przed: (dalgliesh headdesk by agentxpndble)
przed ([personal profile] przed) wrote2007-10-03 11:39 pm

My baby is psychic...

...and not in a good way.

She seems to be able to tell when mommy is just about to start writing. See, I foolishly signed up for the [livejournal.com profile] discoveredinalj Anarchy challenge. Got a cool prompt, have an idea for a nice meaty, plotty story. Even have a number of scenes mostly written in my head. The problem is transferring the ideas to paper. Or electrons.

See, if I'm lucky, the baby goes down for a two hour nap in the afternoon. Which generally gives me enough time to get the lunch dishes cleaned up, watch an episode of something to keep the PVR down somewhere below 95% and then maybe do a bit of writing. Except for the past three days I get to the part where I'm going to do some writing and the baby wakes up. Today, I'd only managed to re-read what I'd already written, had typed literally two words and then there was crying.

Sheesh.

At least she's gone down nicely tonight and after watching an ep of Supernatural with the Sweetie (All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 2, yay!) I actually got some work done on the story. Nearly 3,000 words. Which would be cause for more Yay! except for the fact that I'm still working on the set-up. Darn my propensity for meaty, plotty stories.

Should be cool, though, when it's done. If the baby doesn't continue to be psychic.

[identity profile] st-crispins.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 04:02 am (UTC)(link)
You could always try using a hammer (just kidding).

Seriously, your mistake is doing the dishes, etc. When my son fell asleep at that age, I literally ran to the computer and started typing as fast as I could. Eventually, he started sleeping three whole hours in the afternoon and that's how I managed to write anything.

When he was older and I was working on my diss, I hired a sitter.

Now he's 15, too old for naps and a sitter and always wanting to go somewhere. So it's worse and I get no writing done at all.

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 05:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I took your advice on the writing today, and so far, so good. (I'm just happy this is one of those stories that's flowing nicely and not one I'm beating my head against a wall with.)

I do sometimes wish kids came with a readout: today the nap will be one hour and forty-five minutes. Plan accordingly.

That would be awesome.

[identity profile] schnuffi.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
Hm... Maybe you should read the story to her after you finished. She might like it and let you write next time *G* Yeah, come on - grow up another Pros slasher for our ranks!

Anyway, can't wait to read it once you succeeded in writing it.

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey, I'm already pointing out pictures of Bodie and Doyle to her. (Look Rosalind, that's Bodie and Doyle. They love each other very much. *g*) If she doesn't turn out a slasher, it won't be from lack of trying.

The story's at 3,300 words and counting. Yay!

[identity profile] sunray45.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 05:22 am (UTC)(link)
They ALWAYS know when you want a bit of time to yourself. Leave the dishes and GO WRITE - dishes can be done any time.

I'm being a bit selfish here; I really want to read your story.

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 05:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I'm trying to get as much writing time in as possible today. We'll see how it goes. (Just finished another scene. Yay!) Won't be able to do much over the weekend, though. My mother-in-law is visiting for Canadian thanksgiving.

[identity profile] callistosh65.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 09:41 am (UTC)(link)
I'm with sunray45 here, leave the dishes in the sink and get the writing done THEN. Baby, then fic, then dishes.. see??*g*

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 05:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Baby, fic, dishes seems an eminently sensible order of priorities. *g*

[identity profile] keelywolfe.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 10:19 am (UTC)(link)
Babies are always psychic. My son was always good for a nice two or three hour nap. My daughter? Hour and a half, tops, and that's if I'm lucky. She's also a very light sleeper. I just end up writing at night, since she goes down at seven. :)

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 05:39 pm (UTC)(link)
My daughter and yours seem to be operating in the same ballpark. I'll occasionally get a two or (if I'm lucky) two and a half hour nap, but it's more usually an hour and a half. (I just read that kids this age are supposed to sleep fourteen hours. Apparently Rosalind didn't get that memo.) But yeah, I do most of my writing at night. Problem is, that's resulted in me being up till nearly one that last few nights, and I can't sustain that any more. Not when I'm getting up just after 6.

Sigh.

[identity profile] heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 10:55 am (UTC)(link)
I've heard laudanum is supposed to be quite effective .... :D Seriously, though, I'm with all those who say screw the dishes - here's to meaty, plotty stories!

Screw a couple of hooks into the ceiling and hang a baby-chair-type-thing with safety straps, so you can rock while typing? ('course you rock anyway!). That worked on zoic#1 for a while. (Sadly I was work-typing at the time rather than story-typing, alas.)

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey, on Rescue Me the other week they used Benedryl and Jameson's scotch on a kid. Some days that sounds like a reasonable solution. (Joke!)

She's a bit big now for the baby chair solution. All she wants to do now is walk/toddle around and cause baby mayhem. But I'm working on encouraging those two hour naps.

[identity profile] msmoat.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 12:47 pm (UTC)(link)
You know, you could have gotten away with doing a bit of writing while the baby is napping--especially after being all conscientious about the dishes and stuff. But, you tempted fate unbearably when you added in the fatal "meaty, plotty" story. Really, what were you expecting? It's like spitting into the wind. Tsk. *g* Not to mention that there's a deadline. Still, it's great to hear you have a solid idea and that you've gotten at least a little bit of it written! Just remember that late is okay. *g*

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 05:43 pm (UTC)(link)
What can I say: I like tempting fate. And ya know, sometimes I do my best work with an incredibly stupid deadline. Doesn't give me the time to agonize and procrastinate.

At least I've managed nearly an hour of writing, so far, today. Set up's mostly complete and now I have to figure out how to get them out of the jam I've put them in. (I may bug you for a beta soon. Depending on how the writing's going.)

[identity profile] msmoat.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
I may bug you for a beta soon.
Please do! My work life is still insane in October (alas) but my weekends are finally opening up a bit. I'll look forward to it!

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2007-10-05 03:13 am (UTC)(link)
Groovy. I've been making great strides on the sucker today. Mind you, we've got family visiting this weekend...

[identity profile] paris7am.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 12:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Paper and plastic disposables! I know, I know, it's terrible for the environment etc… but sometimes we've got to make sacrifices. For the common good, and all. :)
Feeling your pain and sharing it, even not being an author.

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 05:44 pm (UTC)(link)
The environment versus fandom, huh? The environment never had a chance. *g*

Hope Lewis is going down for longer naps that Roz.

[identity profile] faramir-boromir.livejournal.com 2007-10-04 10:53 pm (UTC)(link)
This is where you pay yourself first. You put everything else (dishes, ep watching, write) in reverse order (write, ep watch, dishes) and you will definitely get the writing done.

[identity profile] przed.livejournal.com 2007-10-05 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
I'll have to tell Don you've joined the screw the dishes chorus. (He came home from work today and said "I read your blog. Did you know your friends are telling you not to do the dishes?!!!" Heh.)

[identity profile] faramir-boromir.livejournal.com 2007-10-05 02:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I didn't mean *never*. Heh. I just mean, will it hurt to leave them in the sink until dinnertime, and then do them with the dinner dishes?

ext_36738: (Default)

[identity profile] krisserci5.livejournal.com 2007-10-08 02:05 am (UTC)(link)
I'll have to tell Don you've joined the screw the dishes chorus. (He came home from work today and said "I read your blog. Did you know your friends are telling you not to do the dishes?!!!" Heh.)

My first thought was "that's what Sweeties are for" . . . . with your story pending, may I suggest biodegradable paper plates. . . convenience and environment working together. . . :)