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Monday, February 22, 2010

Busy Mom's Guide to Writing a Book Tip #1

Really, there are only three things you need to worry about when you think about writing a book:

1. You've got to eat sometimes during the process.

2. You've got to sleep sometimes during the process.

3. You've got to write sometimes during the process.

So, let's talk about eating.

It's easy to forget to do it when you are busy writing a book, busy driving kids to school, busy working, etc. But you've got to do it. You've got to eat or you'll start writing things that sound like a hallucination....which is fine if you're Lewis Carroll, but few of us are.

Some ideas:

Breakfast- My number one breakfast food is trail mix (or raw almonds.) Why? Because I can eat it in the car while I drive and if I spill on myself, it doesn't leave a spot on my work clothes!

Lunch-Sandwich. Why? So I can type one handed. Things that need a fork are also things that will spill on the laptop keyboard which is a recipe for disaster (pun intended).

Dinner-Two words: crock pot (or maybe that's one word....is it a compound word? Note to self, look it up later.)

Buy adopting these three eating techniques, you can allow yourself more of #3, the coveted TIME for writing.

I'm always interested in other fast-eating options that do not involve fast-food.

Any suggestions?

hrh

23 comments:

Myrna Foster said...

Fresh fruits and veggies. The veggies take a bit of prep time, but if I do a bunch of them at once, we can snack on them for a few days.

And I love eating Salt and Pepper pistachios while I'm writing. Num!

I'm not sure my comment is at all helpful, but I enjoyed your post!

Julie Dao said...

Soup at hand - the soup that comes in a sippable container. Same idea as the sandwich, I guess! Or you could pay someone to feed you while you type.

Hardygirl said...

Milkshakes, Sonic Blasts, vanilla frozen yogurt with snickers on top . . . calcium, right? And, the snickers adds some protein. All of these can be eaten while typing or driving a car.

sf

Jackee said...

Almonds! Yes! Those are my stable writing-mode lunches.

I need all the advice I can get in finding time to write. Send more my way, Shelley.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Ha ha ha. I love this, especially nuts for breakfast so you can spill on yourself! :-)

Jessie Oliveros said...

Give me more tips. I'm still trying to figure out this whole being a mom AND a writer thing.

Kelly Polark said...

I seriously have a Pop Tart almost every morning. I have it in one hand, while I rush around and get my kids ready for school!

~Jamie said...

haha I drink a lot of those gowalla superfood shakes for breakfast. They seem to help me get through that morning rush pretty well. :)

Catherine Denton said...

I let my WIP put me to sleep by reviewing it in my mind. Often the next scene becomes clear before I drift off.

Love your tips. My crock-pot saves me hours of time!

Tess said...

"you've got to write sometime in the process"

that made me giggle.

I'm the worst at eating. I nibble on candy and snacks at my desk and then tell the kids that they are having "fix-your-owni" for dinner.

not always ... but too often when I'm on a writing roll.

Elana Johnson said...

I love my crock pot! I don't use it enough. As far as eating goes, I like apples. You can do those one-handed as well.

MG Higgins said...

Thanks for the morning giggles, Shelley. I bought my crock pot thinking it would solve all of my time dilemmas, but the darn thing doesn't buy the food and chop it and then fill itself. What's up with that? I need a crock robot.

J.R. Johansson said...

I like dry cereal or granola for breakfast for the same reasons you like your trail mix. :)

Susan R. Mills said...

Ha! I wish I'd forget to eat sometimes. I might be able to lose these pesky ten pounds.

Unknown said...

Someone should write an ode to the crock pot. Amazing little thing that!

Fast food? Hummus and veggies. Or crackers depending on healthy you are feeling. Oh.so.good!

Is #3 really a necessary part of the process? Reading that had me laughing out loud.

Anonymous said...

I've put on so much weight since I've been writing! I write better on a sugar-high so chocolate is a daily supplement!

storyqueen said...

Myrna-Apples yes, oranges, no...(juice on keyboard = big fat no no).
Julie-sippable soups is just fun to say! Now I'm going to have to try some.

SF-No way can I drive and eat something with a spoon...all ends up in the lap.

Jackee-be careful what you ask for...

Shannon-Yes, it's sad but true...too true.

Jessie-Yeah, me too. But my kids are a little older so I've been trying for longer...don't know if the advice will be any better, though.

Kelly-I have no luck with pop-tarts. I only like them super hot (with melted butter) but the butter is drippy, which makes the typing fingers slippery.

Jamie-are those the green ones? I can't handle the green looking drinks...reminds me of grass juice.

Catherine-But do you get up and write it, or try to remember it for the morning?

Tess-But it's so true! Making time for writing when you are trying to write a book is easier than it sounds.

Elana-Love my crock-pot, too. You can throw just about anything in there and if you cook it long enough, you have dinner.

MG-Chop stuff up? Wha??? Just chuck it in there.

Jenn-Sometimes granola is too crunch..to loud in my brain in the morning...can't have a trail mix that's too loud either.

Susan-Ha! I hear you!

Nisa-Yes, an ode to the crock-pot! (Perhaps I should hold a contest...)

Niki-I have to remind myself that although it is important to put my butt in the chair for extended periods of time, it is equally important to get my butt out of the chair from time to time.

lisa and laura said...

I never really forget to eat...sleep? Now that's my problem. If only I could sleep and write at the same time.

Sherrie Petersen said...

I love a meal that I can fix and forget. I like making those big soft pretzels. They take a lot of work to make, but they freeze well. Then it's easy to pop them in the oven for a few minutes and spread some soft cheese on top. Yummy afternoon snack. Add some carrot sticks and you've got dinner (kidding!)

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

I forget to eat when I'm on a roll. I set my cell alarm to go off ten minutes minutes before I have to go pick my daughter up from school. It's when we get home I realize that I'm starving.

Kelly H-Y said...

I always love your posts! :-)

Clementine said...

Yep! My family lives off of crock-pot dinners and Bellachinos Pizza.

Daisy Whitney said...

All food should be microwaveable