want to encourage fellow mothers to continue to pursue the dream, writer or not. It can be done. It’s not hard work or persistence. Nope. Nap times are the key to your success. I hope you read sarcasm well.
Regardless, I hope you take away from this some important knowledge. If you’re waiting for a magical portal to appear and take you to the realm where all writers disappear and write NYT Best Selling work, then you’ll wait forever. But if you’re willing to work through life, digging out time for yourself to pursue the dream of authorship then you’ll understand the importance of consistent writing, whether that’s in an office or on your couch in hushed typing while your kids nap.
In the dreamworld, I wouldn’t teach in the early morning hours, trading it for a time to write undisturbed and fresh before the day roars and interrupts the creative process with the needs of daily life. But this isn’t a fantasy and for now I’ve got to work with what I have.
So I make goals. Edit this chapter. Write another. Reread. Listen to a podcast. Research. Each day, I make a simple goal, attainable within the tiny window of naps.
And you can too.
Start with a list of goals, divide those goals by the time you want your project to be finished. In other words, work backwards so that your timeline and goals reflect what you want the end to be.
And there you have it: my day and how to work through life, whether that’s motherhood, a full time job or all of the above and then some.
You got this. Let’s go write.
