A Stay At Home Mom's Journal To Becoming A Writer - Entry 5 - Make Time!

Make time? Easier said than done right? In this world where most cities are based solely on how fast you can move from point a to point b, how on earth am I supposed to make time for writing? If you're anything like me you have probably asked yourself "How does that author do it? They must have a TON of time on their hands or they must have a great support system. I don't get it!" I must have asked myself these questions and more every day until today. Every time I got done reading a really good book, I would sit back and wonder how they did it. It wasn't until I had my son that I realized my time was valuable and I had to make the most of it; what little there was left after changing diapers and spilling formula and cleaning up spit up.

 

During one exercise I identified my writing robbers; these are the thieves that steal up my writing time. I had a pretty good idea of what these were because I would constantly curse and mumble under my breath when I got interrupted. My baby boy is at the top of the list, laundry, dishes, dogs, my husband's XBOX, lol, etc. I then determined which were good and bad and which ones could really wait until later. Obviously my son is good and really, is it bad when you have that perfect little baby smile up at you and you know he thinks you are his whole world? Other thieves were things like dishes and laundry. I realize now that these things can wait until a little later; I'll use this time while my son is taking a nap and write. Another helpful tact that I'm using is a schedule. Writing is a discipline and you have to make time for it; and lets face it, once kids are involved a schedule becomes your best friend. I set aside a couple days during the work week where I do nothing but write when my husband gets home while he takes care of the baby. I also spend time on the weekends to write as well. I never thought that I would be writing based on a schedule but it really helps to set aside that time so I know I'll definitely get some writing done.

 

The important thing to remember is this...write. It's as simple as that. To become a writer you need to write. In my guide I read about an author who asked how many people in his audience wanted to be writers. Almost every hand went into the air and he said if they wanted to be writers, they should go home and write. With that being said he walked right out. I wanted to laugh at this because he couldn't have made it more obvious. I really wish I could have been there to witness it.

 

"By writing you learn to write." - Latin proverb