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Writing from Home: It Can Be Great and Not-So-Great for MothersSarah Smiley I went to school to be a teacher. In fact, I have a B.S. in Education, not journalism. Due to the hours and holidays, teaching is traditionally thought to be the best work for a mother who wants to keep one foot in the mommy-door and one foot in the career-door. This thought, paired with my love for children and learning, led me to life inside the schoolhouse doors. Soon though, writing, not teaching, became my real "full time job," and its been years since I set foot behind a teachers podium. There are times I miss teaching and regret I havent used my diploma more, but who am I kidding -- freelance writing has to be the best situation for a stay-at-home mother: I get paid, I do something I love, and I dont leave the kids. Whats more I can stay in my pajamas all morning! Sometimes people ask if the lack of structure and absence of a physical "office" bother me and make it hard to concentrate. Sure, I get sidetracked watching a great episode of Rolie Polie Olie with my son every now and then, and I take long, leisurely breaks to chat on the phone or go to lunch, but this isnt because I "work at home," its because Im an artist. I only write when inspired and when it "feels right." Even if I sat behind a desk all day, Id still piddle around and get distracted -- its my nature to jump from project-to-project, then zero-in on a particular piece when the mood strikes me. This is the artist in me. Just as a painter cannot be told, "Paint, now!" a writer cannot sit in front of a blank screen and expect great things to flow. My best pieces, in fact, are written while I do such things as stand in line at the grocery store and wait at a red light, or during a commercial break from Oprah. As Im sure any artist can relate, I usually get a "feeling" when I have a great story brewing in my mind. This is, I think, the blessing and curse of creativity, because sometimes that "feeling" comes in the middle of a dinner party or at two oclock in the morning and I have to race to find paper and jot my thoughts down. My husband has grown accustomed to me running in the door, heading straight to the computer and yelling as I go, "Cant talk....got a story on my mind....need to get it on paper!" So, while I love this profession for its adaptability with the children and being a mother, sometimes the unpredictable nature of my creativity poses a few problems. For instance, if inspiration causes me to stay up until 3 a.m. writing a great column, Im little use to my high-energy children a few hours later when they get up at the crack-of-dawn. Yes, I have the luxury of lounging in my pajamas and not going to an "office," but I struggle with the spontaneous nature of this business and the chaotic schedule it sometimes poses for my children and me. I guess though, even if things were different and my life was more structured, Id still be a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl...thats just the life of an artist.
| | | | RELATED ARTICLES Does The Title Reflect The Story Short Story Writing Tips – 12 Top Tips For Up And Coming Article Writers 1. Make your articles available on your site. Bushs Election Victory: Ethics, Morality and Religion Defeated War, Economy and Foreign Policy President George W. Bush has unofficially won his re-election bid defeating Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry. The election was close, no doubt, but it was by no means a re-run of the 2000 election drama. Because this time, Bush bagged a convincing victory by winning both Electoral College and Popular votes. Catholics Need To Take a Second Look at Morality According to CNN, Catholics voted for President Bush over Senator John Kerry by a 51 to 48 percent margin.Hence, Catholics voted for a Born Again Methodist over a Catholic candidate.Many Catholic Bishops have declared abortion a “non-negotiable issue.”In the diocese of Brooklyn, which encompasses Brooklyn and Queens, there is not a single memorial to those who have been put to death by our government.Nonetheless, I know of at least one parish in Brooklyn that has a three-thousand dollar memorial dedicated to the aborted.Meanwhile, 36 million people in the United States live in poverty.If the Bishops are not silent, they most certainly speak in a whisper when it comes to issues of social justice and the death penalty.The Catholic Bishop’s candidate, George W. Bush, executed nearly 30 individuals in 1999 alone. How to Write a Holiday Tale that Isn’t a Turkey When we write stories, with the purpose of sharing them with others, we enter into an agreement where we allow our reader to see a glimpse of our heart, our souls and our memories. If we truly want them to be immersed in the tale, we actively immerse ourselves in those memories so that a glimmer of what we saw, heard and felt comes through. Poetry Techniques The style of writing poetry differs from person to person; long or short meters, three or four lines to a stanza. But the great thing is, no matter how a poem is written it still holds great emotion. Some techniques used in poetry are onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, rhyming, simile and metaphor. Publicity Through Philanthropy For Writers I am twenty three years old, have sold over four thousand copies of my first book in a matter of a month after its release and recently been contacted for contracts with Random House and Harper Collins for two new titles. I think a good deal of my recent success ishighly correlated withmy Reading for Charity Contest and the attention it has drawn. Ill explain the entire