It is time for Alex J. Cavanagh's Insecure Writer's Support Group!This week has been insanely busy. My inlaws came to visit so I've been trying to balance JuNoWriMo and being a hostess/tour guide for my relatives. Since I live right on the Gulf everyone wanted to spend tons of time at the beach. It is very difficult to write and play in the surf and sand at the same time... Which leads to my current insecurity. I always feel behind. Trying to squeeze in writing is not easy with three young children even when things are calm. I'm trying to be content with what I can realistically accomplish but my inner critic pipes up and informs me that I will never get anywhere at that pace. It's frustrating. (I am a jump in with both feet sort of person if you haven't guessed!) Maybe someday I will be able to write for hours at a time but for now I need to learn to be make the most of my minutes and be content with them.
Now on to What's Up Wednesday!
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What I'm ReadingI am reading "The Raven Boys" by Maggie Stiefvater. I'm only a few chapters in so far but I do love her writing.
What I'm Writing
I am working on "Simmer" for JuNoWriMo. I'm weaving in the subplot that I came up with the other day along with some new characters that sort of "showed up"!
What Inspires Me Right Now
The great support group at JuNoWriMo has been very inspiring to me this week. It has been an encouraging and exhilarating challenge.
Playing with my kids at the beach all week has been inspiring on the parenting front. It was wonderful to just have fun with them and watch my oldest son help the younger ones get over their fear of water.
What Else I've Been Up To
The beach and writing about some up my life this week. If I wasn't working on my book I was at the beach with family.
I loved THE RAVEN BOYS. I hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteAnd it sounds like you've had some wonderful time with your family. That combination (beach + writing) sounds like a great one to me!
It is a fun combination :) So far I am loving the Raven Boys. Maggie Stiefvater is such a talented author.
DeleteMaking the most of the time you have is the best you can do. Keep at it. It will pay off. I promise!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm realizing that ten minute sprints seem to be working for me. They add up after awhile :)
DeleteI only have the one little one to run around after, goodness knows how I'd cope with three. It can be hard to find the time to write in such a hectic schedule, but when you do it's the best therapy.
ReplyDeleteIt really is. I love the sense of calm after a great writing session.
DeleteTHE RAVEN BOYS is on my to-read list. I wouldn't worry too much about the writing time. The kids are more important (how often have I told myself that!), and the older they get, the more time you'll have. It comes faster than one would like.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the beach!!!
Yes, It feels like they will be little forever but I know that isn't true so I'm trying to relax and enjoy my time with them.
DeleteAs a mom, it's all we can do. Don't lose that inner critic though, because he is what keeps us going. Without him nagging at us to get better, we are apt to let more and more slip. Good luck on JuNoWriMo!
ReplyDeleteVery true. I wish that he would be nicer sometimes though!
DeleteSpending time at the beach sounds so appealing right now. We've had mostly grey or rainy days lately, and I'm good and ready for tons of sun. With regards to your writing insecurity, I so often feel the same way. If I'm not working on my story every day, I feel like I'm falling behind and then the guilt threatens to ruin the rest of my day. You are totally not alone. :)
ReplyDeleteyes! The guilt is the worse! I'm trying not to let it in but it keeps showing up anyway. Oh well, as much as I love writing its not the only thing in my life that needs my time.
DeleteDon't beat yourself up too much about the time you are able to spend writing but enjoy the opportunities you do have. In my experience there are never enough hours in the day and I for one am usually behind on what I'd like to achieve! Just remember, any writing you do is bringing you one step closer to completion of that manuscript. Best of luck and nice to meet you today.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne
IWSG co-host
Thanks for the reminder and thank you for co-hosting :)
DeleteExactly. Take every added word as words you didn't have before and keep at it.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! Thanks :)
DeleteGood luck with JuNoWriMo! Don't you absolutely love it when characters just announce themselves and demand to be written into the book? Always exciting ^_^
ReplyDeleteYes! It is so much fun and these two came with such awesome personalities. I only wish that they would tell me their names so that I didn't have to call them One and Two...
DeleteRemember: it's not like the time you're spending away from writing isn't worth anything! Time with kids and guests and the beach is valuable too; when you see someone posting about their insanely productive writing week, keep in mind that it may have come at the expense of those other types of experience. It's all about balance; even a little bit here and a little bit there will add up!
