So what are you working on this week? The weather is changing. You’re either being lured out-of-doors by warm breezes and sunny skies or you’re being forced indoors by the heat. School is out or almost out for the summer, so some of you will have young kids home with you all day. Many of you have summer travel plans, although, with the price of gas, you may not travel far.
What are you doing to maintain your writing schedule—to stay on track with your book or to keep up with your freelance writing obligations? Do you have tricks and ploys in place so you won’t fall behind on your projects? Or do you just totally give your writing power over to the summer and coast until the weather cools and the activitys subside?
I’ve always managed to write no matter what. I disciplined myself to do this when my life circumstances dictated that I get a job outside the home. I knew, then, that I had to find a way to write no matter what else was going on in my life. If I didn’t, I would lose a very important—actually vital—part of myself. Writing feeds my heart and soul.
Here are some tips for managing your writing amidst the hustle bustle of summer activity:
• Purchase or borrow a laptop computer that you can use anywhere and anytime. Or carry around a steno tablet or legal pad and pen—in your purse, car, totebag, briefcase…
• Try a little organization. Write while the kids are involved in quiet time—reading books for the library summer reading competition, watching a Disney movie or coloring, for example. Either orchestrate the quiet time or wait until it happens naturally.
• Trade kids with another writer. Write when your kids are at his/her house.
• Get your kids involved in activities such as church school, events at the recreation center, art/music/craft classes, etc. Write while they are engaged.
• Get up an hour earlier or stay up an hour later and write.
• If Grandma comes to visit, send her off with the kids for an ice cream treat or to feed the ducks at the pond for an hour. Write while they’re gone. Grandparents love spending time one-on-one with their grandkids.
• Assign chores for the summer. Devise a game or system to make it work without all the typical complaining and arguing. If you want to know about a system that can end chore day squabbles, email me at PLFry620@yahoo.com. I know just the item and it really does work.
In order to survive the summer and still accomplish your writing goals, I suggest working on your mindset. Learn to write no matter what is going on around you, what is scheduled to occur or what might be happening soon. Take your writing seriously—make it a priority. But also be flexible. If your child needs you, he needs you. If your husband comes home from work early and wants to take the family to the beach, stop what you’re doing and go. If your mother-in-law is visiting, enjoy the visit. But stay true to your writing passion. You can often manipulate the circumstances around you. Create activities to keep children safely engaged for periods of time once a day. When the mother-in-law is chatting with her son or busy playing with the children, slip away and write a chapter. Take a tablet to the beach with you, in case you have time to jot down a few ideas or flesh out a character.
Successful writers weren’t all afforded lovely offices surrounded by beauty, peace, quiet and endless hours to write. Many of them wrote amidst chaos and less than desirable conditions. Look at Anne Frank and Jack London, for example. Who else—come on, there were countless authors who wrote while suffering hardships.
If you’re struggling to sell your book, don’t forget to order my new ebook, The Author’s Repair Kit. It will help you to breathe new life into your stalled book. http://www.matilijapress.com/author_repairkit.html
So, what are you working on? And how do you plan to continue your writing momentum during the summer months? I’d love to hear from you. PLFry620@yahoo.com.