In an earlier blog post, Erica & Christy commented that they wanted tips for juggling writing and parenting. They may have been being sarcastic, but it gave me an idea for this post, so I'm taking it seriously (kind of)!
I started ruminating (oh yeah, I totally ruminate) about the similar strategies you can employ for both parenting and writing. Here they are in no particular order...
1. Illusion - When you feel like you are getting nothing accomplished, make it LOOK like you are!
Parenting: Kids destroying the house? Clean just the front room. Forget the rest of the house. Only allow visitors to see the front room (no, you may not use my bathroom).
Writing: Stories going no where? Create a new file every time you write an opening paragraph. Just churn those suckers out! See? Now it looks like you are working diligently on 20 different stories at once!
2. Guilt - I'm Irish Catholic, so this strategy works really well for me! Let other people know what you are doing (or intend to do) and you'll have to stick with it or the guilt will be unbearable.
Parenting: My kids only watch one hour of TV a day!
Writing: I'm going to write blog posts every day!
3. One-handed wonder - Learn to do everything one-handed. By my third kid, I had this down pat!
Parenting: I can pour a glass of juice with one hand and make cheese and crackers with the other. At the same time!
Writing: I can print a self addresses stamped envelope with one hand and file my letters with another.
4. Distract your audience - um...
Parenting: Look, son! Chocolate!
Writing: Look, reader! Chocolate!
5. Laugh - Some days I totally lose my cool and end up screaming and stomping around like a lunatic. Other days I laugh at what life throws me. In either situation, I still end up with all the same stuff waiting to be taken care of/done. So why not laugh? That is my new mantra. Why not laugh?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Housekeeping Day!
I have some housekeeping to do here at The Write-At-Home-Mom! I thought I was avoiding housekeeping by blogging, but apparently not!
First, I want to thank my lovely new friend and critique partner, Alison Stevens, for giving my blog an award. It is a nice virtual high-five and I thank her from the bottom of my heart for the acknowledgment. Part of the award is to bestow it on 15 others that you enjoy. Stay tuned next week for that list!
Next item on my list is to mention the Dear Editor picture book edit contest that is going on now! You can win an edit of your picture book from Deborah Halverson, the author "Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies" which will be coming out in 2011. This is a great opportunity for a professional look at your manuscript! Trot on over to Dear Editor to check it out!
Next is to give a shout out to my new friend, Quinn, over at his blog, "seeing, dreaming ... writing". He is having a contest to celebrate his 100 followers. I have to say that his blog is obviously the result of a lot of hard work, dedication, creativity, and passion. I've really enjoyed his posts as he delves into the paranormal and supernatural worlds. He has a unique voice that I think you'll enjoy, so go check him out, follow him, and maybe enter his contest!
And finally, I just wanted to point out my posting schedule that I have in the header. I'm finding that posting all weekdays except Thursday is fitting in fine with my "real" work schedule, so I'm going to go with that. I can write at night and post first thing in the morning before I "go" to work (a.k.a. walk into the room next to my bedroom).
I think that is all for now!
Next item on my list is to mention the Dear Editor picture book edit contest that is going on now! You can win an edit of your picture book from Deborah Halverson, the author "Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies" which will be coming out in 2011. This is a great opportunity for a professional look at your manuscript! Trot on over to Dear Editor to check it out!
Next is to give a shout out to my new friend, Quinn, over at his blog, "seeing, dreaming ... writing". He is having a contest to celebrate his 100 followers. I have to say that his blog is obviously the result of a lot of hard work, dedication, creativity, and passion. I've really enjoyed his posts as he delves into the paranormal and supernatural worlds. He has a unique voice that I think you'll enjoy, so go check him out, follow him, and maybe enter his contest!
And finally, I just wanted to point out my posting schedule that I have in the header. I'm finding that posting all weekdays except Thursday is fitting in fine with my "real" work schedule, so I'm going to go with that. I can write at night and post first thing in the morning before I "go" to work (a.k.a. walk into the room next to my bedroom).
I think that is all for now!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Co-Op Shout Out
For five years now I've had a child at a cooperative preschool. This is a school run by the parents and it requires a lot of parental involvement. We do employ real teachers, but the parents help in the classroom, pay the bills, fund-raise, fix broken toys, order the paper and paint, plan for the future, set the goals, advertise for new members and on and on.
It is not an option for everyone. Many work schedules won't allow for the time commitment. Many parents may not want to be that involved! But for me, it has been a perfect way to start of my children's education and it has brought me so much more than I could ever list here.
So, what does this little plug for Co-Ops have to do with writing? A lot!
