any homeschooling writing parents here?

[Lady Q]

When I got married fresh out of college six years ago, I knew I wanted to do things: write, and homeschool our children. Well, now I have three kids and the oldest is 4 and doing k-level work. I intend on formally enrolling him in our homeschool this fall. In the meantime, besides having babies (*grin*), I've written three novels and a double handful of short stories. I've shopped around a novel and published a few shorts, but I've been lackadaisacal about submitting my work.

 

Now, though, I'm ready to be more consistent with my writing, and seeking the publication of said work. I've had a number of breakthroughs in the last year (personalized rejections, requests to see more of my work, etc). Of course, this comes just when I'm getting ready to ramp up the homeschooling, too.

 

I'm committed to both homeschooling and my writing. I'd rather not have to pick one or the other. But both of these pursuits require large amounts of time, and I'm not sure how to juggle them. I hope that there are other homeschooling writing parents here who can give me some perspective. Advice. Support. I just want to know that I'm not alone. I know many moms who homeschool, and I know many writers, but there's no overlap between the two groups. If you belong to both, please give a shout-out. :bigear:

 

~Rabia

[Colleen in NS]

 

I'm committed to both homeschooling and my writing. I'd rather not have to pick one or the other. But both of these pursuits require large amounts of time, and I'm not sure how to juggle them. I hope that there are other homeschooling writing parents here who can give me some perspective. Advice. Support. I just want to know that I'm not alone. I know many moms who homeschool, and I know many writers, but there's no overlap between the two groups. If you belong to both, please give a shout-out. :bigear:

 

~Rabia

 

You should go read Susan Wise Bauer's blog. Go way back to the beginning and have fun reading!

[kmreilly]

Well, I'm brand-spankin' new to this forum, hope it's okay to jump in here.

 

I fall into both categories. My homeschooling experience and my writing career launched at just about the same time. You're right -- both take a lot of time and work. But fortunately, homeschooling really meshes well with writing, and vice versa.

 

I can write whenever and wherever, while the kids are doing something independently -- or while we're all working on language arts together.

 

I write magazine articles and nonfiction books (so far; just started work on a fiction project). Things that the kids and I uncover in h/sing are things I can pitch to magazines and write about. With the three books, they're science activity books -- and the kids helped fine-tune the activities in them. They learned, I learned, I wrote.

 

I think it's a matter of finding the balance for you, like everything in life. Personally, the kids got higher priority, but that didn't mean my writing was excluded. I began getting up earlier and earlier. So for the past six years, I've gotten up at 4 in the morning to write. Just works for me. I squeeze in interviews around our schedule. And any books we read is just fodder for my writing.

 

Really, homeschooling and writing has been a perfect blend of my interests. If you want it to work out, it will!

 

Good luck,

Kate

www.kathleenreilly.com

www.polkadotsuitcase.com

[Lady Q]

You should go read Susan Wise Bauer's blog. Go way back to the beginning and have fun reading!

 

I have her blog in my RSS feed. :D

[Lady Q]

I can write whenever and wherever, while the kids are doing something independently -- or while we're all working on language arts together.

 

 

 

Kate,

 

If you don't mind my asking, how old are your kids? How did you teach them to respect your writing time?

 

Personally, the kids got higher priority, but that didn't mean my writing was excluded.

 

 

That's exactly how I feel.

 

I began getting up earlier and earlier. So for the past six years, I've gotten up at 4 in the morning to write. Just works for me. I squeeze in interviews around our schedule. And any books we read is just fodder for my writing.

 

 

I write in the evenings, after my nightly dose of hot chocolate. I don't really like putting writing at the end of the day, but a morning person I am not. Ah well, at least I'm still getting words.

 

~Rabia

[kmreilly]

Kate,

 

If you don't mind my asking, how old are your kids? How did you teach them to respect your writing time?

 

 

 

Rabia,

 

My guys are 9 and 11. I started writing (with publication in mind...I began writing stories when I was 5!) when my oldest was about 5. Maybe earlier.

 

In the early days, I didn't plan on writing much while they were awake. If I absolutely, positively had to do an interview, I'd set them up with a toy they hadn't played with in a while. (But in case of emergencies, I had a cooler in my office with ice cream bars...if they stumbled in to my office, it kept 'em quiet, LOL.)

 

As they got older, I had a treasure box that was just for my interview/writing time. If I got, say, 20 minutes of quiet in, they got a prize from the box. I'm sure this reward system sets some people's teeth on edge, but it achieved what I needed it to and today my kids respect my writing time -- and they do things without need of constant rewards, too!

