Monday, November 16, 2009

Writing with Children

My son Mason is home for fall break. He has a year-round school, and so, several times a year, he has a couple of weeks off when no one else does. Some people will be getting off for Thanksgiving, but he's off now for two weeks... which has ground my writing to a halt. I'd meant to spend this last weekend finally working up a proposal or two for a new adult series (I had a flash of an idea while driving everyone to work the other day that involves an accountant to a vampire) but I muffed it. I spent the weekend instead, enjoying the sunshine and raking leaves.

Which isn't exactly Mason's fault, but I'm hoping to pin it on him, anyway. :-)

Today I also spent outside, in the sun, so I'm sure that's his fault too.

Hmph. Okay, obviously, I have time to blog, so I probably have time to write. But do you ever find that it's easier to do things that can be interrupted when kids are around? I could get started writing, but I hate it when I'm in the groove and suddenly there's some crisis or other and I have to get up to take care of it. It's hard to get back in the mood, as it were. Then again, I used to write on the job and I never seemed to mind little interruptions then.

I've talked to other stay-at-home writers and at least one agrees that she got more writing done when she had a nine-to-five. I think when we had our "real jobs" both of us felt much more comfortable carving out a minute here and there (stealing time from "the man") than we do taking time away from family obligations (even things like dishes, etc.)

Well, I'm off... to bake a chocolate beer cake. (seriously!)