No Time to Write!
By Sarah Callender | January 4, 2024 |
Sarah, an 8th grade English teacher, liked getting to school an hour before the students invaded her quiet classroom with their wonderful and terrifying presence, with their gangly bodies and their confusing slang and their beautiful brains that, one moment demonstrated Einstein-esque brilliance, and the next moment, the decision-making skills of a prehistoric reptile. My goodness, did Sarah adore her students! She really did. This was not sarcasm.
They were, however, exceptionally loud. Even the quiet ones were loud, though quietly so.
But in this hour before school started, Sarah was guaranteed a distraction-free zone where, if her grading was under control and her lessons planned, she could find time to work on her WIP.
Though finding time to work on her WIP felt nearly impossible these days. For starters, her grading was rarely under control, and her lessons always needed fine-tuning. Plus, she was trying to understand how on earth to parent college-age children, young adults who expected her to maintain a cheery, on-call presence, to answer the phone when they happened to call, and to listen, without judgment or advice, even when any idiot could see that a mother’s judgment and advice was precisely what they needed.
At the same time, she found herself supporting and loving her getting-along-in-years family members, a privilege that required a brain muscle she had yet to strengthen. Sarah also very much wanted to spend more than five minutes a day with her equally busy husband. After all, she loved him, and she realized that being an empty-nester was more fun when someone else shared the nest.
Along with the marriage-tending, the sandwich-generationing, and the full-time teaching, there were book edits to address whenever her lovely, patient editor sent along yet another round of revisions. Also a cover art artist to select. And a marketing and publicity plan to consider.
All this to say, Sarah was busy. Yet she remained hopeful.
Today, she told herself on the commute to school, there will be time to work on the WIP.
With great optimism, Sarah unlocked her classroom door, flipped on the motion-sensitive lights, did a swirly, flapping-armed dance so the insensitive lights would turn on, then took a seat at her desk, plugged in her laptop, and checked how many pieces of student work still had to be graded. The number was staggering. But before addressing the yet-to-grade work, she went to the NYT Games page for her morning ritual.
First (and it was always in this order) she played The Mini, then the Wordle, then she texted her father her Wordle score, then she proceeded to play Connections, which she liked quite a lot because she could see she was getting much better at it. Plus, the colors were pretty.
After that, she checked her school email, and on this particular day, read the NYT Athletic article about the Seahawks’s playoff chances (better after beating the Eagles; worse after losing to the Steelers), addressed a time-sensitive, student-related email, and fought the temptation to return to the NYT Games page where she could play the Spelling Bee.
No, she told herself. Today you will work on your WIP! And she mentally patted herself on the back for her discipline.
Then it was time for Sarah to check her personal email, but on the way to her inbox, she found herself hooked by a People article about Demi Lovato’s and Jordan “Jutes” Lutes’s engagement (and bespoke, pear-shaped engagement ring!). She could never remember what talent or good luck had made Demi famous, and she had never even heard of this Jutes fellow, but Sarah scrolled through the timeline of photos that tracked Demi’s and Jutes’s relationship. Then Sarah used her thumb and index finger on her touch screen to biggen the umbrella tattoo on Jutes’s neck. Huh, she thought. It looks like umbrella in Winnie the Pooh. Is Jutes a Pooh fan?
Sarah then demonstrated more discipline and impulse control by deleting all of the unnecessary emails, even pausing to unsubscribe from a few, before reading the email about the Psych textbook her son had rented–had he remembered to return it? And an email from Chewy.com, which reminded her to push back the date of the auto-subscribe dog food delivery, and then the email about the delayed delivery of two of her daughter’s birthday presents. Gah! Then the email from the dentist, asking to confirm her upcoming dental cleaning, and the reminder that her daughter’s meds were waiting at the Safeway pharmacy.
