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It sounds counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? But for me, at least, that’s how it’s worked out. Going back to work has given me more writing time than I had when I was at home.
I returned to work on August 6, after a seventeen-month maternity leave. I work part time, four days a week, one of which is from home and three of which are in the office. And do you know what? I’ve written more in these past three weeks than I did in the three months before, I think.
Before you jump to conclusions, no I’m not writing when I should be working. However, what being back at work means is more time spent in front of a computer, without the interruptions that young children generally provide. What being back at work means, for me, is a good half an hour to an hour each day – in my lunch break - when I can just write, without interruptions.
Sure, I could have got that much time at home … but not uninterrupted. Even when the baby went to sleep, getting a solid hour’s writing time was almost unheard of, and there were other things to do that couldn’t be done when he was awake, like the vacuuming, or cleaning the bathroom, or whatever. (My youngest child is a climber. Leaving him alone for more than a few minutes means that you’ll find him on top of the dining room table, or something similar, when you return.) In short, there were always other things that had to be done in order to keep the house running smoothly. Besides, clearing off the table and getting the laptop out also took more time and frankly, that didn’t always sound appealing.
I recognise, of course, that there is an element of choice in all this. I could have chosen to have an un-vacuumed, un-cleaned house and used that time to write. I could have done all the cleaning on weekends, when my husband was around to keep an eye on the kids. (Don’t worry, he does his share of cleaning too. I’m just referring to my jobs.) I could have chosen to use that time to write. And it probably says something about me that I didn’t – maybe some people will think I’m less of a writer because I didn’t make that time every day. That’s okay. I’m comfortable with my decisions.
Now, though, the fire is back and the manuscript is definitely getting finished. I’ve written 5000 words a week over the past three weeks, upping my tally to 86K altogether. And it’s all because I’m already sitting at the computer, I’m already in that writing pose, and I have some time when I KNOW that no kids are going to need me. It’s heaven.
So yes, going back to work has, for me at least, meant more writing time. Now what about you? When have you found that something helped your writing when you expected it to hinder it? Because I’m sure I’m not alone here. Writing, it seems, has a way of sticking its head in and sorting things out when you least expect it.
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Great blog Emily. I once wrote an entire article (1,000 words) while waiting in the doctor’s surgery…thank God for those unappealing, outdated magazines. Better still, I sold it to The Australian. I always think I will write on long plane journeys but never do .
Thanks Pauline! And that’s excellent use of time. But then again, the November 1987 editions of House and Garden or the Women’s Weekly probably wouldn’t appeal to many people, would they?
Congrats on going back into the office. I know how hard that is after a baby. After my 2nd, I decided NOT to return to the office, but now, years later, I finally am ready. And cherish that uninterrupted writing time. It’s gold. My first published novel was written mostly on the bus during my commute to and from work.
Thanks! I kind of had to go back, though, in that I didn’t quit but instead had the time off as paid leave … half pay for most of it, sure, but still paid. And if I quit then it wouldn’t have been leave as I wouldn’t have been returning, and I would have had to pay some of it back. I was ready to go back, though – the thought of someone else being responsible for the kids during the day was incredibly seductive. Much as I love them, they can wear you down a bit. But yes, I absolutely cherish that writing time. I get little enough of it that when I do manage some it is, as you said, gold.
I don’t have kids, but I’ve been unemployed, and I was surprisingly unproductive during my months without work. I spent a lot of time job-hunting, which is very mentally draining. I still had plenty of free time, but I always felt guilty about working on a novel when I should have been looking up vacancies and filling out applications, so I ended up reading a lot and writing only a little. (There may have been a bit of depression going on there, too.) Now that I have a stable, full-featured job, I still don’t get as much writing time as I’d like, but I can work on novels during my Metro commute, and I can write at home because I don’t have any other priorities hanging over my head. Lunch break, however, is prohibitively difficult, due to how far I have to walk to find a place where no one will interrupt.
There seem to be a few people who write on the commute to and from work. I tend to use that time to catch up on my reading (I do post book reviews every three weeks, after all, and I read other books in between), but then again I’m lucky in that my work has designated “quiet rooms” where you can go for a while and work without being disturbed, so I just take the laptop in at lunchtime and go for my life. I know what you mean about feeling guilty about writing when you have other responsibilities, though – there always seem to be other things calling my attention away. Even now I’m typing away at the coffee table as the table I normally write at is covered in junk that needs to be sorted out sooner rather than later, so once this is done I’ll probably do that rather than work on the novel. Best of luck with your writing!
I work part time so I’m home a lot and I do find that it’s easy to get side tracked by tv or housework. I’m quite disciplined though, as I live alone and I just don’t do the housework when I want to write. I just say “well it can wait. I need to get this writing done and it’s more important.”
Lol. I often think the housework can wait, too, but unfortunately my family don’t always agree. When the living room hasn’t been vacuumed in over a month it can get a little distracting, hahaha. But I envy you your discipline, because clearly outside the structured environment of work I’m struggling to find that. Best of luck with your writing!
I have been working on some short story’s these last few weeks because I haven’t had the time to work on my novel. My house has been in upheavel because of bathroom remodeling–if my house isn’t organized enough my thoughts don’t seem to be organized. Wierd isn’t it. I am bringing sunshine today though–I have been nominated for The Sunshine Award http://lynnthompsonbooks.blogspot.com/ and wanted to pass it on to you:0 Stop by anytime to pick it up.
Wow, thank you! *blushes* I’m absolutely flattered and honoured. And I know just what you mean about having organised thoughts in an disorganised environment – perhaps it’s our mind’s way of trying to level things out a bit.
Great to hear you’re back on track. A writer really does need uninterrupted time. I sometimes write more when I go away on holidays.
By the way, this is definitely your time for awards! I’ve awarded you the Creative Writer Blogging Award.
For details, see my latest post:
http://write21.wordpress.com/2012/08/29/creative-writer-blogging-award/
Aw, thanks Justin! I’m so flattered. *runs to see your latest post for more information* I’m feeling a little overwhelmed, but keep an eye out for my soon-to-be-written acceptance post.
I stopped by to notify you that I nominated you for two blog awards…
http://acostaeveli.blogspot.com/
Really? Thank you so much! I’m extremely flattered and very honoured. Look out for my acceptance post coming up soon. *beams*
Going back to work is all about routine which is what is needed for writers. I never think anyone of being less than a writer as we all have priorities and sometimes unfortunately priorities are other people.
Being able to focus on you is an amazing feat that I see you’re celebrating which is to be commended. And no one likes to write in a messy house, it’s just too distracting and frustrating. Organization and routine are key elements for any artist, I believe.
Thank you! I agree that routine can make all the difference. During the time I was at home I had a routine of sorts, but that was more about doing the school run and that sort of thing. The hours between nine and three, though, had very little by way of routine and that’s probably where I fell down. So yes, the fact that there is now much more structure in my life is very likely the key to getting this book written, and letting it languish. Thanks for the insight