Marie Alice Writes & Reads

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.

This week word count goal: 25 000 words
Word count so far: 14 314 words

This week, it’s just hard to work on the new novel.
When I started working on the novel tonight, day job was still stressing me out, end of the month bills were still stressing me out, heck, my mother’s upcoming birthday was stressing me (thank the big G upstairs, we bought her present already!).
Or nothing happens, or everything happens at the same time, as we say in my little North-American francophone bubble.

I still managed to get the story out of a complicated knot of P.O.V., and put it back on its funny track.
It is more of a comedy almost-contemporary YA novel than a paranormal YA novel after all… Or so it is how it looks like now!

I quit while I started having fun writing it again. A fun writing tip I got from raising my kiddo. Stop the fun game while it still fun, or the game will cease to be fun.
The trick is working well. I feel much more positive about all the stress-y stress stuff.

I’m wrapping it up for today. Thanks for reading! Find me on twitter or take a look at my Pinterest Writing Boards.

Until next time, dear fellow writers!