Today I have the pleasure of handing over the blog to fellow blogger and YA writer, Jamie Ayres. When Jamie said she was open to suggestions on post topics, I instantly thought of that one issue most of us struggle with – Fitting it all in. After reading the start of Jamie’s post, I’m really not sure how she does!
Fitting It All In – Jamie Ayres
Writing, Reading, Researching, Marketing, Promoting, Socializing, Facebooking, Blogging, Tweeting, Editing, Revising, Plotting, Planning, Drinking coffee, Emailing, Eating cake pops, Motivating, Teaching, Cleaning, Cooking, Laundry, Church, Shuffling kids to youth group/drama practice/guitar lessons/horse riding lessons/orthodontist appointments, Spending time with the hubs, Remembering to walk the dog and feed the hermit crabs, Fitness . . . HA! Yeah right! Let’s face it, something had to give;-)
You ever have those days when you wonder WHY AM I DOING THIS? *raises hand* Some days I get very very VERY frustrated trying to fit it all in. But slowly I’ve discovered some tricks of the trade, and I’d like to share my top 5 tips with all you lovelies today.
- Prioritize. You know that quote from Thomas Jefferson, “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” Well, I hate it. Guess what? I do the opposite, and it works! I just take one it one day at a time. Heck, I take it one step at a time! I make my list, cross each item off as I go, and don’t think too far ahead, or my head will start spinning!
- Accept help. Admitting we can’t do it all on our own frees us to accept outside help. News Flash: Most people have already realized you aren’t perfect, so quit trying to be! People want to help, so let them.
- Discipline. Repeat after me: Will power is my friend. Take the “I cannot say no” stamp off your forehead, and limit to your extracurricular activities. Then sit your butt in the chair and write! And not just Facebook posts, Twitter messages, and blogs! Write your story EVERY DAY!
- Find a place to write and make it your own. I used to think writing had to be done while sitting at a desk at a special time. But now I just take up half the couch with my laptop, my books on craft, and my journals. My family, the television, and my iPod actually help to stimulate creativity. I think it’s actually best not to have a need for privacy, because then you could procrastinate forever! Now editing does take some peace and quiet, which is why I’m up most nights until 2a.m. And yesss, I still get up at at 6a.m. for my day job, which leads me to my last tip . . . .
- Drink lots of coffee and keep a steady supply of hidden chocolate!
Jamie Ayres writes young adult paranormal love stories by night and teaches young adults as a public school teacher by day. She lives in southwest Florida with her husband and two daughters. 18 Things is her debut novel. Visit her website at www.jamieayres.com.
Book Blurb
Olga Gay Worontzoff thinks her biggest problems are an awful name (after her grandmothers of course) and not attending prom with Conner, her best friend and secret crush since kindergarten.
Then Conner is killed in a freak boating accident and Olga feels responsible. When she downs an entire bottle of pills to deal with the emotional pain, her parents force her into counseling. There, her therapist writes a prescription in the form of a life list titled 18 Things. Eighteen quests to complete the year of her eighteenth birthday.
All she has to do is fire-walk, try out for the cheerleading squad, break a world record, and err . . . go on her first date. Good thing Nate, a new hottie in town, enters her life with perfect timing. He brings the fun factor to her list and helps her discover the beauty and strength inside herself, then complicates things by falling in love with her.
But there’s more to Olga’s quests than meets the eye and when her therapist reveals a terrifying secret, her world is shaken.
There’s only one thing she knows for certain: her choices won’t just affect her future, but all eternity.
18 Things is available here:
Add 18 Things to your TBR list!
To be in with a chance to win an ebook copy of Jamie’s debut novel 18 Things, leave a comment below before midnight, Friday night, UK time, and a winner will be chosen using a random number generator.
Excellent guest post, Rebecca and Jamie!
