I’d like to share a personal story with you about how I spent the weekend. It involved dirty diapers, late nights, and a lot of crying.
You see, on December 7th, I gave birth to my second son.
Because I knew I’d be spending a few days in the hospital, I thought I’d get smart and queue up a week’s worth of articles to post automatically in my absence.
I had it all figured out: by the time the posts ran out, I’d be home and have plenty of time to write more articles while my newborn would quietly nap.
Yeah. Right.
Let’s just say I haven’t been near my computer since we returned home from the hospital. I have dark circles under my eyes. My head hurts. I’m sleep deprived.
Right now, my baby is giving me my first moment off duty for the day. And, instead of luxuriating in a hot shower or getting my husband to give me a well-deserved foot rub, I’m here with the laptop trying in vain to get my creative juices flowing.
Some of you may be in the same position. You want to write, but you have no time.
Here are 5 ways I plan to keep my muse alive when I have no significant time for writing:
- Read Books: You can feed a baby with one hand and hold a book in the other. No problem. It’s the perfect time to get through that ever growing must-read list.
- Watch Movies: When your brain feels like mush, there’s nothing better than watching a movie. It requires little brain power to take them in, and they can provide you with fodder for future stories.
- Mentally Compost: Even if you don’t have time to write a story, there’s no excuse for not having time to think one up. Or, if you’ve already got one on the go, spend time thinking of your next few chapters.
- Keep a Journal: Jotting down a few key ideas or interesting things that happen during your day can always provide you with writing material for a later date.
- Write for Just 10 Minutes: You might not have time to sit down for a marathon writing session, but what about 10 minutes? It might be first thing in the morning, or last thing before bed.
What circumstances prevent you from writing? Do you have any tips on how you keep your creative juices from drying up?
Hey Suzannah, first off let me just say CONGRATS on the baby! And thank you for this post. It was really thoughtful. It's often hard to write when your muse is MIA… but it's still possible to find a few minutes to write regardless.
Your list is great…I'd also add listening to music. When I feel my creativity is at a low, I try to listen to music that inspires me. The lyrics always spark something that causes me to sit down and put pen to paper (or fingers to keys).
Thanks Jennifer! I just really felt compelled to put something down in writing, if not for my readers, for myself as well. I need to remind myself there will always be time for creativity, even if I can’t actually write much.
Good point about music, as well. I’ll add that to my mental list! Thanks 🙂
Wow, Suzannah, you are amazing.
I don't have children of my own (as you know) but of course, I have tons of friends who have had kids and family, too, and there's NO WAY they'd be posting right now like you are! You are a super woman!
Your tips are great ones. I actually spend a pretty big part of my days just dreaming up stories, too. 🙂
Just remember that I have your RSS feed, so no matter when you have time to post, I'll be there! Even if it's one week, one month, or six months from now – I'll be here. That's the beauty of this subscriber world.
Take time to enjoy your life and your baby, sweets.
Days will come when you can focus more on your writing – I promise. And I'll be here patiently waiting.
Lori,
Thank you, as always, for your support here. I’m no super woman, just a knackered mom who doesn’t want to let everything fall apart over a few dirty diapers (okay, more than a few…)
I appreciate your thoughts on the RSS, as well. I know there are wonderful people like you who won’t ditch the blog if I miss out on an occasional post. After all, we’re all human. Glad to know you’re not going anywhere!
Congratulations Suzannah!
Honestly, the best medicine for me is walking into a bookstore and just browsing. Something about looking at the sheer amount of literature out there on every conceivable topic just gets me motivated to write. Since you're rather busy at the moment, might I suggest Amazon.com? 🙂
Jeffrey,
Thanks for the congrats 🙂 I love your idea of browsing the bookstore. I do make an effort to get out to the library and do the same thing, but like you say–perhaps I can just do the same on Amazon for a couple of weeks. Great to see you here, as always 🙂
First, congratulations! He’s adorable and I bet he smells great (that new baby smell).
If you have a chair with arms and a boppy pillow, you can nurse and cuddle at the computer. You can also teach yourself a lot about form and structure by just reading aloud kids books to baby–the plots are simple, the words are few, and we could all learn a lot about basic conflict structure with children’s books.
Also, though…enjoy your baby. They don’t stay babies for very long. 🙂
.-= Read XandraG´s last article ..Ebooks–OM NOM NOM =-.
Thanks, Xandra! I never thought about the children’s book thing–great tip. I’m typing one-handed at the moment, so I’ll have to invest in a good pillow, like you say 🙂
Hi Suzannah,
Congratulations on your baby!! It is an extra challenge to write when there’s a little one around.
I adopted a toddler almost six months ago, so I don’t have all the time in the world to write (although I’m not sleep deprived like you are because she sleeps through the night). Anyway, my tip that works for me is this: I get to bed at 8:30 or so, about an hour after she is put to bed. Then I’m up at 4:30 a.m. writing. By the time she gets up at 7:30 or so, I feel satisfied that I’ve been productive.
In fact, she’s sleeping as I’m writing this.
Hang in there. When your baby starts sleeping through the night, you’ll feel so much better.
Thanks, Beth!
And congratulations on adopting your little girl! That must be a really amazing experience. You are definitely determined to get your writing done if you’re up at 4:30 in the morning! It just goes to show us all what you can accomplish if you are truly serious about doing something. Not such a bad idea for myself, really. Baby usually has me up at about 5 am, so theoretically I could just stay awake once he drifts off again 🙂 Thank you!
Hey Suzannah,
Great tips, thank you.
I’ve found reading and watching movies great as well, but I love your idea of simply writing for 10 minutes, that would take the pressure off finding time to write for hours, and I think you’d be so much more focused.
I’ve also adopted a number of methods to keep my hands free for typing. One is to use a sling to carry Elissa, then I stand at a high counter with the laptop on. She likes the movement of standing–wee rascal! But, it helps me get a few moments quiet.
Hope you are all your little men are keeping well.
.-= Read Melanie Thomassian | Dietriffic´s last article ..Will You Achieve Your Health Goals in 2010? =-.
Melanie,
Your sling idea is awesome! People keep telling me I need to get one, but I’m doubtful as to whether it would be good for my back problems. I should really try one though, because having both hands free would be like a dream 🙂 I do have a u-shaped pillow I can stick across my lap for feeding, which does allow me to lean over to type, if I have to. However, it’s not the most comfortable of positions!
Thanks for this tip, and hope you and the family are settling into a routine these days. Take care 🙂