When do you write? - Page 2 - Writers Forum

The Backward OX · 01-21-2008, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SadLuckDame

I write whenever I need to get it out, even on the back of an old envelope if it is the only thing available. You could try carrying around a small, pocket sized notepad and pen. Jot down any thoughts, even brief ones, small size for on the go.

Somehow I think the OP was asking a different question to the one you've answered. Perhaps your reply is a good argument for

not being conducive to effective writing

ieuan · 01-21-2008, 06:34 AM

The mind is the best memory bank and if your mind is gone then it's time to take up bowls and reading othe rpeople's stuff.

Eli Cash · 01-21-2008, 11:56 AM

I've written first thing in the morning, at 6:15, ever since I read that Salman Rushdie said this:

Quote:

I give it the first energy of the day. When I get up, I go to my office and start writing. I'm still in my pajamas. I haven't even brushed my teeth. I just go straight to it. I feel that there's a little package of creative energy that's somehow been nourished by sleep and I don't want to waste that. I'll work for an hour or two until I feel like I've got something going. Then I can get washed and dressed.

Erik Buchanan · 01-21-2008, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Kostin

My advice:

Forget about writing now. You have a baby for God's Sake! Think about him!

I enjoyed every minute my baby was awake and I could be with her (and still do now she's a toddler).

I changed her, fed her, bathed her, dressed her, rocked her to sleep and walked the floors with her on the nights she wouldn't sleep. I played with her and took her for walks so her mother could sleep, showed her off to my friends and took her out when I went out when my wife wanted a night off.

Also during her first year, I worked full time, edited my novel for publication and put 200 pages on my next one.

Having a child doesn't stop things. It just makes them more interesting. And you have to do things for yourself as well as your child or you go mad.
Scheduling is the way to go.

mi is happy · 01-21-2008, 05:21 PM

I write when ever I feel like it. That usualy at night; every day. I find my mind is more creative at that time.

rumpole40k · 01-21-2008, 05:39 PM

Just soaking in the wisdom and opinions and happier every moment that I joined the forum.

Thanks again,

Rumpole40k

delilah_sighs · 01-21-2008, 05:54 PM

I personally, have never had a baby, but i could imagine how difficult it is to keep up with your writing. my schedule is busy too, and as of now i feel ultimate despair because for about six months i had a goal to finish my book by graduation, and now it seems that it will never be finished considering all the things i have to do and pay for. my advice though, is to organize your priorities--if you need to do the dishes, and suddenly halfway through washing them you get a spark of inspiration, go write for a little bit, of course with the promise that you'll finish the dishes. sometimes, inspiration can't wait, and if you feel absolutley passionate about writing, then write! your family is important too of course, so when you spend a day with your baby and you feel the need to write, use your emotions (for example, if you feel frustrated that your baby keeps whining and you don't know what to do, or even if you just feel like the luckiest person alive to have such a perfect baby). channel what you're feeling at that moment into what you write, so even if you get in a short ten minutes before you have to tend to dinner, you'll at least feel good about it and it will help relieve any stress, and you get to write! Best of luck to you!

gr8writer · 04-18-2008, 01:04 AM

I can sympathize and I'm definitely gonna use some of these suggestions. I've almost completely stopped writing since I became a mother, I used to do it all the time. I just recently picked it up again but it seems my housework is suffering. Maybe having a schedule will work better.

RebelGoddess · 04-18-2008, 03:56 AM

I write whenever I feel like it.

A very laissez-faire attitude, I know, but right now it works for me.

I'm a full time student so I'm usually drained by the end of the day, plus my schedule is never set in concrete; things are constantly coming up.

Though when I'm less bogged down I tend to write at night. I've always been a night owl, and I guess I just get better ideas then. Who knows, LOL!

My suggestion is that you find a specific time, even if it's only once a week, where you can be undisturbed to write. If you ask you wife to spend a few hours once a week taking care of your son alone (and OF COURSE do the same for her!), then you can probably get some good writing done.

Also, I know someone suggested this to you and it's a bit off topic, but I agree that you should try and carry around a small notebook or something with you. If you do this, you can write whenever the mood strikes and also when you find youself with some unexpected "free" time, such as getting stuck in a waiting room or something.

Anyway, good luck with your writing, and congratulations on having your son!

Racheal

Destroyer · 04-18-2008, 04:34 AM

Anytime I'm not working or sleeping.

CodeRed · 04-18-2008, 05:22 AM

Most of the time I write at night, when the world/house is quieter. Distractions tick me off no end. I take a while to begin functioning on a cohesive level in the morning so that's out of the question for me, even if there's no one else around.
The notebook is a great idea, and I always mean to carry one around with me. Unfortunately I'm a slow learner sometimes, and have a pile of shopping dockets with barely legible writing on them that I scribbled out hastily while the bus was not quite so bumpy. (At least I remember the pen).

lilacstarflower · 04-18-2008, 09:04 AM

I find the best time to write is from ten pm onwards. The house is extremely quiet and I can focus on writing out new stuff, editing, plotting and so on. I don't need to worry about having sat in front of the laptop for hours without the dog needed out, the phone ringing at any moment, the door being knocked or any visitors dropping in just as I'm getting a flow going

Good luck with both the writing and the baby!

SAHMAuthor · 04-18-2008, 09:53 AM

I write in the mornings after my daughter is off to school. I don't worry about the dishes in the sink or the pile of laundry. The writing comes first and once I have my three pages knocked out, I can worry about the rest.

I find having a set schedule really helps because I know what I have to do in that time and I am more disciplined about it.

I remember when my daughter was a baby, things were a little less rigid, simply because babies have their own schedule that changes constantly as they grow. Just making sure you get that hour every day is still important even if it moves from 5 am to 4 pm for a week or two while you and baby readjust.

Best of luck!