tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post5411217453207853759..comments2023-10-26T11:34:38.322-04:00Comments on Ask Allison: On the Mommy TrackAllison Winn Scotchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820208316115681320noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-66752565251034185972008-02-25T17:51:00.000-05:002008-02-25T17:51:00.000-05:00I find I've been more productive in some ways (and...I find I've been more productive in some ways (and it definitely shines a light on new experiences to write about!). But there are also days when I'm just too tired--and a lot of that has to do with the fact that taking care of a toddler wears me out...so in that sense, I'm sometimes a lot LESS productive. I also don't know how moms are able to write at home, with nannies or babysitters. I had to start my son in daycare when he was five months old because of a book deal, and I upped it to three days/week when I started getting more work. I just don't think I could write if he were anywhere near my desk--even if someone else were here to take care of him.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05533754739491668621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-74531294889471241712008-02-25T15:20:00.000-05:002008-02-25T15:20:00.000-05:00I'm going to say something that might have moms th...I'm going to say something that might have moms throwing shoes at me. <BR/><BR/>It is easier to write when your kids are younger than when they get older. This is a direct corollary with the theory that the younger the child, the easier parenting is. (Trust me, you'll agree in about 10 years.)<BR/><BR/>When the kids were small, I could write around naps, early bedtimes, hire someone to watch them for a little while. As the kids got older, they stayed up later, needed more help with homework and projects, driven to activities, etc. <BR/><BR/>I started full time freelancing when my "baby" was 15 and it was impossible to work while he was in the house. He moved out, I'm empty nesting, and my productivity has tripled.Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10657818568795511721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-72683099555031093022008-02-25T13:43:00.000-05:002008-02-25T13:43:00.000-05:00I agree with all of these comments! Before I had a...I agree with all of these comments! Before I had a child I was a writer who never wrote. But by the time my daughter turned three I had started and finished a whole draft of my book. I procrastinate less and really value the hours I have to write. We'll see how I do next week when I add child number 2 to the mix.kate hopperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08761820572827505993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-44388384130261752452008-02-24T15:22:00.000-05:002008-02-24T15:22:00.000-05:00I'm so glad to read your response, and all of the ...I'm so glad to read your response, and all of the comments that everyone had. Yes, this issue *has* had me worried. I've had several people lately tell me to give up everything when I have kids, and it seems so ridiculous. Instead, I'm trying to train myself to be more flexible--to work in smaller snatches of time, or to write in a notebook and then transcribe if a laptop isn't handy, and to write with more distractions. It is still nothing like having a kid--I know that--but I hope that it will help.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-26802708140476697082008-02-23T21:06:00.000-05:002008-02-23T21:06:00.000-05:00MORE productive, by far. As a single, work-outside...MORE productive, by far. As a single, work-outside-the-house mom of a 3 year old daughter, I have to do it all, and well, and also right now. I've gotten WAY more organized and forward-thinking, because if I don't plan ahead things like meals and shopping trips and laundry, I'm hosed. I write after she goes to bed, during naptimes on the weekends, and any other time I can shoehorn in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-34528292579546673442008-02-23T09:55:00.000-05:002008-02-23T09:55:00.000-05:00I love that quote by the actress you interviewed. ...I love that quote by the actress you interviewed. What a great insight.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06862496090402365429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-40030789124199545332008-02-22T18:09:00.000-05:002008-02-22T18:09:00.000-05:00UGH I think my comment got ATE! Okay....I totally ...UGH I think my comment got ATE! Okay....I totally agree with the lady you interviewed and in that vein I think having kids makes you more focused and driven. I wonder if I would have tried so hard to get published if I HADN'T had kids. <BR/><BR/>That said it was much easier to write when they were 5 and 7 vs now when they're 14 and 12. You learn to make the most of the small pockets of time you have.<BR/><BR/>And going to what Kristi and Keetha said, I'm not just a mom but a single working mom with very little outside help. To quote a good friend of mine, "How bad do you want it and what are you willing to give up to have it?" I think this is an important question especially for women who (me included) tend to put themselves last.Amie Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14145328243563702260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-55342221421415460002008-02-22T12:14:00.000-05:002008-02-22T12:14:00.000-05:00Keetha and Kristi-Thanks for the comments. Yes, y...Keetha and Kristi-<BR/>Thanks for the comments. Yes, you can absolutely do it without a sitter...I just didn't want to go ahead and say that, and make writer-moms feel like they had to carve out "work time" from their precious "me time" at night and such. <BR/>AllisonAllison Winn Scotchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820208316115681320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-33992592549625944062008-02-22T12:10:00.000-05:002008-02-22T12:10:00.000-05:00When I started writing 28 years ago, I had a five-...When I started writing 28 years ago, I had a five-year-old, a two-year-old, and a newborn baby ten days old. I wrote in snippets of time throughout the day, doing my thinking while nursing or folding diapers (no disposables then), then made a mad dash to the typewriter for ten minutes to write a page. You can make it work if you want it badly enough--and without babysitters. But boy, you get organized! And 35 books later, I'm really glad I didn't wait till the kids were grown to start.Kristi Hollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01480214912307187314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31033821.post-80765915083837121972008-02-22T10:16:00.000-05:002008-02-22T10:16:00.000-05:00I have a chatty and curious six year old. After wh...I have a chatty and curious six year old. After whining and pouting and feeling sorry for myself because I didn't "have time" to write, I read a great story called "The Woman Who Slept With One Eye Open." I began getting up early in the morning to write and amazingly, pockets of time began to open during evenings after that. Anything you want bad enough you can do.Keethahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10391755322320140235noreply@blogger.com