C.A. Shives's Blog: Bleeding On Paper, page 3

On Being Malleable

Maybe I'm a little bit Obsessive Compulsive. (Doesn't everyone color-code their underwear drawer?) But for years, I needed my workspace to be neat and orderly. As a virtual paragon of organization, my writing space typically consisted of bins, boxes, and plastic dividers that corralled all the accoutrements of my writing trade.

Then I had kids. Two of 'em.

And I became a Stay At Home Parent. The result? My "workspace" became the kitchen table, and I was surrounded by so many toys that my house looked like the inside of a crayon box. To add insult to injury, most of the toys included the usual flashing lights and high-pitched musical tunes (which, admittedly, harmonized beautifully with the high-pitched squeals and screams of my toddler).

So I learned to adjust. I wrote during nap hour. I squeezed in some editing between play-dough events. And I learned to ignore the Cheerios embedded in the bottom of my feet.

When all else failed, an episode of Dora The Explorer gave me 30 minutes of peaceful writing time.

I've heard that the only constant in life is change. And though I've had to alter my environment to find time for my craft, writing a story will always be a permanent part of my world.