When We’re Forced to Work Outside Our Own Writing Boxes
By Tracy Hahn-Burkett | May 29, 2014 |
I write best in big chunks of time. I need four or five hours together to become fully immersed in the world where my characters live. I don’t know why I work this way, but I do. It’s the kind of fiction writer I am.
It’s unfortunate, then, that my life right now won’t permit me to write this way. I have a couple of part-time jobs. I have a couple of kids, ages twelve and nine (otherwise known as the “drive me” years). One parent recently passed away and left me with probably a year’s worth of responsibilities, and my other parent requires time and attention. I also have pets, doctors’ appointments, things that break and need fixing, meals that need to be cooked, shopping that needs to get done, a house that needs to be cleaned (okay, so I don’t do a lot of that)–you know, the stuff we all have.
All of this means that my schedule is packed from the moment I awake until the moment I go to sleep. And it frequently changes with little notice. In other words, the four-to-five-hour block of writing time just does not happen.
After struggling for a long while–and failing–to find big blocks of writing time, I finally admitted that something had to change. When I whined about discussed this dilemma with writer friends and mentors, I received some excellent advice to help me restructure my writing:
Make appointments with my characters. Writer Catherine Elcik suggested blocking out appointments with my characters on my calendar just as I would with real people. I use iCal on my laptop and iPhone, and now anyone who looks can see I’ve frequently got time marked off for “meetings” with people who just happen to share my primary characters’ names. I also print the calendar out each week and tape it to my desk. I can’t say I always make every appointment, but having my characters visibly waiting for me, tapping their toes right where I can see them, has kept me more on target than in the past. When life events forced me to stop writing for a while (see below), I found I really missed this structure and it was the first thing I brought back when I returned to the keyboard.
Treat each scene like a short story. It’s funny: I don’t need huge blocks of time to work on essays or stories. But the novel is a different creature. “OH MY GOD THIS BOOK IS KILLING ME,” seems to be the novelist’s mantra. Why do we writers psych ourselves out so much? Our own blog mama, Therese Walsh, suggested that if I found myself freaking out over the amount of work I had to do, I should try taking it one scene at a time and telling myself that scene is a story. This approach made sense: I could define specific goals for that dinner-party scene in chapter six, and revise away with those goals in mind. When finished, I could reward myself by going for a walk, having a drink or eating a giant bar of chocolate. Repeat. Would there still be work to do when I got through all the scenes/stories? Of course. But I’d have the next draft of the book done, and I was planning to write another draft after this one anyway, wasn’t I?
Write what I can where I can. I envy writers who can write novels in minivans or coffee shops. Novelist Erika Robuck often writes during her sons’ hockey practices. Despite the fact that in my former policy career, I could draft talking points while C-Span blah-blahed in the background, I can’t write my characters’ lives in ambient noise now. But…I can edit while my son is at soccer practice, I can draft a blog post while my daughter is in dance class, I can jot down a few thoughts practically anywhere. (I keep notebooks everywhere.) By working on other writing obligations when I can, I try to keep my quiet time at home for the novel. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. It depends on my week.
Take a Break. Sometimes life wins. Other than journal entries, this post is the first thing I’ve written outside of paid employment for two months. My mother’s death was preceded and followed by a series of events too long to detail here that was overwhelming physically, mentally and emotionally. Not only did I stop writing, I felt no desire to write. I’d never lost that hunger before, and I worried I might never regain it. Incomparable writer and teacher Jenna Blum reassured me that my condition was temporary. Sometimes life demands that you put all of your resources in a place that is not of your choosing, and there is nothing left for anything else. She assured me the desire to write would come back.
I took Jenna’s advice and decided to stop worrying. Relieved of that stress, my mind opened a little and let stray thoughts slip in…for my novel, essays, my blog. After a while, I sat down at the keyboard and started typing. Writing again now after two months off is like regaining a sense I had lost.
Let It Go. This may be the most important and counterintuitive piece of advice in this post. By far the biggest tug-of-war with respect to my time has emerged as the one between my writing and my kids. At twelve and nine, my kids are now people whose company I truly enjoy. They’re interesting, they’re funny, they sparkle. And damn, they are growing up fast. I’m more aware every day how little time is left before they leave to pursue the rest of their lives on their own. So yes, there are many times my kids hear, “Not now; I need to write.” But wise book reviewer, writer and grandfather Harvey Freedenberg once told me something I make a point of recalling at least once a week: “The kids will grow up, but the writing will always be there.”
