Finding Time to Write When You Have Children
During my longhand writing on this post I have my six-month old son in my left arm while my 4 year old son is playing with a rolling bumblebee toy. My younger son is crying for me to stop writing while the other is always running up to me to get my attention. There are writers with children who say to set a specific time to write so your family won’t disturb you.
Another tip writers tell you is to write when everyone goes to sleep or an hour before they wake up. But that hasn’t worked. I’m tired. Once I’m in bed, I sleep so I have energy to take care of my family the next day.
Maybe these two tips will work when my sons are older and more understanding of my need to write. But what do I do in the meantime? Well, since I thrive more in unpredictable settings the best time for me to write is during those few precious seconds in between the chaos.
Writing while using the bathroom is a good place as long as you lock the door. Another is while feeding my older son while holding onto my younger one but the writing doesn’t last long. A few minutes in the car at the school parking lot before dropping off my older son is usually the only place and time to write anything. Finally, I’ll write while cooking dinner although that can get messy.
In the end, these strategies work for me. How about you, especially with young children? What’s your best strategy or strategies? Let me know.