Writing During Distance Learning
Holy buckets! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted. Distance learning is no joke!
I am home everyday with a 2nd grader, a Kindergartener, and an almost two year old. Since my husband is an essential employee, most of the home stuff falls on me. Thankfully, my parents are living with us until mid-November and are a HUGE help. Plus I have taken a leave for the school year from my teaching position. We also formed a “pod” that we call “Friend School” with three other families to help give breaks to parents in the afternoons. We are each in charge of one afternoon a week so I get three other afternoons free to write and try to keep laundry and dishes under control. I thank my lucky stars for all the support I/we have during this time.
Distance Learning is a four hour sprint and even then, not all the schoolwork gets done before we have to eat lunch and join Friend School. I’m lucky if I have a chance to shower before my kid’s teachers see me looking like a hot mess on the Zoom meetings… By the end of the day, everyone is exhausted. Being exhausted and busy 24/7 isn’t a conducive environment for writing but here are things that have kept me writing during this busy/overwhelming/stressful time:
My critique partners - they have been in helping my motivation. We are a sounding board for one another and the encouragement we give one another has been amazing.
Critiquing/reading other people’s work - YES! This one is a must! There are times when I don’t feel very creative but reading/critiquing other people’s writing keeps me in the mindset of a writer.
Accountability partner - in my previous post I talked about the daily writing intention that I learned from taking Marcie Colleen’s Study Hall. My AP and I used to wake up before the kids but with DL starting, this was no longer an option because I am NOT a morning person. So now we writing when the kids are in bed and it’s a nice end to my day. It gives me the chance to finish up anything I might have been working on during the day and make a plan for the next day.
Contests - Yep, that’s what I said. Contests for free books, critiques, basically things that won’t take a lot of work but boost my morale. I recently entered Amy Sparkes’s Picture Book Prize contest and Brian Gehrlein’s #PBCritiqueFest through his website. I don’t expect a lot from these competitions but they are fun to enter and it gives me a chance to put my work out there other than querying. A question on the PBCritiqueFest application was “Describe your voice or style as a writer.” My answer: Sidesplittingly spirited with curious and courageous characters. It’s questions like Brian’s that help me define what type of writer I am/want to be and help me learn how to market myself, even when I may not feel like it.
GRACE - There are days when nothing goes right. Literally NOTHING. And I have had to tell myself that’s okay. Which isn’t easy. I am a very type A person (to do lists are my jam) but flexibility is key. Something I am trying to remind my children (and myself) of daily.
But here’s the thing: IT’S NOT ALL BAD.
Even though our new normal is very different than what we are used to, having extra time at home with my kids has been really great…most days.
We have started weekly family movie nights.
I get to be an active participant in my kid’s learning and growing.
The bond between my parents and kids has grown stronger with them living here.
Fridays are sleep in and “adventure” days since there are no live lessons or Friend School.
Weekends are even more precious because we are all together without the pressures of me having to be a mom/teacher/short order cook/laundry connoisseur/activity organizer/etc…
The connection with my CPs has been strengthened because being each other’s cheerleader’s has become even more important.
Hopefully this post has encouraged you to keep writing but has also given you permission to go easy on yourself and grant yourself some GRACE. This is a tough time. If writing isn’t working right now, that’s okay. If you’re struggling with new ideas, that’s okay. If all you want to do is binge Netflix and eat ice cream, THAT’S OKAY. Unless you are lactose intolerant, then that might not be okay…