The writing will always be there, and we can always find our way to it. Sometimes we just need to carve out a new path.
What steps or advice have you found useful in finding ways to work outside your writing box?
Tracy Hahn-Burkett is a writer and public policy advocate who has written everything from speeches for a U.S. senator to texts seeking proof-of-life from her kids in college. She’s published dozens of essays, columns, articles, reviews and a story, and teaches writing for advocacy. She currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband, cat, and dog, and she is revising her first novel. Her website is TracyHahnBurkett.com. You can find her on Threads as @tracyhahnburkett.
Tracy-
Do you go on plane trips? Flights from New York to, say, San Francisco are 5-6 hour gifts of writing time. So is the time spent at the gate waiting to board a weather-delayed flight.
I also believe that there are more ways to write a novel than hacking out a draft beginning to end, then revising by going through it again in linear fashion. Treating scenes as stories is a start.
Successive drafts can focus on different dimensions of the story. I teach a method for a micro-tension draft that involves infusing uneasiness on every page, but working on pages in random order. That can be done in five minute bursts.
Stealing (writing time, that is) can be scheduled in many creative ways.
Thanks for commenting, Don. Unfortunately, I don’t travel by plane at all. (Hmm, is that truly unfortunate?) You’re right, though: it surely provides a lot of down time for productivity for anyone who needs it.
I do think future drafts will be easy to tackle in smaller chunks of time after I complete the draft I’m working on now, which involves rewriting significant parts of the story. (She said, crossing her fingers.) Might this be part of what you’ll be teaching at the WU Unconference?
As to ups and downs of growing up to become a literary agent…I’ll leave that to you and Ron to battle out!
Despite real-life intrusion, there are many things we can control. And those things are the time and energy that we do find being used for something other than writing a novel. If you want to be a novelist, don’t write a blog. Don’t spend time online promoting yourself (Sorry!). Is a published novel really your priority? So, write something new. (Sorry again ~ this goes against craft lessons.) Turn off the internet. What’s more important to you, having a charming and intelligent web presence or writing a novel? And one more, sorry!, forget writing a draft of a novel. You can learn (and practice) just as quickly by writing new stuff as by revising. I live in a different world than most people here, I know. And I like everyone here a lot. Sharp cookies. But I never write a novel thinking it is a draft. When I am done, it’s ready for an editor or agent to consider. If I have written something neither is interested in, I srewed up. Happens. For me, however, unscrewing up doesn’t involve reworking something nobody wants. It means writing something new that people will want and, by design, want badly enough to give me $$ for it. I study craft like crazy, but I don’t do it with an eye toward revising. I do it with a commitment to make the next book, the new book, work in the marketplace (and to get better and to learn). I know it’s hard for those seeking to publish a novel to throw the first one away. It’s just as hard to throw the 11th one away. Trust me. I just did that. When my agent said, “What’s the book about?” after having read it, I realized I’d blown it. Revise? Nope. Tweaking wasn’t the question. Let me tell you, though, the 12th is one mfcking charming pig. I can say to you in an single sentence exactly what it is about and I am working daily to make sure what I write meets the “what’s it about” challenge and stays focused. P.S. Production time on a novel, esp. a first novel, is going to be 2 years for most people. That means, AFTER your book has sold, you will have ample time to do the web presence thing. It’s really not a matter so much of doing the little thing… it’s a matter of not doing all these other little things, you know, like commenting on the competent and engaging articles posted here. Make an appointment with yourself as a novelist. Or better yet, think of your new project as something you just discovered you’re pregnant with. It’s coming in 9 months. Your other “writing stuff” can wait.
Oh shit. I just realized you might think my post’s use of the word “you” might mean I was talking to someone in particular. Well, I was: myself. As with all advice, it’s is mainly self-advice. I certainly would suggest that no one do what I tell myself to do. I’m not even sure I’m going to do it.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your mother, Tracy. Thank you writing this post. :)
The way I draft now is different from the way I drafted a few years ago. My life has changed and I had to adjust my writing process. You’ve highlighted some excellent tips to keep in mind. Word by word, page by page.
Like Anne Lamott said, “Bird by bird.”
Thanks, Lydia!
Deepest sympathy on the loss of your mother and all that entails. I lost my mother in law four months ago, and my mother took a fall two months after that and I have felt the same way, off and on….all I really want to do is hide in movies.
And it’s true that children grow up so fast!
