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Madison Ayers's avatar

I enjoyed reading this! I'm also a young freelance writer with a baby (well, she's turning 2 this summer...so not quite so little anymore!) and it's fun to read someone who has a similar pattern of life. I've started to dislike doing most of my writing during naptime so I usually try to get most of my work done in the morning before my toddler is up, but doing so usually makes me want to fall asleep by 9!

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Amelia Buzzard's avatar

Glad to connect! Totally get that. A baby's schedule changes so fast with their development that I'm sure I'll be working odd, mutating hours. What night sleep schedule is your daughter on? Maybe I can start doing the same in a few months, or a year.

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Karissa Riffel's avatar

It’s tough getting writing in with a baby! I usually do it early in the morning before she wakes up and on the weekend during naps. I save writing for those times so I can get that “flow” focus I need. Then I try to save other tasks I can do with her around for when she’s awake. Even with her asleep, I do find it tough to focus sometimes though. :( Sometimes it’s my phone or other tasks or worries. Creating a “sacred” writing space has helped sometimes. Also deadlines. 🙃

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Amelia Buzzard's avatar

Deadlines lmao 😜 I do adore deadlines myself (unpopular opinion?) probably because it is so hard to create space for creativity in a busy schedule unless there’s some kind of external pressure. I’m curious about this idea of a sacred space. How have you been able to implement that? Or have you perhaps written an essay on that idea? Please do direct me if you have!

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Karissa Riffel's avatar

No, I haven’t written about it, but maybe I should! I was having problems because I was doing work for my day job and writing in the same place. It was making it hard to get in the right mindset for some reason. So I moved my morning writing session to a comfy chair with a nice blanket and a heater. Something about the new spot with same comforts everyday made it easier to focus. I’ve heard people talk about doing the same rituals before writing too, which I have not tried as much.

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Jan 30, 2024
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Amelia Buzzard's avatar

I'm also curious. Especially nowadays, there are so many options of how to live daily life that I sometimes get overwhelmed. It's like going to the grocery store with a simple idea of making pasta and suddenly having to choose between 12 different brands and 20 different varieties. I'm exhausted before I even start doing anything haha. It's interesting how we both face certain constraints on our writing based on life circumstances—but obviously, we both keep at it anyway!

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