Saturday, September 12, 2009

Slow and Steady

I'm finally getting into a writing groove. I try to write longhand first thing in the morning, that is if the pup isn't nosing the cat and the old cat's not getting into a big snit. Then we get ready for school. The dog gets a good walk. And I love listening to my kids during our walks. It's a great way to start the day.

After I come home, it's time to have a hot cup of tea, reconnect with my husband who's already spent a good couple of hours working, do the wash, clean the kitchen and finally sit down to write. I write two pages a day (about 500 words) and that translates quite nicely to ten pages a week, or roughly a chapter. The rest of the time is devoted to teaching and taking care of my family. I need to add marketing to the schedule. When I was writing more for magazines, I'd devote a couple of hours every week to sending my work out. I might have to institute Marketing Mondays or some such. I've been consciously lazy about that. I take breaks from sending my work out.

I couldn't have a writing career without my husband. He does most of the shopping, cooks just as much as I do, and does most of the driving back and forth to various sports practices the kids have. The whole family helps with the housework and garden and I am thankful for that.

So, how is everyone else adjusting to the new school year? I hope you are all carving out some time to think and write.
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5 comments:

Angela said...

The new school year is forcing me to be more organized. When the kids are back in school I feel like I have another part-time job! But I can feel the energy from my kids, they are excited to be with their friends again & ready to be back in school!

Vijaya said...

Oh, yes, keeping track of the paperwork, homework and other extracurricular activities take up a lot of time. I have a master calendar in the kitchen and everything goes on it. And still I manage to goof up ...

laurasalas said...

Lovely post, Vijaya. My writing groove/schedule is a mess right now as I'm trying out an entirely new way of scheduling my days. And I'm overextended right now and will be for the next couple of months. But I hope in the long run, things will settle down.

I'll be blogging in a couple of weeks about how I'm scheduling myself now. But I'm definitely excited about the school year and feeling my usual autumn burst of energy!

Angela Ackerman said...

I'm back in the groove as well. I love the summer, but miss the solid chunks of writing time.

Vijaya said...

I imagine you have deadline to deal with, Laura, but I know you will settle down and be productive. Autumn sets the tone for me for the whole year, and then I have to reset it all over again come January.

Angela, hear, hear. Love me my summers with the kiddos but it's definitely not the season conducive to productive writing.