 

Nowadays, I use a cool salt lamp on my desk. If I absolutely don't want to be interrupted -- the muse is flowing or something -- I turn that light on. They know to wait until it's off to interrupt. The trick there is not to use it too often -- first of all, because as I said upthread, they're my first priority and second of all, it loses its oompf if I abuse it!

 

Kate

[Tutor]

Hi, Rabia! Thanks for asking this. It will be fun to see who else here fits both categories!

 

Unlike you, I had no intention of doing both writing and homeschooling. I was happy just homeschooling, and I never thought I was a great writer. Then i couldn't find a science curriculum I liked, so I put together my own. Three years ago, my dh bought be a laptop for my birthday and told me to write-up my science curriculum and try to market it. Within 6 months, I had a publisher and a contract... and my dh started his PhD program! Ack! We were forced to learn to juggle many things very quickly. :001_smile:

 

First thing, dh and I divided our week... he got three work evenings and I got three work evenings. On my work evenings, I just focus on work, and he is the primary parent. Visa versa for his nights. I may work at home, but most nights I run off to the library or coffee shop. I may work other times, but those are my "work and nothing else" nights. We protect each others' nights, too, and do not schedule outings that would require both of us on those nights. (I think I got this idea from PariSarah.)

 

Second, my dh instituted the headphone rule. Whichever parent is wearing headphones is working and is not to be interrupted. This made it easy for the kids to determine who was working and who was on "kid duty". Half the time, I have nothing playing on my headphones, but I keep them on so the kids know to pass me by and seek out dad if they need something.

 

Third, I keep a pad and pencil with me everywhere in case inspiration strikes. (I have ventured into writing a couple of novels in between my science writing, and I am always trying to think of chants and songs to include with the science curr.) It makes it easy to just jot stuff down before I forget or to work out an idea while I am at the kids' swimming lessons or something.

 

HTH. It can be difficult to balance both homeschooling and writing, but it can be done... and is so much fun!

 

Btw... I have a semi-related question - where do you guys find publishers for your ficiton? Do you need an agent first or do you just submit letters and summaries/ samples to publishers directly? Thanks. (I am pretty far from this step, though. Just plannin' ahead. :D )

[KristenS]

I want to write too ... fiction preferably, juvenile sci-fi and mysteries and stuff. Have several drafts in various stages of revision. But having kids has put most of that on the back burner for me. I can't do both ... with my health issues, I can do only one job well at a time, so I have to choose the wife/mother one. :)

 

One way around, though, I found through Julie Bogart's Bravewriter blog. She mentioned a novel-writing-in-a-month project. So I went to www.nanowrimo.org and took a look. And then I signed up. And I wrote a (really rough) draft in a month! It's doable! Dh did a lot of the cooking and stuff that November though. LOL.

 

So, when my health can handle it, I write a draft in November each year. Some are better than others, of course. And there are spin-off groups, like an editing support group in March, or the official spin-off of scriptwriting in April.

 

That might be an option that would work for you ... one concentrated burst of writing a year, that you can tinker with lightly for the rest of the year to prep for publication.

 

And it's a lot of fun too. :)

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Reya is a published novel writer. I haven't seen her posts lately, but you can find her in the Members listing.

[elegantlion]

I write and homeschool. Granted I'm not yet at the point of being published, but I am working towards that goal. I recently told my dh that I'd like to two evenings a week to work on my writing without interruption. It has worked out well so far.

 

I also write on the weekends and sometimes in the middle of the night. :D We are about to finish our fifth year of homeschooling and by the end of May I will have most of my plans for next fall done. That way I can have a summer vacation and focus on some much needed editing time.

 

We have a social group here WLyHiof (Write like your hair is on fire), it's been a little quiet lately, but if you look under community then social groups it is listed. We also had an active group for Nanowrimo last November.

 

I'm starting with baby steps to keep everything in balance, but writing time is a priority for me. Homeschooling takes precedent for the next few years. But I only have one and once he graduates I have to have something to fall back on otherwise I would probably pull my hair out.

