Skip to main content

How to write while living a busy life


A while ago a friend of mine said that I needed to start a blog if I someday wanted to get published, so I started this one. I set it up a few months ago, but have never gotten around to actually making a post; I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. But today I decided to actually get started. First, I am not a published writer. I am just a mother of three who works full time, teaching at a community college, who needs an escape from it all--writing. Writing has given me that escape. But I know as a working mother that it is difficult to find time to write. So, here's my advice. Just do it. I don't have a lot of time, but you don't need a lot of time to write. I try and write 30 minutes every other day. I do this, sitting in a rocking chair in my youngest child's room while waiting for him to fall asleep. It isn't much, but I never get tired of writing. I've written three books this way. I think just having that routine keeps me motivated. And it's worked. I've written three books this way. Now, I am using this time to critique one of those which I hope to start sending out in an attempt to procure an agent in the next few months.

Also, being part of a writing group helps. You have to be careful when joining a group. Sometimes you can get mired down in critiques given by other group members and can find yourself stuck in revisions, unable to move forward with your story. I try to save all of my critiques to my computer and continue to write. I then go back and look at them while working on revisions.

But being part of a group keeps you motivated. To remain in the group, you have to write. Plus, reading and critiquing others' work, helps to improve your writing skills. It helps you to become more critical of your own work.

If you live in the Greensboro/High Point area, here is a link to an organization that can connect you with a writing group: http://triadwriters.org/ They also offer workshops to help improve your writing.

Whatever you do, just keep writing. You will get better. It will get easier. And you won't regret it.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Noah (Raven #2, working title)

Kellam is talking to Emma. Side effects from her abilities are splitting headaches…his ability can make them stop. Noah can find people by touching things they own. Raven takes back her letter so that Noah can’t get to her again. They share an intense love scene. Raven goes to a different school. Does she leave town? The item has to be important, have an imprint of the person’s soul. What are the side effects of the serum? Mr. Wilkes is testing all of these to fix his wife. He also wants to patent the drugs and sell them to the wealthy…to the government for a high price? What about the nurse? What is wrong with the wife? What is wrong with Noah. He spends a lot of the book, trying to figure out what is wrong with him. Why his mother teamed up with Travis Wilkes. Emma is in love with Noah. Tries to convince him to forget Raven. She thinks Raven is a traitor. Wants to find her so Noah can really get over Raven…she can be with Noah. She falls for Kellam in the process. What does the d...
The Internal Struggle...It's a Good Hook Another character/plot tip. Don't let your protagonist get too happy. Maybe I am a glutton for sadness, but I seem to be more drawn to characters that are unhappy. Those characters are working on themselves, and I enjoy sharing the journey with them. I don't want them to resolve whatever internal problems they have until the very end of the story. Their internal struggle keeps me hooked and invested in the character. However, I still like the main character to be strong, someone who in spite of this internal war, doesn't ever seem to fall apart. He or she finds away to stay strong and to keep fighting, to keep trying to help others. A good example of this is The Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard