Auteur : Marie Alice

This week word count goal: 25 000 words
Word count goal so far:

It works for some authors. For me, drafting in a coffee shop is simply as effective as working in my little writing nest at home.
I love my writing nest. There’s a blue couch, a soft cushion with a cute bird on it. There’s the kettle downstairs, the pictures of my kiddo scattered around in the two bookshelves guarding my tiny desk. It’s So Comfy.
Pluuus: fart-free zone. You gotta love those!

On rare occasions, I am forced to go to work in a coffee shop. Inevitably, I end-up pretending to work and spying on other customers. I also often end-up with a bit of a bellyache…

This morning, there was an odd duo sitting at a table decently far away from my comfy chair, but they were having a lively discussion in a relatively quiet place.
One of them was an energetic, literate elderly woman, a therapist of some sort, I am pretty sure, since the guy she was meeting up was at least 30 years younger, athletic type, fresh out of university, maybe.
Anyway, she was there to help him overcome some issues, I think.
I would stare at them from time to time.
And I would look at the lovely retiree lady with her two walking sticks, looking a bit like a tall hobbit (she was wearing shoes – fall weather is pretty cold around here).
Then, two businesswomen sat nearby and oh, they were not there to enjoy their coffee and talk about their love life, no sir no!

I was not able to focus on work. So, I had to make up for it tonight.
First end results: very little creative writing done tonight.
Second end results: so behind word count wise!

I know, every word counts. But I am so, so, so on a deadline with this book, I really have to step up my game here.
According to what I read on literary agency blogs and from fellow aspiring authors, in the YA sector, we are in the middle of the paranormal come-back attempt trend, and that will reach its peak very soon.
The selling clock is ticking.

Yes, it still saddens me a little to think of stories as product to sell.
But so they are; the best, most awesome ones ever !

Thank you for reading.
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Until next time!

Oh did I do some extensive research on the topic!
In today’s post, I share ALL the tested tips I found and now use to find time to write.
All the tips. In one post. WootWoot!

So, yes, all that time spent on research, it was worth it, but if I took the time to write instead, darn… I would have three books ready to query right now.
I’m being a little overdramatic here. And lying. Yeah.
I most certainly would have used that time to play video games.

Thing is, and you certainly heard that one before, writing novel was a hobby for me. Having a novel traditionally published was beautiful, unattainable, dream I would sporadically try to make come true.

I should have thought about what I really wanted to do with all those drafts waiting to happen before trying to find time to write.
When I got very darn, turning my life upside down serious about it, finding time to write was a little less hard.
After working on it for a while, trying different methods those super Mom bloggers were all talking about, failing, trying again, I finally succeeded, at getting my sh*t together and find time to write.

Author / Mom: know thyself, writer!

I said it before, knowing our own writer’s rhythm is crucial to be able to find time to write.
What works for one writer can be a horrible pain in the bottom for another.
Also, I would recommend doing something I find really, really hard to do: stop the comparison game.
That author writes way faster than you. That author published ten books before its 25th birthday. That author has 255K followers on YouTube.
Enough with that sh*t!
Focus on finding time to work on your novel and follow your own rhythm.

Therefore, all the tips down below come with a warning: don’t use it if it doesn’t fit your writer’s rhythm.

Tested by an author mom Tips&Tricks to find time to write

• Get organized, Mama
  I hate this one. Often, it feels so hard or impossible. Plus, young kids are demanding and things may change fast.
  Still, I :
  – Cook meals ahead of time.
  – Divided house chores between family members (my kiddo is now old enough to play « pick up your toys »; I know, it won’t last).
  Oh, and important message to the significant others, male, female, non-binary: if you live in the house, you help taking care of the house chores, even if you are the sole provider of money. Understood? This beautiful new mama with whom you’re lucky to share your life with ain’t your mama. Got it? Moving on.
  – Divided playtime time after supper between hubby-to-be and me, so I can (try to) get an hour of solid writing time between supper and bath time.
  
• Ask for help
  This one, I barely use, but I wish I could use more (both our family lives far away and everything). But when a big house chore lies ahead, we call for backups. That way, I can manage to keep the writing session schedule up and running all week instead of trying to do ten things at once.
  
• Don’t obsess over the small house things
  Like finding your living room floor underneath a sea of toys (grandma is giver).
  That one, I just can’t live with. I need a minimum of tidiness to function. On the other end, I’ve learned to leave the grown-up’s dishes aside for the night; as long as kiddo stuff is clean and ready-to-go, I am too… now.
  
• Create a writing space
  We both work from home. Hubby-to-be works every weekday night, which means the bed is transformed into my writing space.
  I do have a proper desk now, after years of working on the kitchen table. And it did make all the difference in the world. I have a dedicated space for my craft books, my dictionaries, my office supplies.
  Since I’ve been working full-time from home, I use the writing space less for creative writing.
  
• Create a (flexible) writing routine
  Flexibility. With young kids around, that word can be used in a lot of different ways.
  Up until 24 months, a kid’ play-eat-sleep may change every week, every two weeks, every two months. In short, the routine is to adapt to fast-growing kiddo.
  A flexible writing routine is a must.
  Now, to the brand new mama’s out there, to successfully create a writing routine, and by writing routine I mean a solid two to three hours of solo, you have to involve a third party.
  The significant other, even if he/she worked all week, poor-tired-provider-blah-blah-blah (indeed yes, there was a debate in this house about it, yes, yes, yes), has to take care of his/her kid while you write.

That is it for my mama specific tips on how to find time to write a novel.
I am curious to know your tips to find time for writing, so please comment down below.

Thank you so much for reading. Find me on twitter or take a look at my Pinterest Writing Boards, or keep in touch and subscribe to this blog.