ReplyDeleteVery true. If I wasn't living my life I suppose that my writing would suffer in quality quite a bit.
DeleteUnderstandable concern. I know some who are like that. Then there are those like me who work but have no kids yet and still with online groups and such struggle to get things done. We all find a way somehow even if it means taking a bit longer to get something done.
ReplyDeleteyes, I guess the trick is to be happy with our own timeline and not worry about everyone else's.
DeleteTotally understandable! Your a busy mom, you have out of town family visiting, you can only do so much! I enjoyed your post very much, and when I was younger, I relived it all! Fun to visit your busy blog!! Enjoyed!
ReplyDeletesandysanderellasmusings.blogspot.com
Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteLOVE, LOVE, LOVE some Raven Boys! Can't wait for the sequel!
ReplyDeleteAnd lucky you! I can't wait until beach and writing make up my day. :)
I'm already excited about the sequel and I haven't finished the first. Its just that good!
DeleteI think feeling behind is something parents and writers will always share. One day at a time is the only cure I can think of.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is very true. "Just keep swimming"... (finding Nemo has some awesome quotes!)
DeleteOh, to be able to be on the beach right now! Enjoy it and enjoy your family!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have a very full plate right now! I can relate to that feeling of always being behind although I only have one child and not three like you! I hope things settle down a bit for you, so you can keep up with the writing. And enjoy THE RAVEN BOYS! I'm eagerly waiting for the second book to come out!
ReplyDeleteI hope things settle down some too. I want to write much more than I have been :) So far I am loving The Raven Boys!
DeleteOhh I really want to read the Raven Boys - are you enjoying it?
ReplyDeleteSigh, the beach sounds so idylic, meanwhile I'm sitting here with the heater on and all wrapped in my woolies....! sigh!
Good luck with JuNoWriMo!!
I wish I could send some of the heat and sand your way! We have plenty of it down here. I love The Raven Boys so far.
DeleteI too, feel like I'm always behind. And I feel like everyone can do everything better/quicker. I like how you said you need to be content with your minutes. For awhile I wasn't getting any writing done because I only had a half hour here or there and that wasn't enough time to write for 'real'. But if I didn't use that time there was no other. Finally I learned that writing in small chunks was better than not writing at all. Do what you can do, it's still progress.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to only go for a short while and feel satisfied but yes, it is so much better then not writing.
DeleteOhhhhh, I loved THE RAVEN BOYS and am very much looking forward to THE DREAM THIEVES when it comes out in September! Maggie is such an amazing visual writer - when I first read SHIVER, she had this scene in a candy shop that had my mouth watering...and I have been hooked on her books ever since. If you haven't read SCORPIO RACES yet, I'd highly recommend that read - I think that might be right up there with THE RAVEN BOYS as my favorite book of hers!
ReplyDeleteAnd I think making the most of what time you have right now, is so important. I was unfortunately laid off from my job back in early March - but received a rather impressive severance package...so to me, time has been the most amazing gift I could have ever received. Funny how I still find myself writing at 2am in the morning though, even when I could be writing at 2pm in the afternoon - I guess old habits never die.
Best of luck with your new WiP!
I have read the Scorpio Races. It is one of my favorite YA books to date. Maggie weaves such good stories. I am really enjoying the Raven Boys so far. I'm sorry that you got laid of but its great that you can find a bright side in it. Happy writing :)
DeleteHi! Oh, that feeling of always being behind... I think every writer has it. If you're not behind on your writing, you're behind on the laundry. Or the dishes. Or the fill-in-the-blank that comes along with running a household, raising kids. For me, it's cyclical. Luckily my family is very supportive!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your summer at the beach and good luck with your draft!
Spot on! Learning to cope with that feeling is my biggest challenge right now. If the writing is going well, something else is being ignored. When other things HAVE to be dealt with (like this week), the writing suffers and I worry I'll lose my momentum, my mojo, and my audience (as if I actually had one). Those ten minute sprints are huge, though. I've done some of my best work in the waiting room at the dentist's office.
DeleteSara- That is so true. I did great on writing and now we are running out of clean dishes... tomorrow will probably be the other way around. Thanks for the support!
DeleteRebecca- Its amazing what can be done in ten minutes! I have all off those same worries. We can only do what we can do, I suppose.