Summer is here, and I have to admit — I’ve been a bit nervous about its arrival. Last year, I pretty much gave up writing for the summer. What with kids underfoot and their perpetual, “Iwantasnack! Let’sgosomewhere! Hehitme! Canwegotothepark…” I assumed I would never be able to organize my thoughts. (Reminds me of an earlier post about the lies we writers tell ourselves, read “Lies, Lies, Lies.”This year I am more determined. With my first novel finished and being “evaluated” by publishers and agents (wait-wait-wait), I feel like I am on my way to a real career. Real careers don’t get summer vacations. Well, some do, I suppose. But, I want to keep my momentum going. The kids could entertain themselves. I would be firm. I would be disciplined. I would be sneaky.
I discovered my strongest ally in the public library — my “happy place.” We’ve always loved the kids summer reading program. The kids log a certain number of hours and they earn prizes. My kids LOVE prizes. I LOVE quiet time.
This past week we’ve found some type of neutral ground (work always happens best without the distractions of home) and they’ve “worked” at their reading program while I’ve written. Twice now, we’ve gone to my favorite coffee shop. I bribe them with a muffin and a drink and set them up at a nearby table. They settle in with their books. I sit nearby with my iPod (on low) and my laptop. One time we worked at the library (though I found all the other kids trooping past a bit distracting). How is this sneaky? Because they think I’m helping them earn their prizes.
It’s working amazingly well. Each time, I’ve hit my word goal in a little over an hour. That’s all it took to get the creative juices flowing.
I hope we can maintain this routine. If we do, I might have my rough draft done by the end of the summer. Though as they get a bit bored with the reading program, I may need to get more creative. More disciplined. More sneaky.
Anyone have ideas for me? How do you sneak in time for writing?