Besides the novel writing thing, I am a mother of three (7, 9 and 11 years old), a (very small time) shepherd, a teacher with a two hour each way commute (Yes, I know this last thing is utterly insane).
People sometimes ask "When do you find the time to write?"
Well.... I don't FIND time at all. I steal it away from all the everyday stuff I'm supposed to do. I let the house go and go and go. I decline social invitations if they interfere. I let the laundry and dishes and toys pile up.
Here, for example, is the kids' "project table", a dumping ground for all the stuff they are working on, have taken out and not put back, etc. (Notice as well, that the wilting Valentine's day roses from my sweetie are in a charming plastic pitcher because the money that we could be putting into nice stuff for the house goes into writing conferences or books or kids.)
And this, people, is the tip of the domestic iceberg.
Is it worth it? I have no idea.
Worth is a tricky concept where writing is concerned. I don't do it because I want to see my name in print or make bucoo bucks. I do it because I kinda-sorta HAVE to. I steal my moments. I steal them fervently, wantonly. I steal them, because without writing, a little chunk of my soul might wither and die. (How's that for melodrama?)
Perhaps I'll regret all the time spent writing. I might end up a grumpy old woman mourning the friendships I didn't have time to develop, the cluttered tables of my youth, the times I ditched everybody on a fine sledding day to hang out with words. It's certainly possible.
But then, I just can't help myself.
Anyway, that's where the time comes from.
How do you manage your writing time?