[abbeyej]

Julie Kenner (California Demon, Carpe Demon, etc) used to post here regularly -- I'm not sure if she has posted since the format switch though. At the time I believe she had two young girls, the oldest of whom was just beginning her home schooling journey. She always seemed very down-to-earth and well-organized to me. :)

[Lady Q]

Btw... I have a semi-related question - where do you guys find publishers for your ficiton? Do you need an agent first or do you just submit letters and summaries/ samples to publishers directly? Thanks. (I am pretty far from this step, though. Just plannin' ahead. :D )

 

Tutor,

 

I write fantasy, so all my knowledge of the publishing industry is specific to that genre. I plan on submitting to agents because so many publishing houses only accept agented manuscripts. QueryTracker and Agent Query are the two sites I use for researching agents. I also make sure to check up on an agent's website and their profile on Publisher's Marketplace. I heartily recommend the Beware and Background Check sub-forum at Absolute Write for figuring out who's legit and who's out to scam writers.

 

There may be big publishers that accept unagented submissions, but I suspect their slushpiles are humongous and your story could languish there for many months (years, even). My strong preference is the agent route.

 

HTH!

 

~Rabia

[Lady Q]

I want to write too ... fiction preferably, juvenile sci-fi and mysteries and stuff. Have several drafts in various stages of revision. But having kids has put most of that on the back burner for me. I can't do both ... with my health issues, I can do only one job well at a time, so I have to choose the wife/mother one. :)

 

One way around, though, I found through Julie Bogart's Bravewriter blog. She mentioned a novel-writing-in-a-month project. So I went to www.nanowrimo.org and took a look. And then I signed up. And I wrote a (really rough) draft in a month! It's doable! Dh did a lot of the cooking and stuff that November though. LOL.

 

So, when my health can handle it, I write a draft in November each year. Some are better than others, of course. And there are spin-off groups, like an editing support group in March, or the official spin-off of scriptwriting in April.

 

That might be an option that would work for you ... one concentrated burst of writing a year, that you can tinker with lightly for the rest of the year to prep for publication.

 

And it's a lot of fun too. :)

 

Kristen,

 

I did NaNo in 2003, and got my first novel out of it. I haven't managed to do it since (was either pregnant or had a newish baby subsequent Novembers). It was a blast when I did do it and I hope to do it again. Maybe this year? *crosses fingers*

 

Juvenile sci-fi? That sounds fun!

 

~Rabia

[Lady Q]

We have a social group here WLyHiof (Write like your hair is on fire), it's been a little quiet lately, but if you look under community then social groups it is listed. We also had an active group for Nanowrimo last November.

 

Oh, cool! I'll have to check it out.

 

Luckily, my husband is and always has been supportive of my writing. In fact, he's on my case to get to writing this evening and since (golly!) it's already 9:30, I'm off to do just that.

 

Thanks, everyone, for responding. If you haven't already, I'd love to know what kind of writing you do (novels, non-fiction, articles, what-have-you). What do your kids think of your writing habit? I hope one day mine will think it cool to have a writer mama, for now, my oldest just complains, "Why do you have to write stories on your computer, mommy?" :eyeroll:

 

~Rabia

[Aubrey]

Yes. To everything. The hard to balance & the shock that time has passed & if-I'm-going-to-do-anything-with-this-filebox-of-GENIUS-I'm-not-magically-getting-younger.

 

I "finished" my first novel about 5 yrs ago, scared to pieces that I was about to be 25 & hadn't finished ANYTHING.

 

I wrote a trilogy that's mostly still in its rough draft stages over the last 2 yrs, while I was slowed down anyway by being pg w/ my last 2. The first book is finished & being sent out to agents (slowly--it's rather uninspiring work, lol). The other 2 don't seem really pressing to be finished w/out a contract on the first one, so in the meantime, I've been working on ideas for new stories, so that, you know, someday when publishers are racing for my stuff, I've got a pile ready, & I can go fishing.

 

Although...I'd rather write than fish, so I'm not sure that's the best metaphor. My first article is being published...this month or next month. It's a teeny little unpaid little blip, but I figure it counts. My dad suggested to me when I was 10yo & bound & determined (all of a sudden) to be a writer that I might want to start small, with an article or something. I looked at him like he had 4 heads, rolled my eyes, & set off writing novels then.

 

Now I'm thinking he might have had something there. :lol:

[Jill- OK]

I'm a freelance copywriter and journalist, and I'm also shopping a novel.

 

I don't know if I'm the person to listen to, about balancing things *well*, though. :-/ If I could offer one bit of advice, it would be to uncover stable, consistent writing time, and protect it.

 

It goes in phases. The work ebbs and flows, and I just make hay when the sun shines. (And then eat it when it rains, LOL!)

 

Always good to 'know' someone else in the same position, though!