She could tell her daughter to pick up her own darn meds, but Sarah had already planned to pick up dinner stuff on her way home from work. There was no need for them both to make a trip to Safeway. And what was for dinner? After all, the kids were home from college, and “dinner” was the least she could do to demonstrate her love. There was that NYT bok choy and sausage udon recipe she had bookmarked. She was mostly certain they had most of the ingredients, besides, well, udon and bok choy. And what was “dark soy sauce”? Because she didn’t know, and because she knew she didn’t have any, Sarah scanned most of the 5K NYT Reader Comments, searching for an answer to this question: Could she use regular Kikoman low-sodium soy sauce? Yes, readers said, this was fine in a pinch.
Was she in a pinch? Yes, Sarah decided. These days, her life was one big pinch.
After Sarah texted her husband about pulling the sausage from the freezer and texted her son about the Psych textbook, Sarah glanced at the time, wondered where it had gone, and pulled up her “to-grade” essays. She graded one, then realized she wasn’t in the right headspace to grade essays. It wasn’t fair to grade essays when she was distracted and, frankly, irritated because why do they say your daughter’s birthday gifts will arrive on a certain date if that’s not going to happen?
And now sixteen minutes remained before the adorable reptilian-Einsteins started pouring into her classroom. Sure, she could shift gears and work on her WIP for sixteen minutes, but Sarah hated only writing for sixteen minutes, especially because it would take her at least seven minutes–if she was lucky–to find Flow, and then, when the students broke her Flow, it would make her irritable and crabby, and her dear students didn’t deserve her misdirected crabbitude!
Sarah heaved a sigh, and with no other option, she clicked on the NYT Spelling Bee tab. If only she weren’t so busy! What she wouldn’t give for even a little time to write!
Your turn, dear WU-er: How do you remain disciplined? How do you eliminate distractions? In which activities do you fritter your time away? Are there places you can find thirty (or even sixteen) minutes to write? Or, if you’d rather, share other writing-related lies (such as “I simply have no time to write!”) that you trick yourself into believing.
Thank you, as always, for sharing your wisdom.
A Middle Grade novelist (and Middle School English teacher), Sarah Callender lives in Seattle with her family. Because Sarah dislikes cleaning anything that will just get messy again, she tidies the house and weeds the yard only when absolutely necessary. This allows her time to focus on her true–and somewhat fraught–passions: writing, Abe Lincoln, and Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bars. Equally passionate about mental health advocacy, Sarah is a member of The Stability Network. Sarah’s first novel, LUCY IN BETWEEN, will be published by Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House in 2026.
Brave, brave woman! I also do Wordle as a family group because a couple of us live alone (I no longer send at 5 am as some of us don’t know how to use the Do-Not-Disturb!). I know facebook can be a time suck so I limit myself, but sometimes I fall back into bad habits. My other time absorber is the digital jigsaw puzzle world. It’s wordless, it’s an image I like, it leaves my mind free to roam. Some days… I overuse it. (The puzzle, not my brain, in case that wasn’t clear!) Thank you for this, Sarah.
Thank you for making me laugh, Lisa. I so appreciate the empathy. in thinking about this post, I realize that it’s just so much easier to get on Facebook play in New York Times game. It’s instant gratification in a way that writing never is. At least, not for me. ❤️
Oops! Please excuse the typos. I Am using talk to text technology while I am on recess duty. 😂
I love this post, Sarah! You nailed the trail of distraction. I also do the NYT puzzles,plus a Duolingo French lesson to eat up even more minutes!
Oh my gosh, Lisa. Learning a new language is a brilliant way to distract myself. How could I have not thought of that?!? Thank goodness for the helpful folks at WU! 😂
Just the mention of Wordle and Connections makes me itch to go there this morning, but I’ve been disciplined (really) saving those games till the evening now, before I go to bed, so they don’t disturb my morning writing.
Thank you for a very funny and very accurate description of a writer in action.
Ada, your discipline is impressive. I am going to channel you every morning as I really should save it for the end of the day too … I’m often talking to my adult son about the importance of delayed gratification. Perhaps I need to follow my own advice. Sigh.
