I think it can be hard to manage your time as an author.
Stacy Lynn shares her thoughts on how to rock writing while keeping your mind.
How do I Manage
My Writing Time?
First I’d like to thank Cindy for having me on her blog
today! It’s always fun to visit! Let me start by introducing myself. I’m Stacy
Lynn Carroll. I write Young Adult Contemporary Fiction, with a hint of romance.
By day, I am a Mommy to three monkeys under the age of four. Yes, you read that
right. And yes, I am crazy. But I love it! My talents include: turning
absolutely anything into a song, master hide-and-seeker, and quoting the entire
movie: “While You Were Sleeping” verbatim.
My debut novel: The Princess Sisters came out three years ago. I know what you may be thinking. Three years ago?! And you’re just barely releasing the sequel?! My answer is yes. The next thing you may be wondering is why then am I writing a post about time management? My answer is…I don’t know. But here it is anyway.
I learned very quickly from my experience as a nanny that I
wanted to be a stay at home mom. It’s not for everyone, I realize and respect
that. But for me, it became a goal from a pretty young age. I also realized
that I wanted to be a writer. Before my oldest was born, I thought these two
careers would mesh perfectly together. I just knew that my beautiful little
angels would all take perfect naps at the same time every day and I would be
able to get several hours of writing done each afternoon. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha!
When my oldest was a baby, I was indeed able to finish my first book. Just a couple months after the release of The Princess Sisters, number two came along. And then number three. My time for writing went from three hours a day plus a couple hours at night, to completely nonexistent! Between the three of them, any moment I had to myself was spent sleeping. Oh, precious sleep! Once my youngest was sleeping more consistently through the night, I knew it was time to go back. I missed writing! I realized how calming writing is for me and I needed to find a way to make time for my outlet.
I interrupt this guest post with a teaser for Frogs and Toads…
One
kiss can change the future...for better or for worse.
Belle
and her cousins have conquered their fears. Now as they navigate their way
through the dating world, they start to see a "happily ever after" on
the horizon. But when an unexpected school assignment forces them to examine
their past, the Princess sisters realize they have a lot of questions about the
fathers they've never met. Secrets are revealed, long lost family members are
discovered, and now the girls must decide who belongs in their future and who
should be kept in the past.
Now back to the guest post…
So I write at night. I had to give up on the idea of writing
during the day, at least until my kidlets are all in school. Trying to squeeze
in a few minutes in the afternoon was causing too much stress. I decided
instead to create an alter-ego. By day, I am Mommy. My kids get 100% of my
attention and we are all happier because of it. By night, I am writer-woman! (Insert
theme music here). My children go to bed at 9:00PM, leaving me with three hours
to write before I burn out and fall asleep. I don’t always get the full three
hours in. Sometimes my husband needs attention, sometimes dishes need to be
done, and sometimes someone has a bad dream. But a wise author once told me
that if you write something every single day, no matter how much or how little,
you will someday finish a book. For me, that someday was about three years. But
I did it! I finished my second book, and my family did not suffer because of
it.
I hope to have the third and final book in the series out by
the end of next year. I will continue to plug along every night until I reach
this goal. Whether I write a sentence or four chapters during my three hour
writing time, I know there will always be progress. And I will continue to write
until my next book is complete. For anyone out there who has dreams of being an
author but is afraid they don’t have the time, I say Bah Humbug! You don’t need
to write fast, and you don’t need to write a lot. You just need to write every
day. And your someday will come too!
Want more about Stacy Lynn?
Stacy
Lynn Carroll has always loved telling stories.
She started out at Utah State University where she pursued a degree in
English, learned how to western swing, and watched as many of her fellow
students became ‘True Aggies’. She then
finished her BA at the University of Utah where she got an emphasis in creative
writing. After college she worked as an
administrative assistant, where she continued to write stories for the
amusement of her co-workers. When her
first daughter was born, and with the encouragement of a fortune cookie, she
quit her job and became a full-time mommy and writer. She and her husband have three children, two
Corgis, and a fish named Don
