This week, a question from our very own Laurie:

 

My kids grew up too fast for me to even get started writing when they were little. I didn’t sit down until they were already in school. But here are my thoughts anyway.
 
Several of my picture books began as events or simply as sayings or characteristics of my own children. But because I started writing later, I took them from my memories. It would have been wonderful to have been able to write stories as they happened.
 
I’m not saying to write a chronicle of actual events in your children’s lives. Life USUALLY doesn’t translate straight into satisfying fiction. Rather, it would have been awesome to take everyday struggles or frustrations my kids were dealing with and turn them into story. Not only would my stories perhaps be richer, but I could have used those same fictional stories of fictional kids having the same problems as my kids as a great parenting tool.
 
As for finding “time to write” – ha – good luck with that! I personally didn’t sleep until both my kids were 10. So I have no advice there. But my biggest suggestion is to look at your children’s lives from the point of view of story. Keep a notebook of the problems that really get to them and brainstorm how other kids might deal with them. Keep track also of the fabulous words and phrases kids come up with. They’re priceless!

First be happy that you have kiddos at home - they are a gold mine for writers! Depending on the day I wake up at 4am or 5am.  I also try to write / edit for a short time (an hour or so) after they go to sleep.  I study the books I read to my kids. I write down the funny things they say, social drama, thier dreams, silly questions, perceptive observations and all other family hilarity and such ... for inspiration and reference (okay, research!!!)

I try to dedicate a chunk of two hours straight to writing each week. Sometimes I will slip in five minutes here and five minutes there, as well. I'm not a morning person, I have my kiddos with me all day, and I like to spend time with my husband in the evenings. So, my good chunk of time comes on Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons. I know it doesn't sound like a lot of time, but my children will only be young for a short time. My family comes first.  

From Chrissie

 

I am the mother of a just three and just five year old.  I work full time and am very lucky that my husband is home with our children during the day.  Like Kim and Laurie, I have very little time for writing as I want to be with my family as much as possible.  Again, fortunately for me, my husband is very supportive of my writing and understands my committment to it so I usually write about four days a week in the late evening after my children are asleep and my husband is listening to music which is his great passion.  I wrote my mg story with my newborn son asleep on my lap ;)  I daren't tell you how many times I have fallen asleep typing, it gives you the sensation that you are a toy whose battery is running out - it is also pretty bizarre to wake up and realize that you are still typing...nothing spectacular, believe me! 

 

My children are young, so they definitely have to come first.  My boys started first grade this year, but this is the last year that my daughter is home before she starts kindergarten (sniff, sniff) - so most of my day is spent with her.  I like to write in the mornings after I take the boys to school, but I can't do it for too long or my daughter gets upset ;-)  Other than that, I have to wait until they all fall asleep and hopefully by then, I'm still awake too.  I know I'll have more time when Maddie is in school, so for now, I just do what I can.  Like other guilty pleasures, I'll never give it up.

 

From Chrissie
  

I am the mother of a just three and just five year old.  I work full time and am very lucky that my husband is home with our children during the day.  Like Kim and Laurie, I have very little time for writing as I want to be with my family as much as possible.  Again, fortunately for me, my husband is very supportive of my writing and understands my committment to it so I usually write about four days a week in the late evening after my children are asleep and my husband is listening to music which is his great passion.  I wrote my mg story with my newborn son asleep on my lap ;)  I daren't tell you how many times I have fallen asleep typing, it gives you the sensation that you are a toy whose battery is running out - it is also pretty bizarre to wake up and realize that you are still typing...nothing spectacular, believe me! 

 

I don't have kids, but two concepts I keep in mind when I struggle with time
management are:

 

First: Self discipline is remembering what it is you really want.

I think it was Samuel Johnson who said that people don't tend to waste huge amounts of time--but rather small bits that add up to a large whole. So look for
small bits that can add up. Kate Di Camillo requires only two pages a day of herself. Even if all you do is write half a page a day, it will still add up if you are consistent.

 

I'm piggy backing on PJ's answer because what she says is exactly what I did when the kids were little. I took advantage of each and every moment I could lay my writer hands on. If I only had five minutes in a day for writing, I used those five minutes. I didn't think in terms of that being not enough time, but rather focused on what I could accomplish in five minutes , and what project I was working on. It's something I should revisit I think. Now that I have larger blocks of time to write in I've fallen into the notion that I need that time. The truth is I don't. I wrote a novel, and several picture books in small blocks of time grabbed here and there, when my kids were young! With focus and determination it can be done!