Oh, Sarah. Yes, and me too to everything you’ve written about how your WIP productivity erodes with every small thing. The only saving grace I’ve found that works for me is not opening anything other than my manuscript during my pre-day-job writing time. Everything else can wait until my lunch break. (I realize the irony of writing this comment after having just opened Writer Unboxed in the middle of this sacred window) Bless you!
Thank you, Nell. You’re so smart. And wise! I think I am good at creating excuses and non-existent urgency. I also think my brain must realize that it’s so much easier to send my son a text about his rented textbook than it is for me to figure out whether my characters’ motivation is clear and compelling. I blame my brain! Happy writing to you!
Oh Sarah, your posts are always pure gold. I love this one. I have no discipline at the moment – feeling my way through the sea changes of no longer having kids at home. But I’m gradually setting a routine that doesn’t involve social media first thing in the morning, which helps. Miss you!
Thank you, Liz! I miss you too! It really is a weird shift when the children leave the nest. It’s hard for me to even understand or explain why, but you are right … It is a sea change, and for me, it’s rather disorienting. Happy writing to you. I want to read your next book, so please keep writing! ❤️
I just got to school. I will not do the Wordle. I will not reply (yet) to your lovely, empathetic comments. I will only focus on my WIP until 7:50 PST. More soon!
Seuss-ian response evokes a similar plan of action. Thanks for simple reminders!
Ha, yes. Thanks, Melanie!
I will stay focused here and there! I will stay focused everywhere!
Awesomeness Sarah. Your writing, your fervent sharing always a gift. Also, I know your students love you. When I taught juniors in high school my mornings often consisted of complaints regarding the homework, noises rising as the desks filled up and once even a marriage proposal from a wild young man who loved hanging around me. Did my students learn a damn thing? I hope so.
Beth! I know, with complete certainty, that your students learned much more than one damn thing. And you got a marriage proposal! How exciting! I don’t know how many years ago this was, but I started teaching when I was 22, and it startling to realize that my students are now in their mid-40s. I wonder how old your Romeo is now!
Happy writing, dear Beth.
I got stressed out just reading this, Sarah! Probably because I recognized an earlier version of me. The past thirteen or so years of ailing parents, dying parents, executress-ness and house-selling, then grandbabies and an overwhelmed daughter. I wrote through it all in bits and snatches, which is how I honed the skill of “what can do in half an hour?”, which meant refining a paragraph or two. I carried pages with me everywhere to edit in stolen minutes. I became a bag lady, the bag being loaded with craft books and notes. I also became pissed off and exhausted. Two years ago, I announced to all the grownups that I was retiring from caretaking to writing full-time and that no one was allowed to assume my time for anything. Then I started eliminating other distractions. The morning news was the hardest. I had to become fierce and a little mean. But it worked. I’ve made more progress in the past two years than I have in a decade. The hard part for me was realizing when others truly didn’t need me any more. I also had to reckon with my own tendency to people please. What a process. And granted, much of this freedom has come with age. Hang in. Be strong. Steal minutes.
This is beautiful AND totally inspiring, Susan. Thank you. And I love this phrase: “no one was allowed to assume my time for anything.” Yes. I got pissed off and exhausted just reading about all the many obligations and expectations. Good for you for setting those boundaries and by getting fierce and a little mean. I wish I had learned to do/be that way decades ago … I think I just learned to do that last week. ;)
xo!
Oh Sarah, your reptilian Einsteins must love you so very much. I love you for admitting how I feel. My excuse for the morning puzzles is that it’s a great way to wake up. Hehe. Discipline? What’s that? Ever since my kids left home, I tossed the alarm clock. Nothing but sunshine and songs for me. I’m a goner… I have a daughter I need to prepare for marriage! Less than a year away now. But thank God for the grace of a leap year! I get an extra day :) Here’s to a very happy, healthful, and bookish New Year! 2025 will be here before you know it.
I love this comment, Vijaya. Thank you, for making me laugh. If anyone can plan a wedding or write a novel in one day (Feb. 29, for example), it is YOU.
What fun to be planning a wedding … and what a huge distraction. But mostly fun. Hugs!
