A Day in the Life of a Writer

I’m a writer. I’m also a mom, a homemaker, and oh yeah… a small business consultant. Having been a writer for more than 15 years now, I’ve tried a variety of daily schedules, none of which seem to be perfect.

First there was the rookie schedule of trying to fit writing in after all of my other stuff was done. Um… not good. Since other stuff is rarely “finished,” the result was that very little writing actually got done.

Then there was the night owl schedule, utilized when I was writing my House Training book. Lots of writing got done during the dark of night while my family slept and there were no interruptions from the phone, repairmen, or even the pets. Unfortunately, not much was accomplished during the day, as I existed in a near-comatose state from having been up all night.

More recently, I implemented the “I am a writer” schedule, in which I wrote all day, leaving my other responsibilities for evenings and weekends. Which also didn’t work because those times are decidedly busy with the children’s activities as well as the precious opportunity to spend time with my husband. I eliminated this schedule upon the realization that I was buying more underwear for the entire family in order to stave off the laundry just a little longer.

Today starts my new writing schedule: the two-hour alternating block. In which I write for two hours, then work on other things for two hours, then return to writing. I’m hoping that there may be an additional benefit wherein stepping away from the computer to attend to other responsibilities will allow me to view my projects with a fresh perspective when I return. While also getting laundry, clients’ press releases (does that count as writing?), and summer planting done.

Okay, see you in two hours. If you need to reach me before then, I hope you’ll leave a message.