Last month I started teaching again as a preschool sub.
That changed everything. I was thrilled to get out of the house, be with the little ones, and have a new rhythm to the day. At the same time, though, time was going to be a challenge. I’m a morning person -- everything that has to get done happens early in the day.
Writing has always happened first thing. It’s when I have the energy to be creative and think clearly. When you’re working out of the house though, morning rhythms are completely different. There’s no more rolling out of bed in sweats and a tee with a leisurely cup of coffee. Now there’s showering, getting dressed, and the all-important preparation of snacks. In other words, there’s a schedule. Where does writing fit in?
For many years, I adhered to the I-can-only-write-in-the-morning maxim, until I realized that in the end you make your plans and the universe laughs. Nobody, least of all a deadline-wielding editor, cares whether you are a morning, mid-afternoon, or late- at-night person. They care about the job getting done.
Then I realized I had to face facts. I could no longer be precious about when I write. I simply had to get the job done. Sometimes that means coming home from a day in the classroom where I am completely whipped, lying down for 45 minutes, then getting back to writing. The important thing is not to beat myself up on these days if I don’t get a massive amount done. Some writing always trumps no writing.
It’s great to be back in the world again. Now, I just have to do a bit of juggling on the writing front.