Writer Mama Scholarship

Over at Christina Katz's website, she has a great blog that you should definitely check out. Christina is the Writer Mama who has inspired many women, including myself, to venture out on a writing career. 

 In addition to her awesome book, Writer Mama, Christina has recently written another book entitled Get Known Before the Book Deal.  Her books serve as wonderful tools for any writer mama who is working towards publication.  

Also, she offers several online writing classes that can be conveniently worked into the busy schedule of mom writers. She offers a quarterly scholarship for her class Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff.  If interested, pay a visit to her blog: The Writer Mama Riffs 

Becoming A Writer Mama

I made the decision months ago to start this blog and to keep it updated.  Well, it is painfully obvious that I have not stuck to my plan of daily or even weekly blogging. 

For weeks now, I have had the constant feeling that I am running without ever reaching the finish line. I seem to constantly fall short in at least one important aspect of my life - either my children, husband, house, or writing get neglected. If I actually get any writing done, then my house looks terrible. Or if I spend adequate time doing housework, making nutritious and tasty meals, and playing with my children, then no writing gets done.  

Hence, the frustration and disappointment in myself as a writer mama.  I've started asking myself: is it really possible to be successful as a wife, mom, and writer? 

While a loud, resounding "no!" definitely feels like the answer to that question, I know it's not true. I think that, like all things of importance, something worth doing takes effort.  Sometimes it's hard to be a good mom - smiling while changing the tenth diaper of the day can take a little effort sometimes.  So can getting up an hour early to get some writing in while the kids are asleep.  

But just because something takes effort doesn't mean it's not worth it, right? 

Now I definitely know the answer to that question.  My children are the greatest blessing and bring so much happiness to my life, even with all the work that goes into raising them...and I would not give up my job of being their mother for anything the world could offer. 

I love being a mom.  And I love being a writer.  So maybe I fall short of my goals sometimes. 

So what?  

As long as I keep working away, I'm making progress, right?  That's what is important.  Every day I am learning to be a better mom, and most days I am learning to be a better writer. If nothing else, acknowledging this has been a big step for me in my journey as a writer mama, because now I know that as long as I continue to do my best, I am succeeding...slowly but surely. 

God Bless America

I'm stealing away from the living room for a moment while my husband anxiously watches the news with updates on the election.  This is a very exciting election - I can't wait to see who will become our next president!  

I was so happy to see the long lines of people waiting to vote!  Although, the cold, rainy weather was a bit of a nuisance considering my husband and I had to wait outside with our two munchkins in tow.  We bundled them up, though, and Baby Girl was an angel like always and her big brother was content to run around next to me crunching leaves. 

It's awesome to see people taking a stand for what they believe in.  Regardless of whether I share the same political beliefs as others, I still think that as Americans we have a right and a responsibility to stand up for what we believe in...and exercising the right to vote allows us to do exactly that.  

Well, it's back to the TV to see the newest update.  God bless America!  

Election Day

Just a quick reminder: use your voice and go vote today!  

Internet: Friend or Foe

Have you noticed that spending time "doing research" can very easily start to take away from your actual writing time?  I know that research is necessary, but experience tells me that I can sometimes get carried away with it and neglect my writing as a result.  It is so difficult, though, to limit myself with such a wealth of information at my fingertips!  I have found so many useful sites that offer tips and a whole lot more about launching a successful writing career.  I don't want to cut myself off from good advice, but I also don't want to miss out on my writing time...so what to do? 

After brainstorming, I think I've found a simple solution.  Before stating the solution, I have to mention that I have not been able to successfully set a daily writing schedule for myself since the amount of writing time available for me each day varies, mainly according to my munchkin's schedules.  Without further ado, here is the solution: I will go about my writing projects in a specific order every day.  Let me explain.  Since setting specific time frames for writing projects feels like an impossible feat for me right now,  I will just tackle my writing projects in a way that will hopefully be conducive to being more productive.  For example, each day that I sit down at my computer (or pick up a pen and paper) the first thing I will do is work on the article that I wrote the day before.  After I have spent some time on that, I will start writing a new article.  Only after I have worked on both of those, will I check my email and work on my blog (both HUGE distractions for me.) 

Stated simply, I will tackle my daily projects in this order:

1) Finish up article started on previous day

2) Start new article

3) Check email

4) Work on blog

Tomorrow will be the beginning of this new schedule (if you can call it that.)  I'm hoping to eventually set time frames for myself, but first let's see how this goes. Wish me luck!

Coping With Loss

Parenting:

So I have already failed miserably at keeping my blog updated.  Thank goodness I started with the plan of taking baby steps forward!  I mean, can you imagine if I had planned on taking any giant leaps toward a writing career?!  

In my defense, a close family friend just passed away this week, and it's taken a big toll on everybody.  My kids are too young to know what's going on, but my eighteen month old son burst into tears the second my brother (who was obviously heartbroken) walked in the door.  He hardly ever cries so it was obvious he knew that something was wrong.  Besides my being devastated at the loss of my friend, I also feel horrible that my baby boy - who does not understand what is happening - is obviously aware of our pain.  I have just been trying to be extra cheerful for him with lots of smiles and extra hugs.  

Now comes the big question: do I take him to the funeral?  I know the family could really use my support at this time, but will it be too traumatic for my little guy?  My husband and I have not had a chance to discuss this yet so we'll see what happens after we think this through.  Any thoughts on this?  I'd love to hear them.

Writing: 

Well, there's my spiel on parenting.  In regard to writing, I must shamefacedly admit that I have not been productive at all this week.  I was on such a roll, too!  I had hoped that the emotional high I experienced after calling the editor of my local (monthly) paper would carry through to this week.  Although, I think that experiencing the loss of a friend is as legitimate an excuse as any. It really has been a tough week.  Oh well, I am determined to have a very productive weekend. 

The First Step

Let me begin by introducing myself:  My name is Sarah.  I'm in my twenties, married, and have two children (ages two months and eighteen months.)  After giving birth to my first child (an adorable little boy who I love more than I ever thought possible) I decided to be a stay at home mom.

Now with two children (both under the age of two) my life is pretty hectic.  For some strange reason, I want to add to the craziness in my life by pursuing a writing career.  It's actually a simple reason: I love writing and always have!  It's  a great passion of mine and one that I hope I never let go of no matter how hectic my life gets. So I have decided that since I love writing so much and since I can do it from home, there is nothing stopping me from launching a writing career except for myself.  

I have taken the first tiny steps toward reaching this goal by doing two things: starting this blog and contacting a local monthly newspaper.  So right now the two big challenges in my life are: adjusting to life with two kids and starting a writing career.  I will track my progress on this blog as I continue taking small steps forward to becoming a good mom and a professional writer.  Wish me luck and stay tuned!