I’ve been doing OK with the writing, although the exercise has already fallen by the wayside.
I’m not filling my quota of words, but I knew that this week would be difficult. Tuesday I went back to teaching (College Freshmen… MS Excel and MS Access) which I gave up when my daughter was born in 2007.
I was amazed and ecstatic about how many views and comments I got on the first chapter of my serial What Would Have Been! Chapter two didn’t do as well, but I’m hoping that at least a few people out there will decide they like the story and want to follow it.
I’m hoping that while my 4yo is with a babysitter or preschool so I can teach, that I can also use some of that time to write. Unfortunately, enrolling my daughter in preschool has been a grueling and frustrating experience, which just boggles the mind. It should not be that difficult to enroll my daughter in school! But I keep having people say “Oh, actually you need to call this other person, in this other office…”
Hopefully we can figure it out by next week. Fortunately, I have the back up babysitter; it’s just more expensive for less time that way, and my little girl doesn’t get to do all the preschool stuff like playing with friends.
How’s everyone else doing with their goals? Is an expected pause or slowdown doable?
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AmyBeth Inverness 
Slowdowns are just fine… just don’t stop! You can only eek so much out of each day, and that is naturally going to vary with what occurs. I think the key is to make sure you make time to write AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT. It may not be as much as you like, but as long as you keep at it… it’s a habit, and when that time shows back up, you don’t have to work your way back into the habit; you’re already there.
One of the biggest issues I’ve been working on is being able to use small chunks of time. With writing, it’s particularly hard to get into my story when I only have twenty minutes or so. But even if I don’t dive into my novel for those 20 minutes, if I at least use the time for a little flash fiction or a blog story, I stay in the groove!
Oh, I hear ya about the preschool thing.
And I agree with you. At a preschool she gets to interact with other gives. She learns to socialize, has to share, wait for her turn … I think it’s great, even if it’s only a few hours per week 😉
Take your time, but like Matt said, don’t stop!!
I feel your pain…on the teaching front anyway (no kids here to enroll in preschool). I picked up two new classes this semester, which means I have to come up with new lectures! I did get some writing time in-between two of my classes on Monday. I’m sure you’ll fit into a routine in the next few weeks.
Good luck on balancing working and writing! Although I do not have children, my job exhausts me and it is hard for me to focus on my writing as I should. 🙂 Plus, it seems like everything has gotten even more hectic since ROW80 started. Go figure! Keep up the motivation! 🙂