Oh, Barbara, my sympathy to you as well. I know that feeling, like there’s the world and there’s you, and the two are not connected and really, why should they be?
Hiding in movies for a while is not so bad if it helps. It’s probably better than what I’ve been doing, which is almost singlehandedly keep the chocolate industry in business.
I hope your mom is doing okay. I’m sending good thoughts to both of you.
I’m so sorry for your loss Tracy. This post is so important for us to remember. We simply can’t do it all and should never feel guilty for taking a long break when needed. And you know what I’ve found–those long breaks rejuvenate my creative well in a way nothing else can.
((hugs))
Please accept my condolences as well for your families’ loss. Life events can make it very hard to write.
By dint of insisting (my last child is almost finished with college), the first 5 hours of every day are mine for writing – and many days my mind will not function, so it’s always something. Some days there isn’t enough brain power to produce more than a comment or two – fiction requires creativity.
But I show up. I try.
I don’t agonize, I don’t worry, I review my habits and see if there are any tweaks that will allow the mind to think this morning, and I don’t give up.
I’m trying some new things to see if I can improve my brain fog – the initial result has been to get more of it! But the potential payoff makes it worth the attempt, so I’ll try for a while longer. If it doesn’t, I go back to what sort of worked before. Like you, I’m in it for the long haul – potholes on the way make it interesting, and the ability to write something not to take for granted (as if we needed the reminder!).
I love your idea of spending time with a character deliberately. I do it occasionally – write a letter from one, or an article he or she might write, or a visit with a therapist one might have if he talked to therapists – anything outside the normal focus on a scene. Some of those little pieces really blast through to the reason for a scene, or its action, or… I shall add the technique to my list of appetizers for writing. Thanks!
Tracy, I know the feeling. Work/life balance is a major challenge for writers, especially those of us with jobs and families. I bought an ipad recently and take it with me to coffee shops and on business trips. Its portability has made a big difference, allowing me to write when I have small blocks of times in airports and at hotels. I find blogging easier than working on my novel. Maybe it’s my training in journalism and my experience as a former newspaper reporter. Novel writing takes more intense concentration and larger blocks of time, as you point out. I like your idea of making appointment with your characters and writing scenes as mini short stories. Thanks for a great post.
Here’s another suggestion. When I have only snatches of time, I edit/revise previous writing. It doesn’t require me to become immersed in the characters or story. My focus is on wording, pruning, and the rhythm of the sentences. I’ve found this works especially well when I am in a noisy area like an airport. Even though I haven’t added to my word count (usually the reverse), I feel a sense of satisfaction because I made progress on the manuscript.
James: Yes, I have done this! In fact, my opening chapters are in great shape for just this reason. This, of course, is both good and bad because I’m even more reluctant when I realize I need to cut something in one of those chapters because something later on has made it irrelevant. But I think the good aspects of doing this outweigh the bad.
Thanks for contributing this tip!
I really liked your suggestion about treating each scene as a short story. I too tend to need big chunks of time in which to write, and the bigger the project, the bigger the chunk. So when I only have an hour or two, I generally focus on my short work – which is great except when it happens every day for a lengthy period because then I never get any novel work done. Treating individual scenes as if they’re short stories sounds like an effective way of tricking my brain into thinking I’m working on a small project while I’m actually making progress on a big one. Thanks for the tip, Tracy!
Wonderful post, Tracy, and something just about everyone can relate to (anyone who has a life!) I’m so sorry about your mother, and I can’t imagine writing with that grief so it’s understandable – how could one concentrate after that?
Yes, our children grow up and writing can be done whether we are thirty or eighty. I didn’t even start writing until my children were off to college so I commend you juggling a dozen things at once to fulfill your dream.
I’m the same way with book writing, I need an hour or two minimum to work on it and “get into” my characters. BUT, these suggestions are great! I need to do that – take a scene or chapter and just work on that without feeling overwhelmed if I just have fifteen minutes.
Excellent advice. :)
Any job is doable when we break it up into small chunks. For me, that means concentrating on a scene at a time. If I think about the whole novel, I get overwhelmed. If I think about one scene, and my characters in it, I can go there and enjoy being with them.
Some great tips and comments.
Thanks!
Tracy, I’m sorry about your mother’s death. Requiem aeternam. Thank you for writing this post. I do find that writing letters, blogging, short stories and essays far easier than working on a novel. When I’m drafting, I need the mental space to imagine and even the threat of interruption can freeze me. Editing I can do anytime, anywhere.
