In a Year…

When I started pursuing writing and publishing as a full-time career on top of being a mom, I wasn’t sure how that process would look for me. If you have kids, you likely know how time consuming it can be to raise kids, especially when you have two that are so young and so close in age. My two are exactly 18 months apart. Our son is three, and our daughter just turned two earlier this month. Needless to say, I stay pretty busy during my day-to-day tasks. Adding in writing has been a big adjustment for me and my family, but I found a routine that works for us to make it possible for me to continue a writing career. In this blog, I’m going to answer the top three questions I get when discussing writing with young kids.

When do you actually sit down and write?

The answer to this first question is a bit loaded because I don’t have a set time every day where I physically sit down and write. Much of my writing time is done in short bursts whenever the kids are playing independently or with each other. Sometimes, I get writing done while we’re having breakfast or lunch. Most of the time, I write first thing in the morning before they wake up for the day, or I write while they take their hour and a half rest time in the afternoon. I’ve gotten really good at writing in short spurts of time, and I do think this method of writing has helped me move faster. I was already a fast writer before I started pursuing this as a career, but knowing I only have five minutes to get down as many words as possible has helped me write faster as well. I treat my time like writing sprints in many ways.

How do you concentrate on writing when you have kids running around?

Maybe it’s a mom thing but being able to concentrate on varying tasks with kids running around, asking a million questions, and needing everything right away is just part of our DNA. When you have kids, it’s almost like the Lord gives you this multitasking brain that allows you to concentrate on two things at once. It isn’t always easy. If I find that I’m struggling to concentrate or I’m dealing with a lot of distraction, I just put my writing away for the day. If I’m having a particularly good day of concentration, I push myself to write just a little bit more.

How do you keep from putting your writing over your kids?

Being a mom and an author means having my time split between the two. Just like with any other working mom, I have to put some priority into my writing. However, when I began this path, I made a promise to myself that I would never put my writing over my kids. Being an author is so much fun, but it is not my most important work. God called me to be a mom first and foremost. He called me to be an author second. My most important work is with my kids, so if I put my writing over my kids, our entire household suffers. I make it a point to stop what I’m doing when they need me (if I’m working while they’re awake). We prioritize playing together and spending time together. I’m certainly not sitting at my computer or staring at my phone all hours of the day. Someday, I may be able to write non-stop at a desk with the perfect aesthetic for writing. For now, my writing time is spent in between the mothering. If I find myself putting my writing over my kids, I make it a point to put everything writing related away to recenter my focus where it needs to be.

Just to summarize…

Writing with kids is never an easy job. The beginning stages contain a lot of trial and error until you can find the process that works best for you and your family. I have already been doing this for over a year with three full books under my belt; yet I still feel like I haven’t fully found the right process for me. Realizing that it takes time to learn your writing routine and balancing that with your parenting tasks is important as well. If you are a stay-at-home-parent wanting to start writing, don’t let being a full-time parent stop you from writing. It is possible to do both. Just remember that nothing will happen overnight, and it’s okay to try different writing times, styles, and techniques until you find the right fit for your family and your schedule.

I plan to have more blogs about my personal writing process coming in the future. I’ve really been taking a look at what has worked for me as I’ve started my fourth book, and I’ve just been inspired to share my own process with everyone in hopes that it might encourage someone else with a similar process. I also find value in learning how other authors write as well, since it helped me learn the different options for writing and getting a book completed when I first started this journey.