How to Distract the Kids in Your House So You Can Write

If you’re a parent, or live in a household with children you’re responsible for, you know it can be extremely difficult to find the time to write. Today, author R.C. Barnes is here with some tips to help you carve out some writing time even when your kids are around: 

Writing 1667 words a day is a significant endeavor – especially if this is a new habit you are undertaking. When I first tried the NaNo challenge, I was determined to finish. With my previous novel attempts, I had never been able to write more than a hundred pages. One hundred pages seemed to be the ceiling I couldn’t smash through. NaNo helped me breakthrough that barrier. But one of the biggest things the challenge helped me with was establishing writing habits, and with three children in the house (no spouse), this was the most significant gauntlet.

Now, if you have babies or kids under the age of four, this advice is not for you. Naps and Disney movies were created for parents who are writers, and that’s when you should sit your butt in the chair. The following tips are for parents who have mobile children who need to be reasoned with; in other words, kids who can be bribed.

These are my top four suggestions:

1. Have your children join you in the challenge. 

This can take on many forms. If your child is creative, they can illustrate your story as you are writing (as long as your scenes are age-appropriate) or they can write their own adventure during the writing time. Or they can musically compose a soundtrack to your novel. (Don’t laugh. Somebody’s kid did this.) 

I emphasized to my children this was important to me in the same way their soccer practices and dance classes were essential to them. I had to practice and work at writing, and I was asking them to help me achieve my goal. 

I also told them that we’d have a BIG dinner at (insert their favorite restaurant) if (and only if) I succeeded at my goal. This motivated them a lot. My kids are super supportive when food is on the line. There were even times they would scold me saying, “Hey, shouldn’t you be writing?”

2. Visually designate writing times and times.

…And when you can ask Mom where the peanut butter is. Clocks and calendars are your children’s friends, and it’s time they learned how to read them. Households with children are known for utilizing large calendars mapping out the family’s schedules. Make sure your writing time is clearly indicated (in red!) just like science project due dates. 

Another visual trick is to wear something big and bold to let them know you are working. If you’re like me, you get up from the desk to fix a drink or use the bathroom, but you are still writing in your head. There’s nothing worse than composing a great sequence, and having a voice break your thought patterns with a question involving multiplication. I have a bright red hat that I wear when I’m writing. When the kids see it on my head, they give me my space. Seriously, it’s like watching Moses part the Red Sea.

3. Make it special for them. 

Staying hydrated is crucial while you are doing intense noveling. I stocked my refrigerator with a variety of new and different drinks as treats for myself and got my kids in the act. They could choose wild and unique beverages for November and only November. In fact, my son’s humorous reaction after sipping fireball soda made it into a scene in my manuscript. 

4. Put them to work. 

I have a conscientious oldest child, and she was delighted when I asked her to plan the dinners for November. Prepping family meals takes up a lot of mental time as the “what’s for dinner?” chorus takes up space in your brain. My daughter figured out the foods, and all I needed to do was buy the ingredients at the grocery store. We had a lot of tacos, pizza, and macaroni and cheese that month, but everyone was fed.

I plowed through my first NaNoWriMo experience and wrote a bad novel that is tucked safely away in the closet behind a box of old cell phones. The following November, I jumped in again, and my kids were ready. They were excited about choosing their special drinks, planning the meals for November, and even choosing the celebratory restaurant when 50,000 was reached. 

Good luck and go hit your 1667 for the day!

A jack-of-all-trades in the entertainment business, RC (also known as Robin Claire) has been a studio movie executive, actress, screenwriter, foley artist, and puppeteer. On a perfect day, you can find her curled up with a mystery, listening to the rain outside, and sipping tea or wine (depending on the hour). She lives in Berkeley and is the mother of three very nice people. Her YA novel Ink For The Beloved debuts in November. You can visit her at PracticinginPublic.com or find her on Twitter as @RCBarneswriter.

Top photo by Wayne Lee-Sing on Unsplash.