Abra Staffin-Wiebe (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
abracanabra) wrote2012-06-02 02:34 pm
abracanabra) wrote2012-06-02 02:34 pm
Entry tags:
Scheduling Writing
Of late, it is difficult to get writing done in the morning because the baby sleeps too much.
Let me 'splain.
I am a person of the "7 hours of sleep a day minimum, and 9 or 10 hours on a regular basis is just peachy" variety. This means I cannot do the "sleep 5 hours, wake up at 4 a.m. and write" thing that some writers do (ahem,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mmerriam, ahem). Since baby moved over to his nursery, we've both been sleeping in until, oh, 8 or even past 9 in the morning, after going to bed around 9:30-10:00. If baby sleeps after 9, he really doesn't want a morning nap an hour later. If baby sleeps until 8, he may condescend to take a very short nap and then be fussy around lunchtime.
Option 1) Wake self and baby up around 7, using alarm/Phil. Attempt to continue with wake up, feed baby, eat breakfast, shower etc., feed baby, put baby down for morning nap schedule. Disadvantages: baby doesn't want to wake up that early; this all depends on me having the willpower to get out of bed; and he may still take a really short nap and just be crankier because he didn't get as much sleep.
Option 2) Wake self up early, try to use that time to write until baby wakes up on his own. Disadvantages: relies on me having willpower to get out of bed; valuable baby-sleeping time would be wasted on me having breakfast and getting ready for the day; and brain does not function ideally first thing in the morning, so quality of produced work is iffy.
Option 3) Sleep in in the morning, try putting baby to sleep earlier and using that time to do writing. Disadvantage: brain also gets tired after long day of baby-wrangling; and me shutting myself in my study to write steals away time from me and Phil.
Option 4) Sleep in, and resign self to losing morning writing time. UNACCEPTABLE!
Perhaps I shall have to give all these different options a shot and see what works best. Dividing my writing time into two sessions--one for writing and one for editing, submitting, etc--had been working well, and I want to keep it up. Maybe I could just use the early morning or the evening session for the non-writing stuff if I feel groggy. As baby gets more autonomous, I could also theoretically do some of the non-writing stuff while watching him.
And I do have stuff to get done. Boy do I ever.
Manuscript count:
Archive trunk stories: 3
Archive trunk novels: 1
Submitted stories: 6
Stories in need of edits: 13
Stories to submit: 2
Reprints to submit: 16
Novels to submit/revise further and then submit: 1
Novels in progress: 2
Didn't realize I still had 6 stories out--that's kinda cool! Maybe I'll get responses back on some of them soon? I know one of the markets is backlogged and plans to clear out their slush by end of July, another habitually takes years to respond, and I have no idea how or when Worldcon plans on responding to their writing contest submissions.
Those two stories to submit are both D-grades, so they get in line behind everything else, even behind submitting reprints out. I try to keep C-grade and above polished stories constantly circulating until they find a home.
I got a "released from slush because we're full" notification on another story today, but I think I'm dumping it into the edits pile instead of the submit pile. I need to strengthen some myth parallels and add more horror elements. Then I can send it to places that would like that sort of thing, instead of mucking about with "all genres" literary magazines.
None of this counts Circus of Brass and Bone, the behemoth that I'm constantly in the process of writing and revising and publishing and revising again. I am within sight of the end, and I can't wait to get there! I'm about five episodes ahead in the writing, but the editing and recording and publishing isn't keeping up. The other two novels-in-progress are both backburnered until I finish the whole thing.
It also doesn't count my day job, which occasionally takes up all my writing slots.
Do you see where the big logjam is? Edits. ::whimper:: Somehow I have to find time for that in my writing schedule without taking away time from Circus of Brass and Bone, and still managing to keep up on my critiques and submissions and market list and writing a solicited short story and cleaning up my website and keeping up with the 26 other items in my "Action Needed - Writing" file. Right now edits are prioritized below everything except the miscellaneous items, but maybe they shouldn't be? Except I think the other things are still more important.
Option 5) Wake self up very early, use that time to write. Wake baby up around 7, using alarm/Phil. Attempt to continue with wake up, feed baby, eat breakfast, shower etc., feed baby, put baby down for morning nap schedule. Try putting baby to sleep earlier and using that time to do writing. Disadvantage: INSANITY.
Let me 'splain.