We do have to choose how to spend our time and the kids grow up lightning fast. “Drive me” has turned to “Mom, can I drive?” I’m teaching my 15-yr old to drive and it is EXHAUSTING. I look at my 13-yr old who almost drove the tractor into the side of the house when she was 9 and wonder … will I survive this? But oh, how the very people who take away my time give me something to write about (I’m paraphrasing Katherine Paterson).
Thanks for writing this post, Tracy. Letting go has been the most freeing thing I ever did, and I too, am carving a new path to writing.
Vijaya,
I have such a picture in my head from “almost drove the tractor into the side of the house when she was 9.” This sounds like a great story. I’d love to read it sometime–and I’m very glad we don’t live on a farm!
Thanks for sharing that!
We are on the same, page, Tracy.
Sorry to hear about your loss.
Denise Willson
Author of A Keeper’s Truth and GOT
Like you, I prefer (need) chunks of time to write. Mine is an all-or-nothing mindset, I don’t easily shift focus.
And dealing with tragedy or family issues greatly adds to any effort to find time for such a solitary activity….I’m sorry for the loss of your mother.
I plow through daily obligations to find that block of time, and similar to the advice you follow about making appointments with your characters, my goal is to finish things that must be done because there is “somewhere” I have to “be”. It’s as if I must disappear into that place I want to write of. Multi-tasking? Impossible; thus I get stuff out of the way so I can “go”.
And treating each scene as a short story works for me and makes my writing time more efficient and focused. (Therese didn’t tell me that and I’m certainly not smart enough to have made it up on my own, so I don’t know how I found it to be true.) But it really works.
And finally, what you relayed from Harvey Freedenberg is an absolute: “The kids will grow up, but the writing will always be there.” Whatever it is we choose to do, we only get one shot at it today.
Terry,
You know what’s funny? I’m a great multi-tasker…as long as one of those tasks isn’t writing. Actually, that’s probably not so funny, or odd. It makes sense. I suspect most of us can’t write anything decent or even coherent if we’re focused on something else while we’re writing. (My apologies to anyone out there who may be an exception.)
And you’re right: we only get one shot at getting “the life thing” right. That counts for something, too.
Thanks for commenting.
Tracy,
I, too, love writing binges. Conjuring a writing spell requires immersion. Slipping into a character’s skin is something where having no distractions is a necessity. I particularly like your idea of making an appointment with a character – I will try that out.
Life gets busy and has its ups and downs (I’m sorry to hear about your loss). Sunup-to-sundown writing days are usually the exception, not the rule. (Mr. Maass – I need to go on more plane trips.) Yet, when they come, they are a whip to a trotting horse, an exciting dash across dark hill and forests, and if we’re lucky, we’ll leave a piece of ourselves behind for our readers. Yet regardless, I believe a story well told will come from an author’s commitment, from beginning to end, the willingness to turn over every stone; it’s more about never giving up than it is about getting it right immediately.
But those writing binges. I think they are necessary, as necessary as those five minute half-sentences scribbled in a notebook, or the week or two of nothing that gives us new perspective.
I vividly recall my most enticing session. I was about halfway through writing my current project, having reached the first scene I’d sketched out before drafting began. I actually felt like I was there. It was 9pm and I didn’t want to leave, so I made coffee. Then it was 12, but the story got richer. Just a little more. Well, needless to say, it was 5am when I finally went to bed (and I was nearly in the dog house for that). Still, as my revision distillery bubbles away, I find when I come back to that scene I change very little – in fact, it was that long session which helped me enter a new dimension of just WHAT my story was.
Tracy,
I am sorry for the loss of your mother. I lost my dad many years back (when I was 19) after a long and bitter fight with illness. So I can understand how you feel. But grief does eventually pass. (Even though it never truly disappears, but the mind is able to push it to a spot such that you are back to normal again…. Almost).
Lovely post. I (and I think most of us on WU) do struggle with the balance of writing vs life. And at different times each take their place of honor. I have a 4-yr old and so I have learned to write in pockets. Sometimes as less as 15 min on the kitchen counter while waiting for his lunch to cook. And then there are those days when he sleeps-in or I wake up at 4 and get in a couple hrs. The important point for me is that I’m making progress. As a feel good measure I have created a spread sheet (the geek in me had to do something) to track the number of pages I write/ edit during the day and look at it on Sundays and as long as I have done at least 10 pages (the bar is pretty low here) I am happy.
