Some of you may know (because I never shut up about it) that I had my first child in December. I was in the middle of page 72 of my current manuscript at the time. I know this because at some point I typed PAUSE HERE TO HAVE BABY on that page. (I think this was before I went into labour.)
I started the book in November. My deadline was the beginning of April. Five months to write a book, and have a baby. Some may think I am insane. Some may think I am naïve. Some may be acquainted with me already, and know that I cannot say “no”. In any case, I have recently found myself with a newborn and a deadline.
Well, it’s the end of March. And I’m going to make my deadline. I have about a chapter to write, and some editing to do, and I’m done. I’ve also managed to keep my child alive and happy most of the time (except when he’s screaming), and to do more laundry than I knew was physically possible.
I have done this through the Power of the Hour.
A newborn sucks your brains out through your nipples (I have heard this is true even if you are bottle feeding, though possibly the brains come out somewhere else and it doesn’t involve as much scabbing). It’s very difficult to concentrate on anything, or to find any time to yourself to write. Even when the baby’s asleep, there’s tons of stuff to do: washing, showering, sleeping, calling your mother, going to the bathroom.
Every day when I can, however, I’ve taken one hour to do nothing but write. I ignore the washing. I don’t answer the phone. I go without a shower. (Okay, I do go to the bathroom if I have to.) Usually this is after the baby’s gone to sleep in the evening. Sometimes it’s grabbed by walking him a mile to Starbuck’s, thereby lulling him to sleep so I can type furiously over a decaff latte. When my husband is home, he kindly takes the baby out of the house for an hour, on a walk, so I can be alone and write.
I’ve been able to find a single hour most days. Some days, it’s only fifteen minutes. But fifteen minutes is still enough to get some words on paper. And an hour is enough, usually, to write a thousand words. And a thousand words nearly every day gets you a book done in time for deadline, even if you did have a baby on page 72.
My husband tells my son it’s called “Mummy’s Mucky Book Hour”. Long may it continue.
And then I’m free for the rest of the day to feed my son my brains.
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Congratulations on the baby and the book!
Thank you Robbie!
With my newborn, it was enough effort to breathe in and out. To write a novel alongside the puking and pads and screaming takes some doing. You officially rock my world!
V xx
My “baby” just turned 11, and getting an hour to myself during which I don’t have to scream “I’m writing here!” is still a challenge. My hour therefore generally consists of 15-second increments between 3 a.m. and 10 p.m. As you may imagine, this is not as productive as a dedicated block of time, but we do what we must.
Start praying right now you don’t get a nap-refusing toddler. Speaking from experience… No, I don’t want to scare you when you still have that new-baby glow.
No kids here but I don’t have a constantly ringing phones, emails piling up, and blog sites going down so I use a variation of the hour of power. No phone calls, no emails, no distractions, just concentrating on whatever project I need to get down.
Julie, kudos to you, though all I can say is I’m glad I didn’t start writing until mine was 19…
Allthough, like Kimber, life has a way of filling up even without kids and I find the hours some days are still short…and somehow I still have that laundry… hmmmm…:roll:
Sam
My ‘babies’ are 27 and 30 and I’m still struggling! Julie you are an inspiration.
I agree with Carol. You’re an inspiration! I have 6 children and didn’t start writing fiction until they were past the baby stage. They are 30,28,26,22,19, and 17 now.
Congrats on the baby and book, Julie!
A newborn sucks your brains out through your nipples
LOL. So true. Then later, children will suck your sanity out through your wallet. Congrats on the baby and the book and meeting your deadline!
Bravo for coming up with such a great strategy to continue writing. While it’s probably exhausting right now I imagine it will pay big dividends in the long run and raising kids certainly is a long (and thrilling) run.
Congrats on your little one. You capture so accurately those first weeks and months with a newborn. I felt tired just reading it. Best wishes on both endeavors.
I notice you omitted one important daily activity- SLEEP! I’ve got 4 kids, including twins, ranging in age from 20 down to 11. I realized that the reason I took so many pictures of them while they were babies is because that’s the only way I could remember that time. I was so sleep deprived it’s all a blur. So the fact that you can string sentences together and write a book lands you squarely in the Superwoman category… or the freak of nature category…
:lol:
Congratulations on the babe! I wrote the story that’s coming out next month while I was nursing (well, not the whole thing, he fell asleep after a while but rather than disturb him and get out of the zone I kept writing over top of him) my then 7 month old. I have two older children as well but I assume my dh amused them that day but I do know I haven’t been able to do it again since! LOL
It’s amazing what you can do with one free and clear hour when the rest of you life looks like a bomb hit it.
