Since NaNo started on Nov. 1, I have been babysitting my grandbaby for two days. It’s a fun gig; one that I am grateful I can do due to a time-flexible career. Although I wanted to get some headway with NaNo, I didn’t expect to get any work done. I wanted to be present for the baby when he was awake.
Luckily, not only did I get to enjoy him, he napped several times in the day so I still had a chance to get down some words. After my radical revision where I pretty much started over, I have amassed 2,069 words. Not too shabby.
Writing around real life is tricky; NaNo’ing with such a busy November schedule is super tricky. Here are some things I have done the past couple of days to still continue to produce words.
1.Think about your story. Even with lots of family goings-on, there’s the commute time, driving around, pushing the baby in the stroller. Think through your plot and scenes so that once you can really write, you already have some ideas.
2.Get in the mood. When I write, I put on the same Pandora radio station. The music cues my brain to think of the series world.
3.Write to the time you have. So you only have an hour. Or a half. Or 15 minutes. Set the timer and write as much as you can toward your story. It’s easy to be tempted to not even try because you have to overcome inertia. Do not give in. Stay strong and write.
4.Avoid the Great British Baking Show and other Netflix shows. While I was tending the grandbaby, my daughter watched an episode of the GBBS. She offered to leave it on for me. I declined. I know myself; I can easily get sucked into a Netflix show. I have told myself that I can watch a good show AFTER I finish my manuscript. Or maybe on Saturday night when I am just chilling with the fam.
5.Prepare meals for the week. Before I tended the grandbaby, I prepped three meals that could be easily heated up. It really helps to maximize productivity when you’re not spending that hour before dinner prepping a complex meal. Bonus: you’re not just eating ramen or putting a lot of the onus on your spouse or other family members to fix meals. (Although if they can help with some of the meals, then bonus!)
6.Clear your calendar. Whether it’s NaNo or just my next manuscript, I avoid appointments. I tell family and friends that I would be available again in a week or two. This helps me stay in the groove of my story and keep chugging along.
What about you? What do you do to make NaNo happen with a busy household?
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