As writers, all of us struggle to find the time to create. In this article, we'll look at three of our members - all with different lifestyles - and see what's unique about their situations and what they have in common. Can a stay-at-home mom set realistic goals? What motivates a full-time writer? And what conflicts does a working woman have to deal with?
A full-time mother and wife since September, Becci Clayton has two children (Alex, who is 12 and Hannah, 8) - three if you count her husband, Joe. Her busy life also includes a dog, four fish and a mortgage.
A full-time writer and the Art Marketing Director for a national art printing company, Sue Vider's "free" time is spent taking care of five adult children, five grandchildren who have learned how to dial up grandma, and a retired lawyer/husband.
Kay Steere works a full forty-hour week at Time Warner Cable. As secretary to the director of design, she's solely responsible for the support and care of a staff of twenty designers, one supervisor, two managers and the director.
HeartBeat of Denver: Do you set writing goals? If you do are they long, medium or short-term?
SV: Yes, I set writing goals - have to as I usually have several projects on-going at any one time. They could be short-term projects - such as an article for a magazine, medium-length projects - such as small booklets for my company, or long-term projects - such as books. I currently have five different books in various stages of development. Each has its own timetable. Without goals, I would be lost. For example, a daily goal could be anything from checking out a reference, writing a letter or doing a revision of an outline. I try NOT to set weekly goals, as I prefer the daily ones. I have found that if the daily goals are met, everything will fall in line. I usually set my daily goals in my mind as I fall asleep and think how I'm going to organize the next day.
KS: I do set short-term writing goals. They can be as nebulous as "I've been messing with Dangerous Moon for seven years. I really am going to finish that thing soon." More often, they are specific - "I will self-critique three chapters of Polka Dots and Moonbeams this week, in preparation for a massive re-write."
BC: I set all three types of goals. I think that goals are important in all aspects of life whether it be career, personal, or otherwise. My writing goals are short-term: type 4-5 pages per day minimum pushing for 10, Monday through Friday and sometimes weekends when time allows and depending on how a story is developing. Medium: Send out a minimum of 12 proposals to publishers, submit 20 fiction/nonfiction articles to various publications this year. Long term: become published in novel-length fiction, focus on building a reader base and someday hit the NYT bestseller list - either fiction or nonfiction.
HB: What obstacles/conflicts, peculiar to your lifestyle, get in the way of your writing? How do you try and overcome them?
SV: My obstacles are the phone and a retired husband who thinks nothing of coming into my office and demanding whatever… and that whatever absolutely has to be done this minute. To overcome these two problems, for the phone I have two lines, one for the home, one for business, each of which has an answering machine. When I am on deadline, I simply do NOT answer the phone. As to the husband, he takes a nap every day after lunch and watches TV from about 4 p.m. on… so I do my heavy (creative) writing from 1 to 2 and from 6 to 8 in the evening. Some mornings I get up early and write from 7 to 10 am... or until the phone starts ringing.
KS: My husband is the main obstacle to my writing. It's not that he isn't supportive - he is. But he does have some unfortunate habits. Most nights he watches TV or works on his bills with attention so rapt, I could catch on fire and he wouldn't notice. But it seems the minute I get fired-up with some ingenious brainstorm and sit at the computer to write it, he suddenly has a million questions. I have two ways of overcoming this. First, I shut the door to the computer room with a large, fluorescent "Do not disturb" sign attached. When that doesn't work (usually), I simply tell him to shut up and go away. He knows me by now. He doesn't take offense.
BC: I'm finding that the uninterrupted time while the children are in school during the early part of the day is wonderful, but I almost feel busier now that I am not working. All appointments, lessons, crisises, etc. now fall to me to handle so that my husband does not have to take time from work. I write from about 8-2 while the kids are in school, then focus on my family until they hit the hay around 8 or 9 then read or sometimes write until I go to bed around 10:30ish. I sleep less now than I have in my entire life. I also have a sign posted on my door that reads: UNLESS IT IS SQUIRTING ARTERIAL BLOOD + DO NOT DISTURB. When my office door is closed, the family has learned to respect my writing time. Otherwise, every single thing became an emergency that only mother could handle!
HB: What motivates you to accomplish goals you've set?
SV: My motivation for writing is many fold. One, there is the money. My second motivation is I am an educator and I believe I am providing a service helping my readers with their problems. And finally, I simply love to write. It's like being on your own, very private island, where in you can say what you want to… within reason, of course.
