Blast From the Past: My Life 4 Years Ago

Wrapping up this month's Wattpad Contest Season Crash Course, I decided to share a blast from my past. After writing for nearly fifteen years, I'm happy to report the hard work is finally paying off with my Watty award-winning book, LEAD ME ASTRAY. As I look ahead at a brighter future than I ever thought possible, I reflect on how far I've come.

Now, the kids are older, but the work is about the same. However, the rewards make it all worthwhile.

"Mom’s a Writer"

What’s it like writing with kids in the house? Interesting. Every day I wonder if they’ll throw a coup and overrun my benevolent dictatorship. I am, after all, dividing my time between taking over the world and raising them to be world-class citizens. It’s a lot of work for one parent.

My kids used to get a kick out of the fact I’m a writer, but then they learned to hate it. J.K. Rowlings, with her rock star self, might be a glamorous household name, but me? Well, I’m just the chick in the PJ's, growling over the computer. It boils down to “boring stuff” for my twelve-, eleven- and ten-year-olds and downright “poopy head-stuff” for my three year-old.I’ve made writing as interesting as possible for them by creating some kid-sized author tools for them to write along with me. (And, I’m putting them here so you can get a load of them, too.) That helps.

Keeping them busy while I’m busy means nobody gets their head yelled off. I need mine for writing, and theirs are so cute that I don’t want to do that to them. Now, for those of you out there who double as a parent and a full-time writer, you know it’s almost impossible to separate what you do from who you are, and that means something’s bound to get half-done. Hopefully, it’s the outline and not dinner.

So, in order to not be a neglectful mommy, I have to work according to a “strict” schedule. Here’s what my day is supposed to look like:

7:00 a.m. – Kids off to school. Eat a healthy breakfast.

7:30 a.m. – Check emails, do some social media promoting.

8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. – Get to work. Outlines are mapped out or consulted if already done, and word count goals are set. I try to do a free-write for a few hours, then a rough edit for a few hours. I’m flexible about the timing of each.

12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Spend some time with my toddler. Feeding her is kind of important, too.

2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Creating marketing tools and disseminating information about my books. What it actually looks like is a lot of tugging my three-year-old off my back from one sentence to the next.

The bottom line is, being a writer and a mom is tough just like any other job. I wrote Jonquillewhile listening to Wonder Pets in the background and in between cheerleader practice and open house conferences. You know what I learned in the process? My limitations. I might not be able to pound out ten thousand words every day, but being present for my family is much more important than being the most prolific writer ever.

I also learned my strengths, and that was just as important of a lesson. I’m flexible. I can write anywhere. Cheerleader practice, open house meetings, long drives or mid-tantrum. I consider it a superpower.“My mom’s a writer,” my son said to a person sitting next to us last week at the dentist’s office. He said it like I was a rock star. The kids dig it. I’m cool. So, we’re cool.