Creating a Healthy Routine
"We are at our best with good and healthy routines."--Newbery Honor-winning author Gary D. Schmidt, SCBWI Los Angeles, via author Kimberly Sabatini
This quote really hit home for me, after a long and very full summer packed with travel baseball, travel for work, and travel with family. I saw 10 states this summer, more than any summer I can recall, and there were so many adventures we had as a family. But whatever semblance of a writing routine that I had before school ended fell by the wayside in June, July, and the first half of August. I read a great deal, but my word count was, well, stinky.
As of Monday, all three of my kids and my husband are back at school, the house is quiet, and the two days I've worked from home this week have felt a little like a vacation, because there isn't anyone but the dogs to make occasional demands of my time ("Walk, please." "We see you're eating lunch now. We'll have whatever you're having." "SQUIRREL! Outside! Now!"). And so now is the time to create a good and healthy routine for myself, one that includes time to write and revise, and that also includes basics like a hot shower before the kids wake up.
Each morning, I'm up at 4:30, when I can count on at least an hour to myself. I shower, get dressed, pack lunches, set out clothes for my preschoolers, and get breakfast ready. My husband and I tag team in getting the girls ready and their hair done while my teenage son prepares to leave with a friend for school (the joy of having a child who has friends who drive: I no longer have to take him to school). And by 7:30 every morning, it's just me and the dogs, and after a walk around the block with my Pug and my Westie, I turn on the laptop and open the manuscript I've been working on. I can get in a full hour of writing before I need to begin my full-time work for the day. And it is glorious.
This morning, author Mette Ivie Harrison--who has six kids who are extraordinarily busy, is a competitive triathlete, trains at least 32 hours a week, and still manages to write at least three to four hours a day--shared lots of practical tips on ways to find time to write via Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog: http://cynleitichsmith.livejournal.com/480088.html. I especially liked her tip on rewarding children for giving you writing time, and on keeping kids involved in your success. I hope they're helpful for you, too.
What are you working on right now? What does your writing schedule look like?
Happy Wednesday! Happy writing!
Jeni
This quote really hit home for me, after a long and very full summer packed with travel baseball, travel for work, and travel with family. I saw 10 states this summer, more than any summer I can recall, and there were so many adventures we had as a family. But whatever semblance of a writing routine that I had before school ended fell by the wayside in June, July, and the first half of August. I read a great deal, but my word count was, well, stinky.
As of Monday, all three of my kids and my husband are back at school, the house is quiet, and the two days I've worked from home this week have felt a little like a vacation, because there isn't anyone but the dogs to make occasional demands of my time ("Walk, please." "We see you're eating lunch now. We'll have whatever you're having." "SQUIRREL! Outside! Now!"). And so now is the time to create a good and healthy routine for myself, one that includes time to write and revise, and that also includes basics like a hot shower before the kids wake up.
Each morning, I'm up at 4:30, when I can count on at least an hour to myself. I shower, get dressed, pack lunches, set out clothes for my preschoolers, and get breakfast ready. My husband and I tag team in getting the girls ready and their hair done while my teenage son prepares to leave with a friend for school (the joy of having a child who has friends who drive: I no longer have to take him to school). And by 7:30 every morning, it's just me and the dogs, and after a walk around the block with my Pug and my Westie, I turn on the laptop and open the manuscript I've been working on. I can get in a full hour of writing before I need to begin my full-time work for the day. And it is glorious.
This morning, author Mette Ivie Harrison--who has six kids who are extraordinarily busy, is a competitive triathlete, trains at least 32 hours a week, and still manages to write at least three to four hours a day--shared lots of practical tips on ways to find time to write via Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog: http://cynleitichsmith.livejournal.com/480088.html. I especially liked her tip on rewarding children for giving you writing time, and on keeping kids involved in your success. I hope they're helpful for you, too.
What are you working on right now? What does your writing schedule look like?
Happy Wednesday! Happy writing!
Jeni