The reason for the low bar is definitely the beautiful saying that U have included at the end “the kids will grow up but the writing will always be there”. In fall my son will go to pre-k and then I can set a higher bar…. I hope.
I agree w Don that airports/ airplanes are excellent places to write. I started my MS on a plane ride back from Colorado (is it a wonder that my story is based in Colorado?). And the years that I was traveling 3-4 weeks a month, I was able to write 30-40 pages a weeks just on airplanes, despite working at a high stress 70+ hrs a week job. Those days (and even now) writing was my meditation, my way to stay calm, and for that little while, escape in my story and forget the stress of my work.
I love the ideas of making an appointment with your characters and that every scene is a story. Life doesn’t often give you big chunks of time. So, be ready for those little chunks when you get them.
But the most important point you made was that sometimes you have to put things away for the moment and concentrate on what matters. The relationships you have with your partner, your kids, your parents, your friends and your siblings. They’re what matters. Ultimately, they are what help you write, so you want to get them right. And that is where the bits of time are properly spent.
Wonderful post. I love the idea of making appointments with characters. Brilliant.
Hi, Tracy:
I’m like you: blocks of time. And I lack Donald’s capacity for focus on flights or in airports (that’s where I get my reading done instead — something else for which I never seem to have time anymore). I can write blog posts and non-fiction when on the run, but fiction requires something of me that the bustle of life bothers.
What I think is so perfect about your suggestions is the general understanding: to be creative, you have to be creative about everything. Including how you go about being creative.
My own solution to the time problem: Get up insanely early. I pushed it to 4 AM for awhile but 5 AM was more workable. I realize since you’re driving teens around that only gives you 3 hours or so before you dash off, but those early morning hours are golden. So still, so dark, just the pool of lamplight at my desk. Nothing at all to distract me (my other half is a notoriously late sleeper, and the dog has her circadian rhythms).
So sorry to hear about the parental death. Yes, there’s a lot of business involved in someone’s passing. Good luck with that. And the writing.
David
First, let me offer my condolences on the loss of your mom. Sounds like you are part of the “sandwich generation” which deals with both younger children and older parents with health needs. It is a tough place to be.
Second, thanks for the very timely advice. I’ve recently initiated a non-fiction book project that will take a lot of work over the next year, including research. Coming at this project from the beginning with a flexible attitude about writing time and how I set it up will help me be more productive and less stressed during the process. I know I have a tendency to put off starting work on a project thinking to myself that I don’t have time right now. As you make it clear, it doesn’t require huge blocks to at least get something done. And by focusing on sections, I can keep my brain working on the problem even when the outside world demands attention.
Listen to Harvey. Mine are 18 and 20 now. When I started writing, they were always around. Now, even though they both still reside somewhere in my house, I see them in snippets of time.
I’m all over the notebook stashing. I have them all over the place. At my day job, I have at least three within reach. And the iPad, with it’s many writing apps at my disposal.
In order to get in enough reading (which I consider part of writing) I have embraced library audio books. If you haven’t discovered the Overdrive app yet, it’s the nectar of the book gods. I listen to novels during the hour and a half I’m on the road every day. A nice supplement to my bedtime reading (usually a library download on my Kindle…from Overdrive as well).
Other than that, it’s write whenever I’m sitting still. Airplanes, doctors offices, boring meetings (make sure the notebook isn’t purple with unicorns all over the cover), you name it.
Enjoy the kids. You only get one shot at that. Screw it up and they’ll end up as literary agents or even politicians. Better save up your gas money.
Ron-
Since I wound up as a literary agent I’ll point out to my mom her failure. Knowing my mom, she’ll weep and wonder what she did wrong.
Thanks!
It helps if you happen to have a brother or sister who got into politcs. My brother is an unemployed film maker, so I look like the golden child. Don’t worry, though. Mothers have to forgive. It’s in the job profile.
This post really spoke to me. First, I’m sorry for your loss. I am lucky enough to still have both my parents, but my husband went through a really tough time when his dad passed, so I know how difficult it can be.
Reading your post, I felt like I was writing it myself. Carving out time for writing is difficult, and when you add a blog and other things for your writer’s platform, it can be daunting. Right now I myself am feeling overwhelmed and I need to prioritize and reorganize to find a better solution. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and advice. it was very helpful.
