Writing and distractions.

As a working mom, It's hard to find time to write.

By the time I am done with an 10 hour workday ( that includes commute, lunches, and breaks), gone to karate or swim lessons with the munchkin (3-4x per week), put food on the table, and helped finish homework, bath and bedtime for the munchkin, I'm wiped out.

I try to hit my computer right after the munchkin is in bed, but then laziness takes over. I goof around on the Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Hulu, Failblog, lolcats, and other fun sites. Then, before I know it, I need to hit the sack to be well rested for the next day.

On a productive night, I manage to get 500-1k words written and/or I hit the critiquing group critiquecircle.com and complete a few crits.

It's not much, but I am trying. I know I could probably try harder. I wonder how other writers do it. How do you find the time? When do you find the time? Do you set writing goals for yourself? What distractions stop you from writing? What do you do to avoid distractions?

2 comments:

Jessica Nelson said...

Well, I'm really thankful to be a stay-at-home mom. Honestly, I really don't know how you do it and think it's amazing. I just hope you don't wear yourself out.
I do set goals, a certain word count per day. The word count takes about an hour, so I usually know to set aside that hour for writing. I def. get caught up in blogs and such, but have started to limit myself on e-mail, etc.
I'm lucky to have a noninternet laptop that I use to write. That keeps me in the zone and off the net, which is super helpful.

Katie Salidas said...

Oooh, now that's a smart idea. Noninternet laptop! I bet if I could shut down my internet, I would be so much more productive. Too bad Hubby is usually playing on his computer while I work. Maybe I can convince him that I need a laptop. Then I could work in the bedroom, away from the internet.

About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.