Congratulations on the baby and making your writing a priority in your life.
Vikki..you mean you’re supposed to BREATHE!?!
Kerry, I am praying I don’t have a nap-refusing toddler. I am sort of scared of the toddler stage. At least right now he is portable, relatively stationary, and can’t throw things.
Kimber, I have trouble not answering the phone. It is really hard. I’ve answered it before saying “It’s my writing time, what do you want???”
Sam, I think the laundry never ends. It just gets bigger.
Thank you Carol and Diane and Rosie and Jordan. I am lucky in that I already had contracts before I got pregnant, so I haven’t had to struggle to get published at the same time I had a baby. I know some people who write and submit with small children, and finding the time when it’s only yourself setting the deadlines must be so hard.
LOL Bernadette!
Bev I think it’s definitely freak of nature category…and you are so right about the photographs. I remember very little of the first few weeks of my son’s life. Of course that could be because of the massive painkillers following my c-section.
Michelle I haven’t managed to nurse and write at the same time–your child obviously sucks fewer brain cells than mine does. I’m in awe.
Emily…two bombs, actually.
Julie, while I’m filled with admiration over your efforts to feed your brains to both baby and book, I’m also a little envious. My oldest has recently moved to a faraway state, and I just don’t hear from him enough.
My youngest is still technically at home, but more often at school. I gotta tell you–I think of those nursing days with wonder that this day has come. And then I remember when my writing schedule fit around theirs–rushing to the computer at ten p.m., after they were in bed so that I could work till two in the morning and then grab three or four hours of sleep. How could anyone be nostalgic?
But when we moved into our new house and I decided to put my office in the loft, my daughter said, “Oh, good. When I’m home, I can hear you typing while I’m going to sleep.”:grin: Didn’t mean to write a blog myself–but you made me remember. Sounds as if you’re building plenty of memories, too!
Oh, Anna, thank you for that post. I love the idea of you typing your daughter to sleep.
And I have trouble leaving my son alone in his bed without checking every half an hour to make sure he’s still breathing. I can’t imagine him growing up and moving far away… (((hugs)))
Inspiring.
It’s that work ethic — that stcktoitiveness — that makes writing in the real world possible. Congratulations on successfully blending parenting and writing (and spousing, too, I’m thinking). Not easily done.
Wow – it’s amazing to me that you’ve been able to still write while taking care of a newborn – congratulations on both!
(And Bernadette is absolutely right about the future – my “baby” is now 14.)
Congratulations! I have a 13 yo, a 3 & 2 yo. . . to find even an hour to “myself” is an accomplishment. My dh often says “oh, I’ll take the boys out of your hair. . .they are gone 10 minutes and then I sense a “presence” at my left elbow. . . it’s the 2 yo. . . where dh is, I haven’t a clue! Sigh.
Hopefully I’ll look back on these days with a wistful smile. . .
Congrats on the baby and finishing the book on time! You’re my hero!
I loved reading this post. It took me back to when my son was born. He graduates this year. It goes so quickly!
Julie – I am with you all the way. That one hour is my absolute sanity saver – and I couldn’t care less abut Mt Washmore during that time. Like you its been my DH taking the babes for a walk in the evening whch gets me that hour but we are just getting to that stage where they are going to bed earlier – right now all FOUR are asleep and its only 8:30 and I’m about to start writing!!!! Usually its 10pm. My four year old likes hearing me type from her bed too – and yes, I hope that will be happy memories for her in years to come…
WTG you on that deadline because I know exactly the damn big effort that that’s taken. But isn’t it so worth it?
Thanks Kevin, Kate, Ericka, Tempest, Kissa, and Natalie.
Nat, I’m amazed that you managed to get a book done on deadline with newborn TWINS. You have me beaten hands down.
Julie, I know what you mean about checking that your boy’s breathing. I’ve done plenty of that.
You know, my boy’s faraway state is Maine. Maybe you could check on him for me next time you’re there! 
Hope you’re close to The End!
[...] Since I read Hour Power by Julie Cohen, I’ve been timing myself to write one hour at a time. Interestingly enough, when I do nothing but write for one hour, I get about 1,000 to 1,500 words written. Then I send the file to Word. Since my default Windows setting is Dvorak layout, I have to switch it to the standard QWERTY before the transfer. Otherwise I get pages and pages of garbage. (BTW — read the manual because it tells you this!) [...]
You make me feel such a layabout, Julie. What a work ethic!
Well done on finishing the book.
ROTFL!! Loved your post! And more power to you that you not only found that dedicated hour to produce your written goal, but held on tight to it.
Congrats.
I breastfeed just short of 3 years. Pretty much brainless by then. LOL!!