It’s summer and school is out! In this post, learn how to write during the summer while your kids are home and your schedule goes haywire.
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Okay, writer friends. Here we are in June, and it’s summer break for most of us. Are your kids home? Has your normal routine gone a bit crazy?
When summer hits, it takes a while to find a ‘new normal’… and if you’re writing to write a novel at the same time, you might be finding yourself pulling your hair out!
But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are several ways to make summer work for you and for your family. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what will work (and you may have to try a few new routines before you find one that fits your family’s rhythm), but here are a 7 tips I’ve curated for how to write during the summer months when kids are home.
But before we get into it, a little mindset-shift training...
The first day of summer might feel wide and open. You may think the sky is the limit and have a pretty productive writing day. But then the busyness (or laziness?) of summer will start to creep in. It always does.
And it’s at that point that you’re going to have to make a decision…
If you’re committed to writing during the summer, then you’re going to have to pull up your big girl pants and get it done.
(Sorry for the tough love, friend, but writing during the summer is a tough thing, especially when kids require your attention, as does shuttling them to activities, and family reunions, and vacations, and so on. I believe in you and know you can make your dreams happen in your own time. But you must commit to whatever your goal is so you can see it through.)
No time to be a diva!
Again with the tough love. đ You may have routines that work really well for when you write while the kids are in school. But it’s summer now, and you don’t have the luxury of that routine anymore. So, you either have to work to find a new routine, or you make the most of the small snatches of time you have.
Also, a caveat...
PLEASE spend quality time with your kids this summer. If you’re like me, it’s sooo easy to get wrapped up in achieving a goal that you end up sacrificing precious moments. Your children are only young once. And they need you. They need your guidance, your attention, your love. So take advantage of the summer months to spend quality time with them. Write around those times.
Okay! Now that we’ve settled that, here are your 7 tips to keep your momentum through the summer!
How to Write During the Summer and Kids are Home
Tip #1: Get Up Earlier Than Your Kids
Get up early during the summer? Ugh, I know. It doesn’t sound like fun. But you can do it, friend! If you’re serious about learning how to write during the summer, you can set your alarm for 5am. This is something I do most days. I get up around 5:20 and write until my kids wake up sometime between 6:30 and 7. My kids are small, so they rise early (Why does that seem to be a thing?). If your kids are older, you may find them taking advantage of summer mornings by sleeping in some, which could equate to more writing time for you!
Tip #2: Write at the Pool or Gym
If your kids are old enough to swim on their own, then bring a notebook or laptop or Alpha Smart (my fave!) to the pool. Poolside writing during the summer months could be the uninterrupted break you’re looking for.
Just don’t get caught up people-watching! đ
If your kids are too little to swim alone, then consider writing while you work out. It may sound strange, and it may or may not work for you, but it’s worth a shot, right? I know other authors who write this way with success.
The idea here is to take the kids to the gym’s daycare, if they have one. While they are there, you go find a stationary bike or stair stepper, or whatever exercise machine works best for you, and you write.
This works best with a smaller, handheld device, such as a phone or iPad Mini. It may be slow going, but you’ll get words in. And writing during the summer means getting words in wherever you can. Even if it’s fifty words by the end of your session–that’s fifty words you didn’t have before!
Tip #3: Drive-by Writing
A friend of mine shared what she calls “drive-by writing” on a post over at Seekerville. Soo good! Whether you have little ones all the time or your older ones are home for the summer, this technique might just help you. No, it’s not immersive writing (but do you even have time for that luxury each and every time you write during the summer? Probably not.).
Set your laptop in a central location, such as your counter, and pop in a sentence or two whenever you pass it and have a second. Waiting for the toast to pop? Write a sentence.Â
By the end of the day, you’ll be surprised at your word count!
Tip #4: Use Voice-to-Text
This is like drive-by writing, only it’s drive-by speaking!
When you take the kids on a walk, or watch them play outside, talk out your story into your smartphone (or a voice recorder, if you’d prefer). For me, this works best for brainstorming and character development, but I know of several authors that use this method to actually write their stories.
If you use a smartphone, you can do it right inside an email document if you want, and then email it to yourself and then copy it straight into a word processor document. (I’m sure there are other methods of moving your words over from your phone to your computer, too!) Then, all your words might need is a little editing (to add proper punctuation or fix auto-corrected words), and you’re good to go!
Tip #5: Send the kids to someone's house
Does Grandma want to watch the kids for a couple hours one afternoon? Do they have a friend to visit? Getting them out of the house on occasion is good, as is socializing with good friends. So use that to your advantage and get some writing done while they’re gone.
Tip #6: Check out the local library
A lot of libraries have summer activities for kids, and that’s a good time to bring your laptop and work while they’re engaged in the program (unless you’re needed of course. Please don’t drop your toddlers off at story time and then go write, leaving them unattended! đ )
I’ve also heard of people checking out a little study room at the library, then have their kids grab books and puzzles that interest them. They all sit in the study room, where the kids play and the parent gets to write. Win-win.
Tip #7: Prepare challenges and activities for the kids
Play-Doh, reading challenges, watercolor painting, coloring books, a new puzzle, a few matchbox car… giving your kids a new challenge or activity can give them something to work on while you work on your computer. Write during the summer right beside them at the dinner table while they fill in a Sudoku or a crossword/word search book!
How to Write During the Summer and Kids are Home
Did you find this post helpful? Donât forget to pin it for future reference! Stay inspired, friend!
There you have it! 7 tips for how to get writing done this summer.
And I’ll add in one BONUS tip, for those of you who may be struggling to get writing done…
BONUS Tip: Don't force yourself to write during the summer if it just doesn't work!
Unless you’re on a deadline and you MUST write during the summer, consider taking a break, or at least considerably cutting down your expectations of what you want to accomplish in your writing. I don’t want you to set up such a rigorous schedule to write during the summer that you are stressed and angry and don’t even get to enjoy the warm months with your family.
That’s just not beneficial for anyone.
Trust me, if you’re feeling that pull in your gut, try to listen to it. Take a step back from writing if you need it. Oftentimes creativity blooms best after you’ve giving yourself the opportunity to rest.
All for now, folks! Have an awesome summer.
Build your novel career!
Until next time,
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