I dream of having time to indulge my writing passion without distractions. Here is my ideal writing day. What is your ideal day?
There are far too many domestic distractions while my children are young, but it is getting easier now that they are growing. Where previously I snatched an hour while they napped, I now have the school day in which to work. Unfortunately, my freelance business takes precedence, alongside my new reiki therapy business, and it takes a lot of time to create social media content and make my name known in the right places. And don’t get me started on the never-ending battle to sell books.
My Ideal Writing Day
My current day goes like this: I am in the habit of sitting up late due to our being in lockdown and not having to leave the house. Sometimes I work on my laptop at night, doing tasks that don’t require a lot of thought but that still need doing. I wake up around 7am, make packed lunches for school, get dressed, wake the children, get them ready for school, take them to school. Return home and take the dog for a walk. Spend an hour or so doing ‘motherly’ and ‘housewifely’ chores which include doing the laundry, tidying the kitchen and whatever housework takes precedence on that day. I attend to our life admin, booking necessary doctors, dentist, vet appointments, order groceries and home supplies, or visit the shops for them depending on what is possible during the pandemic.
When I finish the mundane chores, I usually have a couple of hours to do what I call my ‘proper work’ before I collect the children from school. I am lucky that they have one day each week with their grandparents so I can drop them off at school and not see them until their dad brings them home at bedtime. The rest of the week is all about my fitting in what I can. I might get stuck into a task, take a break to do the afternoon school run, come home and resume my task for a couple of hours. I can’t work too late because the children need to be fed and sent to bed at a reasonable hour. If I’m not too tired I might continue working in the evening.
My time will come
It’s an easy life, I know, and I am fully aware that my time for writing will come in a few years’ time when my children can leave the house unattended and prepare their own meals. I am in no way complaining or feeling sorry for myself. Indeed, I am proud of the fact that I managed to write so many novels when the children were infants, and the only reason I don’t do much fiction writing now is because I got busy with my blog and other activities. Reiki practise takes a lot of dedicated time and is important to me. I am thankful to have a career that is fulfilling, even if the income is a little sketchy at times.
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