KS: I don't know what motivates me, either to write or to accomplish goals. I wish I did. Writing is just something that comes out of me. I can't seem to stop, at least not for extended periods of time. There's always something cooking inside my head, and sooner or later it will demand to be put down on paper.
BC: Going from a full-time job to earning no money, I am highly motivated to submit my work for payment rather than just the enjoyment of writing, which has helped me focus even more on craft. This focus in turn has helped my writing a great deal
HB: Do you set goals in other areas of your life besides writing?
SV: My goals in other areas of living are simple: I need a clean house and good food on the table. Everything else is relative and I don't really bother too much about the rest.
KS: I have all kinds of goals, for everything from doing the laundry to how I'm going to get my desk cleaned off by the end of the day. It's how I get everything done, even when it's impossible to get everything done.
BC: Absolutely. Goals in all aspects of life are very helpful and help me focus on what's important and what's not. Having come from a law enforcement/public safety background, I learned very early on that it is essential to assess and prioritize in order to accomplish just about anything. I'm just glad I have the luxury now of being able to take time to set goals without the pressure of doing so in mere seconds.
HB: How does your lifestyle help in accomplishing your writing goals or your writing? How do you think it hurts?
SV: My lifestyle is pretty much whatever I want it to be… so I have no problems… just lots of adult kids who keep calling… when do they REALLY leave home?
KS: I think my lifestyle helps my writing far more than it hurts. For one thing, I work with a unique and interesting collection of people, and I encounter new ones every day. I'm exposed to a lot of different viewpoints on any subject, and a lot of personal stories that just feed my creative fire. Also, the office can be a very chaotic and hectic place. This hones my ability to concentrate, figure out what really needs to be done, and then how to do it with the minimum fuss.
BC: Being able to write most of the day while the children are in school has helped a tremendous amount with the volume of my writing. I also don't feel the guilt of writing during the day as I did when I wrote at night. At night, I always felt like I should be fixing something, washing, etc., and taking care of my family and house. Now that I write during the day, I tell that huge pile of laundry and stack of dirty dishes that they are just going to have to wait. One large drawback is that I have not yet received a steady income to replace what I lost from the layoff. It makes for some very lean days, which is sometimes stressful.
HB: List two or three writing goals for the coming months/year. Are you confident you can achieve these?
SV: 1) finish two non-fiction books that are almost done. 2) finish fiction book which is almost done. 3) get several speaking engagements for the summer and fall. 4) decide on at least one new book project for the following year so I can start the research.
KS: My current goals are to polish Polka Dots and Moonbeams. Also, I am re-writing Dangerous Moon, which contains characters that I cannot get out of my head. And right now, I'm just starting my first try at a historical, called Winter Waltz. I'm very excited about it, and am busy with the plotting stages. I also have several gothics in various stages of completion. No one may be buying them, but writing them is my secret vice, and you never know - they might come back yet.
BC: 1. Become published in novel length fiction. 2. Earn a living at writing fiction/non-fiction. 3. Someday make the NYT bestseller list. Yes - I feel confident in my goals but I also understand that it will require an incredible amount of work and personal sacrifice. I do not expect to sell my first book and have the publisher dying to publish my next. I do not expect the publisher to make my career for me. As difficult as it may be, most of my success will be my responsibility and I take this task VERY seriously. But after having worked at everything from a seamstress to deputy sheriff and EMT, I am doing that which I have always loved and which has given me the most fulfillment (next to being a mother) - writing.
HB: Thanks to Sue, Kay and Becci for sharing so much good information.
Sue Viders is the author of numerous books on marketing art. Her latest is "Ten Steps to Marketing". She also has charts, booklets and audiotapes out on the market. A former columnist for many of the major art magazines, Viders is quoted often and helps many editors with article ideas and background information. She is the Director of Art Education and Marketing for Color Q, Inc., a creative printing company out of Dayton, OH. Viders lectures internationally at trade and specialized art shows.
Kay Steere started writing short stories in first grade. She finished her first novel as a sophomore in high school. Her fourteen completed novels include romantic suspense, mainstream, humor, gothic and paranormal. Bantam requested "Hearts of Wyoming" in full this past year. Steere is busy plotting out her next book - a historical called "Winter Waltz".
Becci Clayton has been serious about her writing for about three and a half years. In that time, she's joined RWA, HODRW and now serves as critique host for the online romance group for RMFW. She writes historicals and paranormal/time-travel romances and has submitted to several publishers. Becci also writes articles for several magazines and was thrilled to see her non-fiction work bought and published.
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