My life changed drastically sixteen months ago when my wife gave birth to our son. One of the things that changed the most (after learning that, yes, there is such a thing as five o’clock a.m. We had only seen it in movies before.) was my writing. Before our son arrived, I had a cushy schedule. You see, I only work weekends at my day job, so I usually had five days to myself every week. Pretty nice for an aspiring author!
It was this schedule which allowed me to write Shadow’s Son. I would wake up whenever the spirit moved me (usually around nine-ish), get something to eat, and then plop down in front of my computer. My daily quota was four pages of new text, but with six or seven hours to occupy, I frequently produced far more than that. The result was a brand new novel in about four months.
Fast forward to today. I still have the same work schedule, but now I have an added responsibility–our son. Because my wife and I don’t want to use daycare, I am Mr. Mom until mommy gets home.
Now I write in the evenings when the boy is asleep, which was a big transition for me. Having training myself to create in the morning and afternoon, it took me a couple months to make the switch to later hours. For a while I didn’t think it was going to work, but having a signed contract is a big motivation, so I stuck to it. Eventually, I got the hang of it, and now I’m back up to my daily quota.
In the shuffle, however, my wife lost something: her evenings spent with me. And this brings me to the real point of this post:
Writers, cherish your spouses!
They are the rocks that hold our families together when that deadline looms and you don’t have time to read “one more story,” or wash dishes, or any of the other million jobs they do while you’re busy creating new worlds. As for my wife, she is invaluable. She is wife, mommy, best friend, first editor, chef, seamstress, grocery shopper, and head cheerleader (and she has the pompoms to prove it, but I digress…) all rolled into one fantastic package.
To Jenny, my love. Thank you.
I’m right there with you, my friend. I’ve got a son that just turned 1, and it’s really cramped my writing schedule. I used to be able to write when I wanted, for as long as I wanted. Now, I’m a stay at home daddy while my wife finishes college, and I have very very little time to even read a novel, much less write one. My wife has been wonderful, though, and I really appreciate all the help she’s given me on this.
Hear, hear, my friend!! I’ve got two little ones and I’m going to school full-time, so finding an opportunity to get pages in are few and far between. I’m still trying to figure out how to balance it all.
Props to you and your lovely supportive family.
I’m glad I didn’t read this at work…I bawled! You’re just the best and I’m very proud of you. Logan and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. I hope he grows up to be just like his Dad. 🙂