[Jill- OK]

My dad suggested to me when I was 10yo & bound & determined (all of a sudden) to be a writer that I might want to start small, with an article or something. I looked at him like he had 4 heads, rolled my eyes, & set off writing novels then.

 

Now I'm thinking he might have had something there. :lol:

 

You're dad is absolutely right.

 

Agents are looking for 'published', and while that generally refers to a book...it's also nothing to sneeze at if you have an arsenal of articles that you can refer to, on your resume. Working under an editor means you can meet deadlines, and take direction.

 

Copywriting, small gigs with little magazines...take whatever opportunities you can get. Believe it or not, the first thing I ever wrote for someone was the article of mine that SWB published, online, in one of the WTM newsletters. (Remember those, oldtimers, lol?)

 

It gave me confidence, encouraged me to branch out and start writing more articles (and delve into copywriting)...and my little part-time venture was born. And believe it or not, within the past year or so, someone reading that old article online opened up a new opportunity for me, all these years later. (Be sure and keep your contact info updated!)

 

So...you never know what little things can boost you, later on. :-)

[katilac]

I'm a free-lance writer, mostly for the local newspaper but a few other minor odds and ends as well. I'm hoping to expand my submissions in the coming year.

 

My kids are 8.5 and 10.5, and keeping up with even the minor amount of writing I do is very, very hard for me. My kids have been on lots of interviews, and that part has never been a problem (and they've gotten to meet some interesting people). But I'm one who finds balancing multiple roles difficult, AND I'm not one who can whip out my notebook and write at the park, with kids rushing all around me, lol.

 

I work a couple of non-writing free-lance jobs as well, and these pay more than the writing does. So, when something's got to give, it tends to be pursuing additional writing jobs. At least I refuse to go backwards and write LESS, ;).

 

The idea of set working nights is simple but brilliant. I'm definitely a 'pattern planner' - - if Wednesdays are inked in as writing nights, I'm far more likely to do it. It also makes it easier for dh and kids to be aware of and respect that time.

[Lady Q]

Although...I'd rather write than fish, so I'm not sure that's the best metaphor. My first article is being published...this month or next month. It's a teeny little unpaid little blip, but I figure it counts. My dad suggested to me when I was 10yo & bound & determined (all of a sudden) to be a writer that I might want to start small, with an article or something. I looked at him like he had 4 heads, rolled my eyes, & set off writing novels then.

 

Now I'm thinking he might have had something there. :lol:

 

I love short stories for the instant gratification factor. Novels take so darned long. If I didn't have the four or five pubbed short stories to prop up my fragile ego (after only six years of writing :tongue_smilie:), I'd have.... I don't know what I would've done, but it probably would've been drastic and pointlessly dramatic.

 

Right now I'm taking a break from revising my second novel (can I just say :banghead: ?) and writing a short for an editor who'd like to see more of my work (no pressure or anything!). It'll be complete at 5-7K words. Bliss!

 

~Rabia

[Lady Q]

I "finished" my first novel about 5 yrs ago, scared to pieces that I was about to be 25 & hadn't finished ANYTHING.

 

 

I'll be 30 next year (?!) and at the very least I want an impressive stack of rejections for my novels. Any or all of them. Once I'm done revising.

 

What genre is your trilogy?

[Tutor]

Tutor,

 

I write fantasy, so all my knowledge of the publishing industry is specific to that genre. I plan on submitting to agents because so many publishing houses only accept agented manuscripts. QueryTracker and Agent Query are the two sites I use for researching agents. I also make sure to check up on an agent's website and their profile on Publisher's Marketplace. I heartily recommend the Beware and Background Check sub-forum at Absolute Write for figuring out who's legit and who's out to scam writers.

 

There may be big publishers that accept unagented submissions, but I suspect their slushpiles are humongous and your story could languish there for many months (years, even). My strong preference is the agent route.

 

HTH!

 

~Rabia

 

This is great. Thanks!

[Lady Q]

But I'm one who finds balancing multiple roles difficult, AND I'm not one who can whip out my notebook and write at the park, with kids rushing all around me, lol.

 

 

I hear ya. I'm getting much better at utilizing snippets of free time (in blocks of ten minutes), but for a long time I needed one-hour stretches of guaranteed uninterrupted kids-must-be-asleep time to even *get* into the writing mood.

 

Now, my inner writer is learning to work under less-than-ideal circumstances. I like the ten-minute writing times because starting is often the hardest. But just for ten minutes? I can make that time, get a couple hundred words, and if it goes well, set the timer for yet another ten. No big commitments, just baby steps.

