Writer Mama Riffs on Raising A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids

“A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing.”

Your sense of humor is a great gift, writer mama.  Rely on it in times of stress.  Remember it when your patience is thin. Use it to your advantage.

Receive a rejection letter with spelling errors?  An editor nit-picking over comma splices?  Choose to laugh instead of seethe. Your son cuts his hair into a mohawk?  Your daughter colors the kitchen table with magic markers?  See the funny story there.  Then write it!

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Megan Pincus Kajitani is a California-based writer mama and recovering overachiever who blogs at Having Enough (In a “Have-It-All” World).

After a day chatting with earthlink customer supoort. Strep on my birthday. And two lost writing days. How about you?

And then, miraculously, Lori Russell, sent me this from YouTube. Have you seen it yet? It’s called the Mom’s Overture by Anita Renfoe:

That depends.

I wrote an article on this topic that appears today over at Renee Roberson’s blog, Renee’s Pages.

It’s called: “Start with the Locals.”

In my humble opinion, starting with the locals is still solid advice.

If I might suggest a three-course meal, I’d suggest reading with this article.

Then I reading Chapter Five of Writer Mama, “Tackle the Clips Catch-22.”

Then I’d jotting down all of the publications in your region that you either read or that target folks just like you*.

Voila! Instant targeted markets for you where you can sell your writing.

Off you go now.

*If you’re not sure who your best audiences are, that’s easy. Just click here.

If you are not signed up for the e-zine version of Writers on the Rise, you are missing an amazing resource for writers. It really doesn’t matter what genre you currently write in, Writers on the Rise offers insight, ideas and inspiration for writers, who wish to take their writing career to the next level.

Although WOTR targets nonfiction writers specifically, writers in every genre can benefit from the wisdom that is served up in our terrific new format totally free of charge (and outside ads).

So, what are you waiting for? You just missed the July/August Part One of WOTR. But fortunately (Whew!), you can go to our blog and catch all the articles you missed in the first half of this month’s zine.

And while you are there, make sure you don’t miss a single issue in the future by clicking on the envelope image in the upper right-hand corner.

But don’t take my word for it. Check us out for yourself.

Fifteen monthly columnists are waaaaaaaay better than one.

There should be a winking smiley face at the end of that title so you’ll know this is all very tongue in cheek.

However…I have proof.

A study of 72 married couples from Iowa found that wives, on average, exhibit greater situational power — in the form of domineering and dominant behaviors — than their husbands during problem-solving discussions, regardless of who raised the topic. All of the couples in the sample were relatively happy in their marriages, with none in counseling at the time of the study. (“Quick Look” at the study.)

Call it a  “family meeting,” call it “a sit-down talk,” call it whatever you want to call it. If you want to fight for your time to write, you now have a study that’s got your back.

Of course, I had it all along. But your husband doesn’t even want me to come over.

Besides the article on writing spaces that I mentioned in the latest issue of Writer’s Digest, you might be interested in some visual inspiration to get psyched to organize your writing space.

I found this inspirational book, Organizing Your Craft Space by Jo Packham at Michael’s and used one of their weekly coupons from the Sunday paper to get it for 40% off. Yahoo!

Of course, there are no spaces for writers pictured in the book, but there are lots of bright, colorful rooms to stimulate visual thinking.

Other great places to find inspiration, for me, include Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion Magazine, 100 Decorating Ideas, Bargain Style, and Creative Home all from Better Homes and Gardens, and good ol’ Martha’s good things for organizing from the editors of Martha Stewart Living.

I’m still purging paper from my office—about two giant recycle cans full so far!

I can’t tell you how good it feels to get rid of all the old stuff that I’m done with. Feels like I’m getting ready for new projects. I can’t wait!

Well, I have just finished reviewing the 2007 Willamette Writer’s Conference schedule and I all I can say is, “WOW!”

If you are a writer in the Pacific Northwest, simply put, you do not want to miss this learning and career-growing opportunity.

