For the past two months, I've had visitors staying at my house. And while I love having my friends and family visit, it does hamper my writing and social media time. I miss personal deadlines. I see others publish books and promote while I feel left behind.
So, I panic!
I would like to say I have my life together enough to deal with setbacks and interruptions but I don't.
How do you sneak writing time into your life?
Don't panic! I don't deal we'll with interruptions either, but that is life. We're all on a different schedule and it's not a race.
ReplyDeleteI remind myself that there's more to life than writing. Enjoying family and friends is high on my list. I just write when I can. That's my new philosophy of writing. Just write when I can, and don't worry about it. Of course, I want to write everyday, but there are some good and valid reasons for not writing everyday. It makes getting some writing accomplished that much more of a surprise and a pleasure.
ReplyDeleteLol! I think we are going through something similar. See my IWSG post today. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteOh geez. Can I relate to this, right now. For the first three years, after I began writing seriously, nothing could slow me down. I took classes, online conferences, worked with other writers, etc... But since October, I've had so much family #^*& get in my way, I haven't been able to accomplish much. I guess we need to look at these times as growth periods. *shrugs*
ReplyDeleteIt's always difficult to deal with interruptions but then life is one big interruption really. I guess it comes down to how you deal with it. Sometimes I just go with the flow and take a well earned break, other times I try to cope and do umpteen things at once!! Not sure which works out for the best... Best of luck and hopefully normal service will be resumed shortly??
ReplyDeleteI've been very unfocused lately. I'm trying to buy a house and that is plenty of a distraction. I want to get into one before my lease ends in August. Anyway, I wouldn't let life's setbacks regarding your writing bother you. I know I don't let it bother me. Writing can wait. And it's not like I'm a best selling author anyway. I write because I have to. Otherwise all these stories would leak out of my ears.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes panic around my blog :(
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, if my schedule gets interrupted it takes me forever to get back to writing regularly.
ReplyDeleteDon't panic, you'll get it back. And...we're here to cheer you.
It can be really difficult to make time for writing. When you have house guests there's probably only one option - drug them for a few hours each day.
ReplyDeleteI do tend to feel that the writing world is passing me by if I fall behind, and yes, I do panic if I'm not meeting my schedule as I have it planned out. Hard to tell you not to stress, but it doesn't do you any good.
ReplyDeleteDeep breath and don't panic! Sometimes you have to schedule in writing time if it isn't happening naturally.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same with me. And tomorrow, electricians will be at my house all day. I'm being booted out of my office for new pot lights to be installed. It will be awesome when they are in place, but that's another story. This is on top of rescheduling them once and a string of appointments, meetings, projects, and general chores. The only thing I do besides panic is try to write early in the mornings. So maybe we're the Panic Sisters.
ReplyDeleteI had to go back and check the name on this post because I thought I'd written it and forgot. It boggles my mind how some writers manage to do so much while I'm just trudging along.
ReplyDeleteMy house is too small for visitors and I live alone so I don't have that problem. But I think if I did I'd have to say something, nicely. Two months would be a long time not to have some quality alone time with my computer.
ReplyDeleteAt Christmas time when all the family was coming and going for 2 months, I simply said I was going downstairs to my office from 7-10 am. This is my job-I'm going to work. Surprisingly, my wishes were adhered to, mostly. Perhaps your children are a bit too young to do that, lol!
ReplyDeleteI don't sneak the time...I steal it! If family or friends are around when I disappear, I let my wife cover for me (she's used to it). Probably why family or friends come over very often. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Clarissa .. I'm lucky - it's just me .. but I need to get some structure in - so that's the next project .. out of which will come a sense of life ahead ...
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely having family and friends ... it's a matter of being able to fit it in - or not ... as the case maybe ..
Welcome back though ... cheers Hilary
Hi, Clarissa,
ReplyDeleteAt least you have published books... HA... I am still banging and doors and I am getting so many calluses I can barely write these days.. LOL.
Life will always interrupt our writing, we just need to carve out a small piece for our writing time. Even if it's an hour before the day begins or an hour before you pass out from daily activities.
I'm really lucky in that I work part time, so the rest of my days off I'm writing. But it STILL never feels like enough time!
ReplyDeleteWow, 2 months is a long time to have visitors. Since it appears they are semi-permanent, perhaps you could tell them you have to work, say between 8 - 12 every day. And then you'll be free to join them and do whatever. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteClarissa - That's the billion-dollar question. I try to slip writing into my day whenever I can because it's a priority of mine. Fortunately my blog and my blogger friends keep me thinking about writing and where it fits into my life. It's a good reminder to keep making writing a priority.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gwen that two months is a long time to have visitors.
ReplyDeleteAs far as squeezing in writing time: for the past eight years my husband and I have been raising our grandchildren, which has been a blessing and a joy, but doesn't give me a lot of time to write. Mostly I write when they are in school or after they're in bed.
Times like that you have to be really strict with yourself and schedule in writing time. Of course, that's easier said than done ;)
ReplyDeleteI feel like I'd doing pretty well these days, my energy and concentration are just fine. Big problem though... It seems like everyday we one of our daughters over with her three year old and the other two little kids that she babysits. It's insanity. I don't get these periods of clarity very often and I have a little panic thinking that I'm not taking advantage of this one. Oh well! Lot's of work to do outside...
ReplyDeleteshew! Two months is a LONG time for visitors!!! As for the panic part, well, I do it when I have visitors for two days... LOL! But the reading world will be ready when you jump back into it! Don't panic~ <3
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