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Indie Publishing Process

2/8/2022

 
I get great questions about the indie publishing process and what it's like for me, so I've tried to gather some of my answers on a dedicated page. You can find it here!

Mom Writer

6/30/2020

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One author's thoughts on writing with kids at home.

Let's be real. I'm honestly writing this post to myself. I went looking to see if I could find anything online about the reality of being a full-time mama that homeschools and writes books. I found lots of stuff about writing for kids (shocking, right?), but zip, zilch, nada on the writing with kids underfoot.

I CANNOT be the only mama out there doing this. But, man, I felt kinda lonely after that google search. So, on the off chance that you are out there searching too, I thought I'd share some of my challenges and triumphs...
Just So You Know: At the time of this post,
​I have five kids, ages 16, 13, 10, 6, and 2.

I am Not Super Woman
​
(otherwise known as things that do NOT work for me).

  • I don't get up at three a.m. to squeeze in hours of writing time before the kids wake. Ugh. Just. Ugh, no.
  • I don't hire someone to watch them while I write, and they don't go off to school. I love writing, but raising my kids is my top priority at this season in life. This means I am not cranking out three and four books a year. 
  • I don't bribe myself. At least not right now. I used to set little rewards, like, hey, you can buy that cool t-shirt when you finish that next draft, but I found something that motivates me better right now (see below). 

What Is Working:

  • Learned to write in short periods of time. To be honest, there were seasons when I could write for hours, and it was awesome. But it just isn't practical right now. So rather than tell myself I don't have enough time to write anything significant, I decided to learn to write in short bursts. I'm talking 15 minutes. It sounds pathetic, but sometimes I can sneak over to the computer and go unnoticed by the Littles, and crank out a few hundred words.  
  • Daily writing (minus the Sabbath). I try to get in at least one fifteen minute session, six days a week. It really does add up.
  • Give my big kids each finished chapter. This is my major motivator right now. It pushes me to write the best draft I can, and to keep inching away at it, scene by scene, because They Keep Asking For More.
  • Ditch the guilt. I don't know if all mom authors guilt themselves, or if this is just something I struggle with. I know some authors are paralyzed over perfection, but that's not my weakness. Mine is that self-imposed guilt: I should be writing more. Faster. Quicker. Or worse: I can't do as much as I'm capable of, so why bother today? Goodness, me, I am always teaching my kids about grace over guilt! It's time I applied that to myself!
  • 100 Day Challenge. I set a counter on my phone and told myself that for the next 100 days I was going to write for 15 minutes, six days a week, and do it without guilt. I have a log I record my daily word count in, but I have a life! Somebody's birthday? Skip it, no guilt. Migraine? Skip it, no guilt. Spent the last hour helping a restless toddler navigate the world? Skip it, no guilt!

If you're out there writing with a full life (whether it's from kids or not!), I hope it helps to know not everyone is cranking out a bazillion books. Some of us are baby-stepping our way forward!
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Gifts for Word-Smiths

11/11/2018

 
Gift Ideas for the Wordy People in Your Life : Gift Guide for Authors & Writers

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Teen Author: How Much Can You Chew?

8/28/2018

 
Teen Author Series
Man, oh, man.  This is the writing advice I wish had gotten when I first started out...

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Teens & Self-Publishing: How to Tackle a Big 'Ole Overwhelming Konstruct  (a.k.a. BOOK)

5/10/2018

 
Teen Author Series: How to Plan a Book

Read More
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