Ahh, yes, the life stuff—it’s everywhere, and seemingly always positioned for the tripping. My mother has been in failing health for a bit, and my anxiety over that has been considerable. I hope the stab of your grief ebbs.
Lots of good advice here, Tracy, on getting the writing in, over, under, around and through the life stuff. Thanks.
Tom,
I’m sorry to hear about your mom. It’s tough, I know.
“[I]n, over, under, around and through…” I love it.
Thanks for your comment.
Thank you, everyone, for your kind words about my mom and for your comments about my post. I know many writers struggle with the dilemma of how to blend writing with the rest of life. Perhaps being forced to work outside of our comfort zones will make us stronger writers in the end.
I’m sorry I can’t reply to each post individually, but the school bus just pulled up to drop off a nine-year-old who needs help preparing for her dance recital dress rehearsal later today.
To tell the truth, there are worse ways to spend an afternoon. (And if I’m lucky, I may get to scribble in a notebook while sitting in a darkened auditorium for a couple of hours…)
Tracy,
Of course, your post contains a story, too. Thanks for offering it and I send condolences.
I’m willing to bet some essence of the life you’re living now will pour out in a future piece of work and grab the readers with authenticity. My experience of being creative is that it goes on twenty-four/seven–sometimes writing, sometimes collecting, sometimes clarifying, sometimes catching my breath in a way that a character will do down the road.
We never know how or when things will happen. On the plane to my mother’s funeral last fall I intended to work on my novel. What I discovered was that the opening was weak; I was starting in the wrong place. After mulling the ideas around the edges of eulogy and greetings, I came home and wrote 50 pages that leap off the page. It’s in you and you’ll bring it us.
Mom passed, Dad on death’s floor, one sibling untimely gone–condolences wished to all bereavers and received–among other life stressors, all of them, anyone manages however they may best. Add in acute and chronic health complications that are this writer’s burdens with silver lining blessings, nonetheless writing problems. Time moves fast when you’re having fun, faster when the schedule is overfilled and disease processes make every task take four times longer than before. Tel est la vie; such is life.
I couldn’t make scene-by-scene composition fit my writing schedule. A solution was briefer yet sessions, scene sequence segments, in large part mentally composed before reduction to writing. I carried a small notebook and a digital recorder for several months to capture those mental compositions stolen at moments otherwise engaged in life’s daily living activities.
After a few months, I came to a signal realization that if an inspiration or mental composition passed muster, I would remember it and when setting it down in writing would be a stronger revision. If I didn’t remember whatever, it either meant nothing or would timely come around again. “Whatever” indeed does timely come around again.
Instead of no progress, procrastination waiting for time to set appointed writing in long or brief blocks, a few moments here and there add up to progress. Like informal fun party socializing, water cooler chats, instead of like work. Works for me.
I am very sorry about the loss of your mother.
I love this post, not least because it appears you and I have very similar working styles. We both crave large chunks of writing time, yet the darn school spews the kids out every afternoon ready or not!
Thank you for this essay. I am not a writer, but find myself current absorbed in one aspect of my life that was not of my choosing, but needs my undivided attention. Much else-including those pesky pounds I want to lose-has gone by the wayside for now. Your words remind me that I should let go of the ever present guilt. Like writing, if I am honest, there may not be time or energy for a full gym workout, but there is always time for a fifteen minute walk.
Thanks for this post Tracy. All sorts of good reminders here at this time of year when to the top of the already daunting life-pile we add the recitals, performances, playoffs etc. that populate the end of the school year!
Bird by bird — yes.
An excellent collection of thoughts and strategies for writing even as life interrupts and overwhelms. Certainly that happens at my house all the time … and summer is coming. I’m shifting writing gears next week to start in the 5 o’clock hour before the house wakes, and I’m actually looking forward to it. Thank you, Tracy, for the useful post! (And, I loved getting to meet you in person earlier this month! :) )
Thank you for these reminders, Tracy. I love Catherine’s appointment idea, and will try it.
I’m sorry for your loss.
I didn’t get to comment until now, because of being busy! Like others, I love the idea of making appointments with my characters in my diary. Then I will sit down and have a coffee with them and enjoy them while I am writing! Sounds like a fun thing to do, rather than, OMG, I have to quickly write while I have time!
I am now happy to write an hour a day unless I am really on a roll!
Yes, letting go of what we think we should be doing and just happily going with the flow of each moment/hour/day certainly works best for me. Enjoy your kids and so sorry to hear about your loss.