Working & Writing All The Hours
So, the long summer holidays have finally ended here in Sydney and the kids have gone back to school. A few years ago, I used to dread school holidays and the interruption they brought to my work schedule, given I work from home. I love my work!
These days, the kids are more independent and I can get at least an hour of work or writing done a day, so it doesn’t worry me as much anymore. That’s of course not enough to progress with projects, just enough to keep them ticking over. And the kids are at such a fun age (8 and 10), the school holidays are now a delight!
Still, when Hubbie offered to take the kids camping, twice, I jumped at the chance. A few days to focus – what bliss! I’ve always loved silence and that love has quadrupled since having children. For me silence means freedom – freedom to concentrate and let my mind drift. I don’t have to fight to hear my own thoughts, my characters’ voices or the rhythm of my words. When the children are home and otherwise occupied, I use headphones to drown out their playful noise, listening instead to ‘rain music’ like this:
But there’s no need for headphones when Daddy takes everyone camping! They get to do All The Camping Things. I get to sleep when I want, eat as my body prefers, and enjoy the sounds of cicadas and magpies or kookaburras outside in the garden.
When they’re away, my kids like me to eat dinner with their favourite cuddly animals, then text them a photo as proof!
However, I also have trouble sleeping. With no set routine, I become a workaholic, cramming as much work as I can into the few days my little family is away. I stay up to midnight working, then as soon as dawn wakes me around 6am I’m back on the computer. It’s not a restful sleep either – I toss and turn thinking through my plots and having ideas.
One day during the latest camp trip, I realised I’d been on the computer for too long and figured I ought to leave the house at least once before nightfall. So I walked to our front gate and checked our mailbox, looked up at the trees there, took a deep breath, then sorted through the mail on my walk back inside. I’d say there are 10 metres between our front door and the front gate!
A night in with a cuddly friend, mince pie and ice cream.
I also started to force myself to stop working at 8.30pm to watch a movie or read a book, so I’d feel tired and rested enough when I turned out the light. Still, I didn’t sleep well, waking throughout the night, then waking early (in the silence!) with tired eyes and a busy mind. Perhaps my brain is smaller than my intentions, unable to cope with the comparative influx of stimulation?
Or I missed everyone…
Either way, I’ve come to the conclusion that I actually work better when my family is around. I have to juggle more, and compromise more, but they also keep me in check. I can’t work or write All The Hours because they need feeding and hugging and loving. And in turn they ensure I am rested, hugged and loved too.
School holidays will always put a dent in my work production. When the children are home I have to listen to weather music to work. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. My family is, as Tina Turner would say, simply the best – without them I start losing control! Check out the Acid Queen singing here at the impressive age of 76:
