Crack the Door: Writing Around Friends and Family

This week brings post two in my three-part series on HOW we write.

Today's topic is writing while surrounded by family or friends. In modern day, this is how many of we freelance writers or aspiring authors write. After all, they're called our "loved ones" for a reason. If you love them and they love you, it should be no problem to tell them you need quiet to write your scene or you need someone else to pick up dinner tonight so you can hash out why chapter three sounds terrible. But if your family is as loud as mine, you know this doesn't fly in real life. Everyone is trying to do something at the same time while still being together. Though our intentions are good, productivity isn't always the best.

This being said, I've recently done more writing and revising around my family. I put the rabbit on the couch, the laptop on my lap, and let the TV and my family play in the background. Is it as beneficial for my writing life as writing alone? Well, no. I'm not gonna lie, it's not.

However, it means I get in more writing time. In my mind, one hour of writing - no matter what writing it is or how much writing actually gets done - is better than no writing at all.

So, though I have to stop the rabbit from antagonizing the dog and listen to and participate in family stories, at least I'm getting a few more sentences on the page. I'm squeezing all the time I can from my day to write. As a younger, less time-constrained writer, I would have never done this. Not only would I have been frustrated my writing wasn't flowing as smoothly as when I was alone, but I wouldn't want my family to see me writing - after all, what if this idea didn't work out and I had to scrap it in front of them? Would that make me a failure?

If you're losing your writing time to a hectic lifestyle and work schedule, I'd recommend writing on your friend's couch or at your breakfast table. Here's why:

• You can squeeze more time from your busy schedule for writing 
• You don't have to feel bad anymore that you sacrifice time for your kids or roommates to write - they share in the experience!
• Your friends and family make perfect case studies for dialogue and stage action