I am a person of the "7 hours of sleep a day minimum, and 9 or 10 hours on a regular basis is just peachy" variety. This means I cannot do the "sleep 5 hours, wake up at 4 a.m. and write" thing that some writers do (ahem,
mmerriam, ahem). Since baby moved over to his nursery, we've both been sleeping in until, oh, 8 or even past 9 in the morning, after going to bed around 9:30-10:00. If baby sleeps after 9, he really doesn't want a morning nap an hour later. If baby sleeps until 8, he may condescend to take a very short nap and then be fussy around lunchtime.Option 1) Wake self and baby up around 7, using alarm/Phil. Attempt to continue with wake up, feed baby, eat breakfast, shower etc., feed baby, put baby down for morning nap schedule. Disadvantages: baby doesn't want to wake up that early; this all depends on me having the willpower to get out of bed; and he may still take a really short nap and just be crankier because he didn't get as much sleep.
Option 2) Wake self up early, try to use that time to write until baby wakes up on his own. Disadvantages: relies on me having willpower to get out of bed; valuable baby-sleeping time would be wasted on me having breakfast and getting ready for the day; and brain does not function ideally first thing in the morning, so quality of produced work is iffy.
Option 3) Sleep in in the morning, try putting baby to sleep earlier and using that time to do writing. Disadvantage: brain also gets tired after long day of baby-wrangling; and me shutting myself in my study to write steals away time from me and Phil.
Option 4) Sleep in, and resign self to losing morning writing time. UNACCEPTABLE!
Perhaps I shall have to give all these different options a shot and see what works best. Dividing my writing time into two sessions--one for writing and one for editing, submitting, etc--had been working well, and I want to keep it up. Maybe I could just use the early morning or the evening session for the non-writing stuff if I feel groggy. As baby gets more autonomous, I could also theoretically do some of the non-writing stuff while watching him.
And I do have stuff to get done. Boy do I ever.
Manuscript count:
Archive trunk stories: 3
Archive trunk novels: 1
Submitted stories: 6
Stories in need of edits: 13
Stories to submit: 2
Reprints to submit: 16
Novels to submit/revise further and then submit: 1
Novels in progress: 2
Didn't realize I still had 6 stories out--that's kinda cool! Maybe I'll get responses back on some of them soon? I know one of the markets is backlogged and plans to clear out their slush by end of July, another habitually takes years to respond, and I have no idea how or when Worldcon plans on responding to their writing contest submissions.
Those two stories to submit are both D-grades, so they get in line behind everything else, even behind submitting reprints out. I try to keep C-grade and above polished stories constantly circulating until they find a home.
I got a "released from slush because we're full" notification on another story today, but I think I'm dumping it into the edits pile instead of the submit pile. I need to strengthen some myth parallels and add more horror elements. Then I can send it to places that would like that sort of thing, instead of mucking about with "all genres" literary magazines.
None of this counts Circus of Brass and Bone, the behemoth that I'm constantly in the process of writing and revising and publishing and revising again. I am within sight of the end, and I can't wait to get there! I'm about five episodes ahead in the writing, but the editing and recording and publishing isn't keeping up. The other two novels-in-progress are both backburnered until I finish the whole thing.
It also doesn't count my day job, which occasionally takes up all my writing slots.
Do you see where the big logjam is? Edits. ::whimper:: Somehow I have to find time for that in my writing schedule without taking away time from Circus of Brass and Bone, and still managing to keep up on my critiques and submissions and market list and writing a solicited short story and cleaning up my website and keeping up with the 26 other items in my "Action Needed - Writing" file. Right now edits are prioritized below everything except the miscellaneous items, but maybe they shouldn't be? Except I think the other things are still more important.
Option 5) Wake self up very early, use that time to write. Wake baby up around 7, using alarm/Phil. Attempt to continue with wake up, feed baby, eat breakfast, shower etc., feed baby, put baby down for morning nap schedule. Try putting baby to sleep earlier and using that time to do writing. Disadvantage: INSANITY.
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I've been behind for quite a while, so I'm not expecting to get caught up immediately.
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I knew that Phil's parents were in WI, but if they were willing to watch him for a couple days, I'd say its worth it to make a drive out there to drop off/pick-up - esp. if they'll meet you part-way.
I occasionally drive 1.5 hrs each way to drop Ayden off at Grandma's for 1.5 days or so. Sometimes, having a day off is worth it.
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I still think a friend (esp. if they also have kids) would take him for a day if you promised to return the favor sometime. Someone like Tesla perhaps?
Not to trivialize parenting, but my friend Lina and I have the same agreement with our dogs (and I also have taken her (then) fussy 6-mo old daughter for an 8-10 hour stretch to help her out a few times...not my idea of a great time but that's what friends are for!)
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I was actually really looking forward to that kind of thing with Tesla--and then they moved to California! Dratted dream jobs!
Yeah, once C.'s a little older, the grandparents are going to be getting him for a week each summer. I figure that should be happy all 'round.
no subject
"will do photo shoot of your family for X hours of babysitting" or something like that?
:-)