background, but as pre-thoughtI think it first manifested itself through a combination of my looking for a good way to market my first book, while balancing out my karma a bit. A way to interweave my love of novel writing, increase my books visibility and provide a benefit to society in some way shape or form. All of these tasks have seemed to be accomplished- although my karma could still probably use some more balancing. "Manuscripts Wanted" - Questions You Should Ask The Publisher Before You Sign There are days when I feel as if everyone I know is a writer, and that they are all looking for the same thing, to be heard. The pursuit of finding someone to accept a manuscript for publication is at best disheartening. Many begin to feel that continued rejection is about as miserable as a writer will ever feel – it is not. Signing with the wrong publisher not only brings misery in a new and clever package, but it can also quite possibly destroy the inclination to write. Script Mechanics—Suggestions for Writing Effective Voiceover Copy As with any of the performing arts, an effective voiceover begins with a well-crafted script. You don’t have to have many years of writing experience to create copy that is both effective and a pleasure for the voice actor to perform. Here are some ideas to consider before you put your pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. The Facts of a Writers Life So, you dream of becoming a famous writer You want to get that article on paper as soon as possible and see it published. Youve got great ideas for a book that youll be starting any day now. But do you know what its really like to lead a writers life Read on to find out. The Top 10 Secrets of Successful Authors If you are not a successful author yet, incorporate the following ten secrets: Making Better Word Choices - 4 Examples Writers face many decisions when working on a project. Choosing the correct word for a certain situation is one choice that writers often either struggle with or make an incorrect choice. This article will give some basic guidance to writers on four of the more common word choices that authors face. Film Review: Anything Else I went to see “Anything Else” because I heard an intriguing rumor that Woody Allen had cut all of his own scenes out of the movie. It turns out that not only was he in most of it, there were two of him. Documenting Everything: Your Journal is Your Logbook Sailors had it for years. Great explorers had it as well. If you go on an expedition to an ancient Aztec mound, more than likely the archaeologist will have one too - so, why shouldnt you own one Real Estate Professionals Need You to Write for Them! Ask yourself these questions:Are you an experienced writerDo you want to stay at home to writeDo you want to work for yourselfDo you learn new things quicklyAre you interested in a broad number of subjectsDo you feel like you’re being pigeonholed with your current writing and you want to branch outDo you have a flair for marketing How to Get Started on Writing Killer Articles I once wrote an article in which I offered the following tip on how to speak eloquently in public: Talk about something that you’re passionate about.When we speak about matters that are dear to our hearts, we often find wellsprings of eloquence from which we can draw. The Devil is in the Details: The Heavenly Benefits of Specificity in Writing You can argue about the devil, but certainly the substance, distinctiveness, and success of your essays depends on the details. How to Have an Effective Writing Group The works you’ve written are numerous, ranging from short stories to even the novel, hidden in a storage bin under the bed collecting dust. But there comes a time when you must wipe away that dust, regain your pride, and prepare your babies for publication! But, how do you get such a critical, unbiased eye to analyze your works, offering both praise and criticism Mission Possible: Get Published with Goals, Guidance and Persistance You send me an e-mail. You tell me you’ve written over three hundred poems since you were 16in your teenage angst stage. You mention the novel you’ve completed and it’s really good it really is!!!, and the novel-in-progress. You mention how the International Library of Poetry has published one of your poems. But, whom haven’t they published Absurdity of Absurd: Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot What does ‘Absurd’ mean When I searched the glossaries ,I found the word to be ‘out of harmony’1.But yet the definitions trying hard to explain the term , just to end in total ‘Absurdity’ assuming for a while that we know the meaning of the word,as they talk in total sense, the nonsense about it and of course that means they failin their attempt .But considering the term to be linked with literature and other forms of art too!,when I searched for more I came across the lines that states that no ‘literary criticism’ [in which I include the attempts to explain the literary terms] can take the literary work itself ,or to be more specific ‘…it [literary criticism]is not substitute for reading the work itself’2,as it [the piece of work]is the most exactly and precisely ,the thought conveyed or explained.So,I reached the idea that to understand ‘absurd’ .I must view an absurd work by an artist, rather than poring over the talks about it. Hence as a literary student what first came to my mind at this instant is none, but WAITING FOR GODOT by Samuel Beckett,the so called absurd play structured around ‘Godot’,the axis all absurdity[as till the date none could declare with confidence ‘who’ or ‘what’ Godot is !] |
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