I Wish There Were 6 of Me

Since it's the weekend, it's the best time to talk about how other responsibilities can stop you from getting your writing done.

My normal weekend involves babysitting my nieces, grocery shopping with my mother, chores, visiting with my best friend (whom I only see one day a week), my day job, writing, and also time with family. And you're probably asking yourself, how does all of that happen in only two days? Trust me; sometimes I don't know where the hours go. Monday is here before I feel like I even blink. 

Now, while babysitting my nieces this weekend didn't happen and it's NOT grocery week, I'll be writing this based on those events (this weekend, I am going to a sweet 16 birthday party, so my time for everything else is still limited). 

Since my whole Sunday is spent with my bestie, I take that as my day off of everything for the week (that's right; only one day off the whole week). So, nothing gets done that day, and everything is squeezed into Saturday. But that's okay, because Saturday has plenty of hours to the day to get things done.

How? Well, when my nieces are here, I also work on my day job or do the chores. Since they're pretty self-sufficient now, it's easy to multitask while they're here. Understandably, that's not always the case if the children you are watching or raising are younger, but that's why you have to have a schedule in mind when it comes to your writing. Kid goes down for a nap at one o'clock? Get on that computer, or grab that notebook. 

Babysitting usually ends at one p.m, so that's usually when we go grocery shopping, if it's the week for that particular errand (granted, we've been known to switch it to Friday night if the weather is going to be bad or we don't think we'll be up for it. But that's okay. Work with what you've got.). 

Since we live close to the stores, grocery shopping usually only takes 2-3 hours of the day, so we're usually home around dinner time. While dinner is cooking, I'll likely work on the day job or chores (whichever one I didn't do while the nieces were here). If it's a meal that you have to watch carefully and can't walk away, I'll do some writing, standing in the kitchen. If you can't get your computer or notebook near the food, then use a cell phone or a voice recorder (I suggest investing in one, for any time you can't stop and write something down). 

If I don't write (and sometimes even if I do) while cooking dinner, I'll stop my other work by 8 or 9 p.m so I can hit my daily goal. By the way, having a goal is extremely important to getting a novel done. Even if you don't have a specific date for release in mind, you should set a goal for yourself. Make it a realistic one, too. Don't go crazy. If you're the type of writer who wants to write a 60,000 word novel in a year, then do the math (60,000 divided by 365) and set that goal. For me, I usually try to write 8 a.m-NOON on weekdays (except Tuesdays), and 8 p.m-MIDNIGHT on weekends, except Sundays. Depending on the book, I can have a daily goal of four hundred to one thousand words. Usually I try to make it the lower end of the spectrum, so that if something happens and I miss days, I won't be overwhelmed with how many words I should be writing on a daily basis.

Everything you have to do in your life can be overwhelming, and adding writing a novel to that can just make things worse. But if you become organized and stick to that schedule as much as you can, you'll have written a novel in no time! This was a lesson I learned from Theresa Oliver in her book "How to Write a Novel In Your Spare Time, Even When You're Busy", and it's a lesson I am forever grateful for. 

Most days I'm awake from 8am (7:30 when it's shower day) until Midnight or one a.m. Yes, those are long days, but on Tuesdays and Sundays, I allow myself to catch up on my sleep. It's a schedule that works for me, but it may not work for you. And that's okay. You have to find your own rhythm.

Now it's time for me to actually get to work on this schedule for the day (with a few tweaks since I didn't get up in time). Then it's off to the birthday party later tonight for some fun and cake! Hope everyone has a good weekend! And I hope I'll see you Monday for the next topic. Being "in the spotlight".