First of all, I think if you want to write for young children, you need to be around children, and preferably not just your own children. It is beneficial to be a fly on the wall when kids are just being kids. You probably don't remember what it is like to be 3 or 4. I think I have a grand total of 3 memories from that time in my life. So, you have to be able to tap into that in some other way. Simple observation and interaction is priceless.
Second, you have to have friends. Being a stay-at-home-mom can be a lonely enterprise sometimes. You can lose yourself in just being "mom" and not being "me". Having other grown-up friends is essential to sanity. Even just a shared look of sympathy from a friend when your kid trips, screams, and launches a paint-filled paper at your newly-washed car interior helps. You don't feel alone. Having friends in similar circumstances as yourself allows you to be yourself. They support you, cheer you on, pick you back up, and nod knowingly when you whine. And my Co-Op friends have been very supportive and wonderful as I start this writing journey.
Finally, the Co-Op reminds me why I write. I am writing for the kids who come and ask me to read them a book during free play time. I am writing for our awesome teachers who rejoice in finding new books that illustrate their lesson. I am writing for these dedicated parents who spend a lot of time and energy making sure their kids are off to a good start in their education. I write for the joyful noise of play, the quiet of story time, the chaos of art work, the cheerful exclamations of discovery and the tears that come sometimes. I write for childhood.
I love you, Co-Op Mommies (you crazy-amazing women)!
It is not an option for everyone. Many work schedules won't allow for the time commitment. Many parents may not want to be that involved! But for me, it has been a perfect way to start of my children's education and it has brought me so much more than I could ever list here.
So, what does this little plug for Co-Ops have to do with writing? A lot!
First of all, I think if you want to write for young children, you need to be around children, and preferably not just your own children. It is beneficial to be a fly on the wall when kids are just being kids. You probably don't remember what it is like to be 3 or 4. I think I have a grand total of 3 memories from that time in my life. So, you have to be able to tap into that in some other way. Simple observation and interaction is priceless.
Second, you have to have friends. Being a stay-at-home-mom can be a lonely enterprise sometimes. You can lose yourself in just being "mom" and not being "me". Having other grown-up friends is essential to sanity. Even just a shared look of sympathy from a friend when your kid trips, screams, and launches a paint-filled paper at your newly-washed car interior helps. You don't feel alone. Having friends in similar circumstances as yourself allows you to be yourself. They support you, cheer you on, pick you back up, and nod knowingly when you whine. And my Co-Op friends have been very supportive and wonderful as I start this writing journey.
Finally, the Co-Op reminds me why I write. I am writing for the kids who come and ask me to read them a book during free play time. I am writing for our awesome teachers who rejoice in finding new books that illustrate their lesson. I am writing for these dedicated parents who spend a lot of time and energy making sure their kids are off to a good start in their education. I write for the joyful noise of play, the quiet of story time, the chaos of art work, the cheerful exclamations of discovery and the tears that come sometimes. I write for childhood.
I love you, Co-Op Mommies (you crazy-amazing women)!
Monday, October 4, 2010
First Crusader Challenge!
As some of you may recall from earlier posts, I'm taking part in the "Writer's Platform Building Crusade" spearheaded by Rachael Harrie. You can read about (or sign up for) this great blog-sharing-for-the-sake-of-building-followers idea here. And check out my sidebar for links to all my fellow crusader's blogs!
Anyway, we are being issued a challenge this week. And it is to write a post that starts with
"I sat down to write the other day and..."
my cat, Alex, jumped into my lap. He nudged my hand and looked up at me and said, "just who the heck do you think you are? You aren't a writer! You are Megan the mom, the wife, the sister, the daughter, the participating parent, the dutiful employee, the friend. Isn't that good enough?"
"Geez, Alex! You weight as much as an elephant and you're a buzz kill. Get off my lap."
"No way. I need some attention and love and if you are going to be all distracted with this crazy new idea that you can write a picture book or two, I'm going to demand my fair share of your time."
"Look, cat. I know I can be all of those other things and write too. It is a juggling act, but I'm good at juggling. Besides, I need something for me."
"I thought your family and friends and everything else were already for you."
"Well, I suppose they are. I'm blessed a million times over. But another one of my blessings is my creative self and it wouldn't it be wrong to deny myself that?"
"Whatever. What makes you think you can write anyway? You've never been a person who creates, you interpret. Theater was just building off of someone else's creative work."
"I don't know for sure that I can create whole worlds. I mean, I would never come up with a world that involved quidditch, paintings that move and interact, and invisibility cloaks. But maybe I can tap into my childhood imagination and have something interesting to share. And maybe encourage other children to tap into their imaginations.
"You have lofty goals for someone who doesn't know what they are doing."
"I'll shoot for the moon and maybe land on Mars, but at least I'm out there!"
