Writers by the Shore: Balancing Writing and Summer Vacation

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Balancing Writing and Summer Vacation

Balancing every day life and writing can be challenging, especially during the summer months for those with children. To keep myself on track I do monthly evaluations of my writing progress to see what I accomplished the previous month and create goals for the coming month. When I first began this evaluation process I had a tendency to set lofty writing goals. Over time I have adjusted to more realistic goals.

When I opened my planner early this week I realized I am way behind my anticipated goal. So far behind I have been forced to re-evaluate my current plan of attack. I would like to have my current wip polished in time for WriteOnCon.

When I set this goal back in May I truly believed I had more than enough time, possibly time to start polishing a different project. This got me thinking of how I would meet my writing goals.

Here are five ways I've decided to use as means to meet this rather lofty goal.

1. Schedule Time To Write - Set aside time each day to write and stick to it. Don't schedule other activities at that time. Being summer sticking to the same time each day is difficult. Try varying the times each day.

2. Hold Yourself Accountable - This works great with critique partners. Talk weekly and ask each other how you are doing.

3. Set Goals - Set daily, weekly, and monthly goals. This is something I find difficult during the summer months. Vacations and kids at home slow down the writing tremendously. Make sure your goals are not too outrageous. Keep them realistic for the situation.

4. Reward Yourself - It could be celebrating with a brownie or cupcake. Or even going out to lunch or dinner as a celebration. There's always my personal favorite, buying more books.

5. Ignore The Internet - (This is the one I'm finding the most difficult to adhere to.) Don't allow yourself to check your emails or log on to the various social networks you use until after you have met your daily goal.

What are some ways you balance writing during summer vacation?