“Today, she told herself on the commute to school, there will be time to work on the WIP.”
I’ve been trying to get back to work since the turn of the year; maybe this will do the trick.
But more likely, turning on Freedom for three hours to block the internet will.
Thanks for the jumpstart.
Hello Alicia! It’s only January 5th, so don’t beat yourself up! It could definitely be worse.
I had totally forgotten about Freedom. Thank you for that reminder … I will download the app post haste.
Thank you. It does make me feel a bit better knowing I’m not the only one with multiple habitual distractions. For me it’s the following on my iPad: Crossword Puzzles, Solitaire, Free Cell, Sudoku, Jumble and my morning Wordle. I’ve been puzzling over why I can’t just talk to someone on the phone or watch a television show or even a YouTube video without also playing something on another device.
I’ve just recently moved from a large house on a 124-acre property to a small house on a 5-acre property, along with one husband, two big farm dogs, two equine pasture ornaments and a chubby pony. Trying to fit everything into the house is still an on-going endeavor, but I did promise myself to get back to my WIP in the new year. I had to abandon any hope of writing during the hectic months on either side of the actual move but I’m still finding it harder than ever surrounded by boxes of unpacked stuff (because I haven’t found anywhere to put it yet) and excess furniture. Making time to focus — I mean REALLY FOCUS — on my writing is going to be harder than ever.
I will persevere. My WIP is at 90K words and heading toward the final chapters. Wish me luck!
Oh, R.E. You are so close to the “The End” of your work-in-progress. How about I promise you that I’ll be turn over a leaf of greater discipline, and you promise me the same? And occasionally, you can take and send me photos of your chubby pony. I would very much like a chubby pony, but I will live vicariously.
Seriously. Let’s both get to work!
:)
Oh my god, you’re in my head reading all my thoughts and actions! This is me to a T, down to NY Times Crossword, Spelling Bee, Wordle and Connections. Lately, I’ve added NY Times Letterboxed to the mix; after all, individually they don’t take up much time, do they? The emails, IG messages and posts, the list is endless. I commit to one Meet Up group each week, Shut Up & Write, between working, but that is a drop in the bucket compared to what I need for my writing goals. I do have the time; it’s prioritizing that’s my problem.
May we both find the discipline we need to block out distractions and get those WIPs flowing. Your post has laid bare my own illusion about not having the time; I’m off to reorder my priorities, so thank you!
Oh, thank you for your empathy, Deborah. I’m so glad I’m not alone. For me, because I don’t get enough sleep, my brain finds it much more “fun” to get quick dopamine hits via NYT games. Immediate gratification instead of the long, laborious process of writing. I can “cross off” the Wordle and feel very accomplished. But “write a novel” is a lot harder to cross off my list. ;)
Happy writing to you. Thanks so much for taking the time to share!
I appreciate knowing I’m not the only one with distractions and lots on my plate. End of second quarter and grades are due along with class and individual comments. First grade is no different. And yes, the recipes I have been meaning to get to! I enjoy the NYT games as well. My wise 26 year old son only uses his phone in gray scale, so he is not distracted by all the pretty colors, and he doesn’t use tech on Sundays. I have a three day weekend and I am catching up on emails (WU articles). Wishing you a productive weekend! I include reading WU as productive. :)
Dear Anne,
Thank you for the empathy! I want to use your son’s Sunday tech sabbath as inspiration. I bet his brain feels really good on Sunday night.
And, I hope your long weekend was restful … or, if you had to work all weekend, that you started school today feeling a little more caught up. :)
Happy writing to you!
I’m usually pretty good about sitting down and setting a timer and sticking to my task until the timer beeps. But today I lost hope. I did all the things you did—except grade papers. I am grateful to have read this post. I am adding “to biggen” to my vocabulary.
Hi Chris. Do you want to grade some of my papers? I have a few hundred I could lend you. ;)
I LOVE the word “biggen.” “Smallen” is almost as good. My husband used to work with a fellow who said “biggen” and I absolutely love it. I should give him credit: Shout out to Jim K of Seattle, WA!