How people fit it all in constantly intrigues me, especially lately when I’ve been finding it difficult to focus. I agree with everything on the list (especially chocolate, ahem, and the need to resist Twitter and other social networks) except, that is, for the coffee. I seem to be very sensitive to caffeine in that it affects my already poor sleep patterns and now have to limit myself to one caffeinated coffee in the morning, to get the sluggish morning-me going but decaf coffee and tea after that. I am still convinced, though, that I wrote better and got more done in my days of the endless coffee-pot.
On focus, I did find a some free programs online (such as Freedom and Stop Distractions) which you can set for a period of time and either be offline totally, or simply restrict access to certain sites (like Twitter, Facebook, etc). That helped me. Once I got the idea of it, I became a bit more willing to simply not sign in, and to focus on the priorities. But it ain’t easy!
And your book sounds most intriguing. Would that we could all have such imaginative therapists but that one sounds more of a challenge than most. I hope the book does very well and I’d love the chance to win a copy.
I’ve heard of those kind of software programmes that stop you accessing the internet while on your computer. They seem like a great idea. The problem for me, is actually getting my bum on the seat at my computer! All the time you see me on Twitter, it’s actually just in my hand on my phone.
Rebecca – Thanks for hosting Jamie.
Jamie – I know exactly what you mean about needing to accept the fact that really, it’s impossible to do everything – certainly to do it all at once. So making priorities are important. So is asking for help from others. I think most people in a writer’s life do care and want to be there for the writer but they may not how just how demanding it is. They may have these visions of writers sitting at their desks for a few hours and magically creating a book. I think talking to the people in our lives and actively enlisting their help is empowering to them and lifts a burden from the writer. And as for having one’s own place to write? I couldn’t agree more. I wish you much success.
Margot, Jamie has been a great guest and it’s been a positive post 🙂
Funny, I was brooding about all this this morning, Jamie. My problem is chaos and then the guilt that accompanies it can then really paralyse me!! Sometimes reading good clear suggestions like yours can help me wrap my head back round a common sense approach. Cheers for that : ) Thanks for hosting another great post Ms Bradley x
That’s something that I hadn’t thought about Yasmin, the guilt cycle, and yes, it is something that I fall into. Feeling guilty for not writing, and it being so paralysing that I just don’t do it. Something for me to think about.
Know when to say no! That tends to solve have the time issue problems.
I’m a sucker for not being able to say no.
HALF! Not have. Crap.
Don’t you just hate the lack of edit facility!
Good tip on the chocolate, Jamie. I must replenish my stash… someone’s eaten it! 🙂 Discipline always has and probably always will be my weakest link.
Hi Rebecca!
I think chocolate is my weakest link, then discipline!
LOVE reading all these comments:-) Keep ’em coming . . . . writing really is hard work. Not for the faint of heart, for sure!!!! I’m glad my tips have helped/encouraged some of you. Today I fit in my first TV interview, my first library event, and my first author school visit to some 8th graders! I’m eating for the first time since I got up at 6am, so it doesn’t make for good healthy habits (it’s 5:49pm here), but like I said, COFFEE, COFFEE, COFFEE:-) hahahaha! Thanks so much to the lovely Rebecca for having me over today. I’ve always wanted to visit England<3
It has been an absolute pleasure to have you here Jamie! It certainly sounds as though you are busy and in need of a strict regime for organising yourself. My thing at the minute are to-do lists. I’m so busy making them, I’m probably missing the things I’m supposed to be doing!
Yes. Coffee is the key to being a writer while juggling everything else. And another good tip is variety! Don’t be afraid to change up your routine, allow some things to slide while caring for your … health. For instance, I withdrew from some of my social media responsibilities so that I can workout. I’ve written steadily for two years, which means I’ve sat still steadily for two years. Time for a change. But the key is to write a little bit every day, and if social media has to take a back seat to your health, then so be it! <3
Tea is my poison of choice. I can’t function without one in a morning. In fact, once my alarm clock goes, putting the kettle on is the first thing I do. Health is definitely important. Without it we get nowhere.
I think everyone who writes can recognise this. In fact, everyone who has a life can recognise it! Great post you two! 🙂
Thanks Sharon 🙂
Excellent post! So helpful and so true.
Thanks Cheryl!