Thursday, July 21, 2016

On Raising a Child and Trying to Be a Writer (Exphasis on Trying)

So, I haven't blogged in earnest in probably well over a year. Blame parenting, or don't since plenty of writers are parents and plenty of parents blog. I think the issue may be that I'm not sure what to blog about without sounding like I'm looking for commiseration. So, here's a picture of my kid to show you that I'm perfectly happy with fatherhood, and the year that it has provided me with.

(Note my child's love for Appa from Avatar. Starting her off early)

Usually, when my wife is away at work, I go through spells of looking at the clock to see when to put my daughter to bed for a nap so I can get some reading or writing in. But after seeing Fiddler on the Roof yesterday, I've come to realize, wow, why am I trying to rush this? Sunrise, sunset and all that jazz, right? Am I really trying to make time speed up when time is already so short? Haven't I already learned that life already goes way too fast? To what end am I trying to achieve anything? Am I just screwing myself over?

So I've decided to put writing on the backburner, but still blog when I can. It's gotten to the point that waking up at 4:30 AM to write doesn't work when it manages to wake up my daughter in the process. So I'm taking a more fluid approach to writing, which makes me feel like I've grown as a writer, in a sense. If the endgame isn't just, I have to meet a schedule. I have to meet a schedule, then that will open up my schedule more if I can write when I can. But what do you think? I'd like to hear from fellow writer/parents. Everyone always tells me, there will be a time you will miss them being young, and I'm sure they're right, but I also miss being on a set schedule and being a writer. What do you think?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I can relate. I remember when my son was small enough to hold in one arm, I could sometimes hold him against my left shoulder and write in a little notebook with my right hand. When he was a year old, I would put him in the stroller and walk around and around town until he fell asleep, then hurry the stroller to the library so I could sit and write until he woke up. But the whole activity of parenting tended to put me into an alert, on-duty, externally focused state of mind that is the antithesis of what it takes for me to generate story ideas. It can be a challenge to stay connected to your visionary side when you're busy being the Guardian of the Young. But those moments of early childhood are unique and precious, and I think you're right to savor them.

Rich Knight said...

Thanks so much, Pauline. Yeah, I think about it every day when she wakes up and gives me a hug. There will be a time in her life where she will want me as far from her life as possible, so I need to cherish these moments. Thanks for reading!