I’m a full-time grad student, stay-at-home mother of two small children, wife of a pastor, and I work from home. The phones are ringing, friends are texting me, the kids are fighting or begging me for something, and my husband is asking me a question or two. Sometimes, believe it or not, this is all happening at once. Meanwhile, I’m staring at a blank page on my laptop attempting to work on my short story, asking myself, “How in the world am I supposed to write in these conditions?”
I’ve learned I have to keep a writing schedule and change my environment in order to write. If I don’t, my other responsibilities will consume me and I won’t finish anything. So I block off chunks of time to write. I also get away from my dining room table (currently my office) and use a different space to write in like the library. Being at home is too cozy and I’m easily distracted. If I go to the library, I know I have to keep my phone on vibrate and I’m in a quiet place where I can focus and be productive.
I care about all the things going on in my life: my kids, my husband, my job, and my writing. I want to treat everything with the same level of care, and am learning to balance things, to focus on one thing at a time, to set boundaries for myself. I am learning that when I stick to my schedule and change the area where I write, I can get my writing done and still honor the other parts of my life.
Marcena Hooks
Virtual Writing Center
Antioch University