"I'm tired of your lap. I need to go take a lengthy bath in the hallway and then chase an invisible bug."
"I'm changing your name to Freud."
"Meow."
Anyway, we are being issued a challenge this week. And it is to write a post that starts with
"I sat down to write the other day and..."
my cat, Alex, jumped into my lap. He nudged my hand and looked up at me and said, "just who the heck do you think you are? You aren't a writer! You are Megan the mom, the wife, the sister, the daughter, the participating parent, the dutiful employee, the friend. Isn't that good enough?"
"Geez, Alex! You weight as much as an elephant and you're a buzz kill. Get off my lap."
"No way. I need some attention and love and if you are going to be all distracted with this crazy new idea that you can write a picture book or two, I'm going to demand my fair share of your time."
"Look, cat. I know I can be all of those other things and write too. It is a juggling act, but I'm good at juggling. Besides, I need something for me."
"I thought your family and friends and everything else were already for you."
"Well, I suppose they are. I'm blessed a million times over. But another one of my blessings is my creative self and it wouldn't it be wrong to deny myself that?"
"Whatever. What makes you think you can write anyway? You've never been a person who creates, you interpret. Theater was just building off of someone else's creative work."
"I don't know for sure that I can create whole worlds. I mean, I would never come up with a world that involved quidditch, paintings that move and interact, and invisibility cloaks. But maybe I can tap into my childhood imagination and have something interesting to share. And maybe encourage other children to tap into their imaginations.
"You have lofty goals for someone who doesn't know what they are doing."
"I'll shoot for the moon and maybe land on Mars, but at least I'm out there!"
"I'm tired of your lap. I need to go take a lengthy bath in the hallway and then chase an invisible bug."
"I'm changing your name to Freud."
"Meow."
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Weekend Recommendation #4
Happy Saturday everyone!
I've been particularly interested in good rhyming picture books this week because they are SO hard to write! So, I'm going to recommend one I found at the library called Bear In The Air by Susan Meyers and illustrated by Amy Bates. It has the amazingly rare qualities of not tripping you up while reading it out loud, it actually rhymes all the way through like it should and it is an adorable story to boot! So check it out for a good rhyme!
Have a wonderful weekend!
I've been particularly interested in good rhyming picture books this week because they are SO hard to write! So, I'm going to recommend one I found at the library called Bear In The Air by Susan Meyers and illustrated by Amy Bates. It has the amazingly rare qualities of not tripping you up while reading it out loud, it actually rhymes all the way through like it should and it is an adorable story to boot! So check it out for a good rhyme!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Celebrate!
Just thought I'd do a quick celebration for hitting 25 followers! Imagine me throwing confetti and giving each of you a hug, high-five or fist bump (depending on your level of germophobia). And you each get a really awesome or really lame (depending on your level of imagination) pretend star sticker! Cheers!
Where is the bleepin' mail?
A huge part of the adventure of trying to be published is not adventuresome at all. It is waiting. Waiting for some kind of response to those envelopes you prepare so carefully and kiss before you slip them in the mailbox (do editors and agents know we all do this? They may want to wash their hands after opening submissions).
I have no clue how an acceptance would come. Mail? E-mail? Phone call? I'm hearing that often agents call to offer representation and I know from experience that magazine rejections come via mail (hence that self addressed stamped envelope we include in the submission).
But regardless of how an acceptance or rejection would come, I have become obsessed with the mail. I have always been a big fan of mail. My best friend and I tried to send an actual physical card or note to each other on a regular basis in college because non-bill-non-junk mail can totally brighten your day. And I mentioned earlier this week how receiving books in the mail as a child turned those books into my favorites instantly. Now mail has a whole new importance in my life. When it is a half hour later than usual, I get all testy! At this point I'm excited for any word (good or bad) about my writing, so I need that mail carrier to be prompt!
I wonder if there is any way I can get them to re-do their route so I can get my mail in the morning instead of the afternoon...
I have no clue how an acceptance would come. Mail? E-mail? Phone call? I'm hearing that often agents call to offer representation and I know from experience that magazine rejections come via mail (hence that self addressed stamped envelope we include in the submission).
But regardless of how an acceptance or rejection would come, I have become obsessed with the mail. I have always been a big fan of mail. My best friend and I tried to send an actual physical card or note to each other on a regular basis in college because non-bill-non-junk mail can totally brighten your day. And I mentioned earlier this week how receiving books in the mail as a child turned those books into my favorites instantly. Now mail has a whole new importance in my life. When it is a half hour later than usual, I get all testy! At this point I'm excited for any word (good or bad) about my writing, so I need that mail carrier to be prompt!
I wonder if there is any way I can get them to re-do their route so I can get my mail in the morning instead of the afternoon...
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