The Hazards of Working from Home
I woke up this morning and stumbled in the pre-dawn into the bathroom. JUST BEFORE I clicked on the light switch, I had one of those "uh-oh" mom moments. SOMETHING in the bathroom smelled like an industrial rubber factory. This is not a smell a suburban mom of four particularly WANTS to be associated with her bathroom. With a sinking feeling, I shielded my eyes and flicked on the lights. To a Silly String explosion. The culprit is Dynamo Boy. The accomplice is whichever sibling left the can where he could find it.
The slightly sad thing is I haven't even cleaned it yet. I sort of shrugged and went down to make coffee. These are the hazards of working from home. There are perks--your own schedule. Not having to change out of your pjs (and it's going to be that kind of day today). But there are definitely hazards.
Whether you do the writing thing full-time, like me, or part-time while you work a day job, carving time out is one part of the equation. Carving a mental space to create is even harder at times. When the household is spinning 'round you at the speed of light, and Silly String is flying . . . just how are you supposed to crawl into a scene and write pretty words?
I don't particularly have an answer except that it's like training any muscle, you just do it until you don't even think about it anymore. I have felt really whiny this week. For the record, I HATE whining. It's a trait I abhor and it boils down, for me, to waking up one morning and saying "F**k it, move on." In the grand scheme of life, laundry and Silly String are insignificant. In the grand scheme of life, so is pain, feeling tired, being stressed and overworked. It is what it is. Move on.
In the end, you just write.
So what are the hazards lurking in your writing life?
20 comments:
I think he should be rewarded for making the mess near a water source!
A mess in the tub, well... could be worse.
Well, both my kids are off this week, so I'm moving my schedule around to accommodate. If anything, a bigger issue is when they're at school & I have to kill a chunk of time in the middle of the afternoon to pick them up (granted, I don't HAVE to, but I feel like I should. They can ride the bus, but my youngest plays tenor sax and the sax case is about the size of a small coffin, plus, there should be SOME advantages to having me work out of the house for the kids, right?). We plan on getting another car soon, so oldest son will probably be driving it to school, wh/will eliminate that particular kid run, although that can create its own issues of stress, etc.
Jude:
I did think of that. :-)
Mark:
All three of my older kids commute. Oldest Son has the longest commute (1 and 15 minutes each way, minimum). Younger Daughter has 45 minutes each way. Oldest Daughter, the last two years of high school, had over an hour. Her senior year, she had a car . . . and it WAS its own stress. The interchange where she had to pick up the highway is SO poorly designed, there are accidents there all the time. I'm a very good driver--and I FEEL TENSE there. So . . . sometimes the license thing is a blessing and a curse. I know Oldest Son is definitely looking forward to his permit. I am not sure my heart can take it. :-)
Right now it's the quiet in my way.
I stumbled upon the thought that writing is a little bit like prayer. You have to be in a zone, no matter what happens around you.
I think it is muscle memory and for me it's going to resolve itself in word counts. I'm also trying a new workout routine, first thing in the am, to see if I can work off the jitters before I write.
Starbucks:
This year was a big change in routine for me because of Oldest Son's commute. Oddly enough, though I LOATHE the 5:15 alarm clock, I also appreciate how much more quiet time I gained.
My animals are hazards. A dog is snoring two feet from my desk now. That's easy to ignore. Not as easy are her sometimes desperate prancing for food. The cat jumping on me, demanding that I massage her. If I added all the time I spend petting her, I think it would be more than an hour. Taking the two dogs in and out on demand. Today I'll walk both dogs, which will take at least an hour. I love my animals, though. They're worth it.
Edie:
The cat is particularly insistent in this house. LOL!
Phew Erica - your sentiments are exactly my sentiments!!!
The Fruit of My Womb - 'My Angels' are my hazards....you know that nowadays woman are encouraged to take folic acid before and during pregnancy?...well, I was obviously given arsenic by mistake...my womb probably wasn't in its best condition when I conceived....
Recent things my 'Bunnies' have done when I'm writing are;
1) A month ago it was carnival time in Greece and as you have seen from the previous post - they are fascinated by loud, noisy dangerous fireworks. So, they took one and put it in their Father's car ashtray- the bloody thing exploded everywhere,melted all the plastics within a 10cm vicinity and even worse, the blasted thing hadn't been emptied for ages -Hubby smokes a pipe! We had to strip the car of ALL the coverings...and it HONKED of melted plastics...phew
2)A few days ago my 'Angels' were playing at pirates...surprise surprise..and wanted to use their incredibly inventive minds to make a flag.
THEY DID.
AND PUT IT ON A POLE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. EVERYONE PASSES BY THAT ROAD....
The pirate'flag' was AN ENORMOUS PAIR OF MY ANCIENT PREGNANCY KNICKERS - MUST of worn them when I was 10 months Pregnant...and I bought them a few sizes too big...
Yes, I hang my head in shame...that's why I try to write when they're in bed at night...or else....
ewoh:
Tiredness is a big pitfall for me. Sometimes, all I want to do is crash at night!
Ann Marie:
LOL! Oh, my . . . I thought I was the only one:
www.demonbabyandme.blogspot.com
Oh, we have a LOT in common!
I find that my biggest temptation is the TV. I work a full-time job, do the cooking and share the cleaning duties at home, and have three children under the age of 10 to manage. By the time I get it all done, and have the lunches made for the next day, and the house somewhat cleaned... I'm just done. I put writing time in my calendar and some days I do it, and some days I don't. I'm not sure what it will take to get me writing every day... maybe a coach that I am accountable to who asks me for a daily word count? Maybe a deadline that would make a difference... like finish the edits by this date and I'll tell my agent to review it. I guess right now I'm just wandering in circles looking for a direction and some hutzpah to kick in.
Ditto what Jude said, as well as a nod for your son's artistic talent.
I am my hazard. Nothing or no one gets in my way better than I.
Kath:
LOL . . . I hear you!
The only hazards at the moment are procrastination and self-doubt but more are on the horizon when we move back to CA this summer.
But I'm trying not to think about it and instead I'll just write.
Dynamo Boy is definitely a keeper! He's sure headed for something special, quite possibly world domination.
I enjoy a good whine. Mostly I just spit and glare and rant until I beat it away. Call it names, get my fight on. You know how in movies, the person with cancer or whatnot always accepts pain and suffering with saintly dignity and grace?
So. Not. Me.
I don't like to complain either, at least not on the internet. I don't want that haunting me forever and ever.
My biggest challenge right now is finding a balance between the zillion things I'm trying to get under control. The cool thing is I'm living where my book is set so every night when I drive home I'm inspired all over again. I didn't forsee that when I wrote the first draft last year.
Nadine:
Oh, I have those two also. :-(
Natasha:
I'll whine, but I give it a timetable. Not for too long, and preferably not at all.
And yeah . . . dying people in movies are always a lot wiser than the rest of us.
Melanie:
That is cool . . . I love visiting Manhattan, where I set a lot of my books, just to refresh my memory. Get the vibe.
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