In fact, if I had to say what has made the biggest difference in my writing career, ever, I would have to give credit to my membership and participation in Willamette Writers and the Willamette Writer’s Conference.

As a member, I go to informative monthly meetings, keep tabs on the all the latest publishing industry breaking news, keep up with local goings on via weekly e-mail announcements, and get to enjoy hanging out with new and old writer buddies!

I write a column on platform development for the monthly newsletter, which is a valuable resource for both traditionally published and self-published writers.

As a presenter at the conference, I get to give workshops, critique manuscripts, have a signing for Writer Mama, hang out at the Writer’s Faire with fellow authors, meet attendees, spend time with awesome folks from the publishing industry (like Writer’s Digest Books Writer Mama editor, Jane Friedman) and so much more.

I think that the organizers of this year’s conference deserve a standing ovation!

And this year, Retrofit Films will be making a documentary film of the agent and editor pitching process! How totally awesome. I can’t wait to see it!

If you are thinking about coming but you are on the fence for any reason, all I can say is:

Do not miss the Willamette Writer’s Conference.

You’ll thank me later.

And if you are not in Portland or the Pacific Northwest, I suggest that you find a writer’s conference near you OR make plans now to be here for next year’s Willamette Writer’s Conference.

And be sure to look me up if you come.

That’s right. I said, “Magenta.”

Or you can call it by it’s chosen name: “Can Can.”

I love it! Very energizing.

This former bedroom, which is now my office, was painted the color of the night sky.

Great for a bedroom. (ZZZ.) Not so great for this writer mama.

But now this…this does it for me!

Check it out:

What color energizes your writing?

By Christina Katz

1. Put ten bucks in your pocket on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Go garage sale hoppin’! (Give the kids a buck each.)
2. Visit a state park in your area that you’ve never been to before (just type “[Name-of-your-state] State Parks” into GOOGLE). Stop at the grocery store deli for sandwiches and drinks to bring along.
3. Read. Profusely. In the shade. In a lawn chair or on a blanket. In a hammock, if you have one! Teach your kids how to do it. Maybe they’ll fall asleep.
4. Visit Etsy. Spend hours surfing the handmade things you can buy for cheap. So much fun to search by color!
5. If your home office is a mess or the laundry is piled up. Ignore it. You can deal with it later. Go play.
6. Stockpile how-to writing books that suit what you need most in your career at this juncture. If you want to write for newspapers, don’t miss Sue Lick’s just released Freelancing for Newspapers. Blogroll her blog on the subject too. Maybe read them in August when it’s too dang hot to do anything else!
7. Go out by yourself, find some water, and float. On an inner tube. On a lounger. Don’t forget the sunglasses, sunscreen, and maybe even People magazine.
8. Go to Paris. I mean pretend to go at the theater while you catch a matinee of Ratatouille on a sweltering, white-hot day with kids in tow.
9. No time for scrapbooking? Collect your digital photos and make a book that tells the story of the first half of your year. iPhoto 6 has amazing ones that start as cheap as $3.99 each!
10. If you need something fun to watch on DVD, after the kids are in bed, try The Prizewinner of Defiance Ohio. This is definitely an inspirational choice for writer mamas.
11. How about a date night movie? You’ll both laugh (and possibly cry) if you can get a sitter and slip out to catch Knocked Up before it leaves theaters. I’m still quoting Paul Rudd and it’s been over a month since we saw it.

Happy summer, mamas!

Copyright Note: You are welcome to reprint this post in your blog or zine as long as the title links back to this blog entry and a complete title and byline are included at the top. Thanks!

By Christina Katz

Ingredients:
1 c. great determination
1/2 c. joy found in the writing process
2 c. stamina
1 dash of empathetic spouse
1 T. trainable kids
2 t. rolling with the flow
Optional: Sprinkle in sleep, flexible babysitters, good boundaries & writer buddies.

Mix well. Beat into stiff peaks. Then beat some more. Bake. Remove from oven while still gooey on the inside. Let cool. Serve. Enjoy. Then do it all over again.