 

~Rabia

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Julie Kenner (California Demon, Carpe Demon, etc) used to post here regularly -- I'm not sure if she has posted since the format switch though. At the time I believe she had two young girls, the oldest of whom was just beginning her home schooling journey. She always seemed very down-to-earth and well-organized to me. :)

 

Not to mention she writes a rockin' good story. I got one of her books after reading a thread she was in on and really enjoyed it (and every sequel I could get my hands on).

[KristenS]

Another thought ... the forum Forward Motion is excellent for helping beginning writers find good advice. They run lots of excellent workshops, some led by actual published folks. :) It's a very friendly environment. Not so many folks post on the Writing Parents sub-forum though. LOL. Guess they're all as busy as we are!

[Lady Q]

Another thought ... the forum Forward Motion is excellent for helping beginning writers find good advice. They run lots of excellent workshops, some led by actual published folks. :) It's a very friendly environment. Not so many folks post on the Writing Parents sub-forum though. LOL. Guess they're all as busy as we are!

 

Kristen,

 

I took Holly Lisle's How to Think Sideways writing course and post to those discussion forums. I have to limit my online forum participation or I would never get anything done. :D

[Robin M]

Raising my hand as another member of Writing Like Your Hair is On Fire. I'm not published yet but have two finished first drafts under my belt thanks to being challenged by National Novel Write Month. I generally get up early in the morning and do my writing then. Homeschool lessons are done in the afternoon.

 

I also have been networking through my blog. I have gotten involved in the book blogging community, which has led to meeting "virtually" editors, publishers, writers, etc. I've been following several author blogs. I've had a couple editors and different publishing houses send me Advance Reader Copies of books and when they read my reviews, notice that I'm an aspiring writer as well. I'm making some great contacts and hoping it will all be beneficial in the future.

 

I've also found quite a few websites which have provided valuable guidance in regards to writing.

Edited April 17, 2009 by Mytwoblessings

[Lady Q]

Raising my hand as another member of Writing Like Your Hair is On Fire. I'm not published yet but have two finished first drafts under my belt thanks to being challenged by National Novel Write Month. I generally get up early in the morning and do my writing then. Homeschool lessons are done in the afternoon.

 

I also have been networking through my blog. I have gotten involved in the book blogging community, which has led to meeting "virtually" editors, publishers, writers, etc. I've been following several author blogs. I've had a couple editors and different publishing houses send me Advance Reader Copies of books and when they read my reviews, notice that I'm an aspiring writer as well. I'm making some great contacts and hoping it will all be beneficial in the future.

 

I've also found quite a few websites which have provided valuable guidance in regards to writing.

 

Hi, Robin!

 

I can't get to your site when I click the link. I think there's a missing www there.

 

What genre do you write in?

 

~Rabia

[Rebecca in GA]

I quit a full-time newspaper job to be at home with my babies 10 years ago. Learning to publish on impossible deadlines then actually makes it easier to write with distractions now. Fortunately, the children are old enough now to work fairly independently when I pick up freelance work, and they finally are learning not to interrupt me when I'm on the phone. I put a sticky note on the office door that says, "Quiet! Mama working!"

 

I don't have the attention span to write a novel, so I stick with magazine and newspaper pieces I can fit into my schedule. I just finished four anchor pieces for an Earth Day special section and have several smaller pieces due Monday for the same publication. The actual writing took me two afternoons, about six hours (about 3500 words total).

 

I admire you guys who are able to set aside a regular writing time. I just got way bent writing sports for 15 years and then designing/editing a five-star front section for a few years after that, and I can't bring myself to be that self-disciplined. It's like I do my best writing in panic mode. :rolleyes:

[Lady Q]

It's like I do my best writing in panic mode. :rolleyes:

 

LOL.

 

I, on the other hand, am learning to get over my Goldilocks complex. Everything used to have to be Just Right (planets aligning, all kids asleep, my energy level up, my muse inspired, my time free, no major stress) before I could write.

 

Now I try to snatch ten minutes here and there, cramming in words before the baby wakes up!

[Robin M]

Hi, Robin!

 

I can't get to your site when I click the link. I think there's a missing www there.

 

What genre do you write in?

 

~Rabia

 

 

Thanks I fixed the link. The genre I write in? It is turning out to be romance mystery. I didn't set out to write for any specific genre, but all my stories are coming out that way.