It's still summer

No matter what kind of weather we’ve been having lately, I want to believe it is still summer. My daughter has been enjoying lazy days this summer, which has included staying up late (followed by mornings where she got to sleep in), movie marathons on nights she’d ordinarily be sleeping because of school, a sleepover during the week, bike rides and swimming with friends. My son has been going to summer school twice a week as well as having playdates and staying up late. In other words, the kids have been having a great time embracing summer to the fullest. Soon the fun will come to an end. Not too long ago, I told my daughter, “Pretty soon, we are going to have to go back on the school schedule.”

But maybe I shouldn’t have said that, because quite often this week, I have been standing at the back door, looking up at the cloudy sky, feeling the chill in the air, and asking myself, Where did summer go?

But according to the calendar, it is STILL summer!

I have to keep telling myself this even today. I had hoped to finish up a couple of WIPs during July. Alas, I did not finish them. Revisions on Book Four of The GHOST Group series has taken quite a turn. I have pretty much given up on creating an outline for this story, because my characters have taken over! They have decided that THEY will write the story. As long as I stick to my character outline, it should be okay. Just have to make sure the story does not veer too far off course. I am on the second draft of this book but I can already tell there will be a third. So it looks like I will be working on revising this book during the month of August, as well.

Another book I hoped to finish was the haunted cities book. Unfortunately, I ran into a snag with one of the chapters. My publisher gave me some good info, so I’m going to get back to work on completing that chapter. I also need to complete two other chapters, and then it will be done. So this book is also another WIP I am carrying with me into August.

Before the summer, I made a list of which WIPs I wanted to finish. These two books were on that list. And it’s still summer, so I am still going to be working on completing them. I hope that by the time the new school year starts (which will be a new year for me, as far as the books go), they will be done.

Finding time to write in the summer

It is almost officially summer! As a writing parent, that means getting creative with finding time to write. Of course I am serious about my writing, but time with my children comes first. Also, we have activities and a couple of other things planned for the summer, so that's something I'll have to consider, as well.

The big thing about being a writing parent is that I refuse to make my being a writer this huge “secret.” I don’t write in a secret room or only when the kids are sleeping. I plant myself in the living room and allow the kids to see their mom writing. The children understand that Mommy writes books and needs to work on her book every day. I tell my daughter, a young author, the same thing: Write every day. So when they see me writing in my book, they respect this – that is, until there’s a crisis or the two of them start fighting. These writing sessions usually don’t last for very long, and with as much writing work as I have going on this summer, I’ll need to find some extra time to get more work done.

To start with, I need to spread the book work out. Because I’m working on 4 WIPs this summer, I can work on 2 books on Mondays and Wednesdays, then 2 books on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fridays can be used for catching up on work I could not get done. (I don’t usually work on my books on the weekends, but during the summer, I need to make that happen!)

One thing I can do to have time to write is get up early or stay up late. This way, in addition to my normal writing time during the day, I can have extra writing time in the morning or at night. Because my days are completely unpredictable, it could go either way.

Playdates are also nice. A mom who lives across the street has a son who is the same age as my own boy, and the two of them get together every weekend for a playdate. We take turns hosting playdates, and when it’s her turn, that is time right there to write.

My son is signed up for summer school for two days a week. These are ideal times I will have to work on my books – definitely more than one hour of writing time. The time the kids are in school is designated as “me time” – time to write, read or enjoy a movie. The same goes during the summer. While my son is at summer school, I’ll have more time to write. (The oldest is more understanding about my need to have time to write while her brother is at school so there’s no need to worry there.)

Sometimes, I’ll “hire” my oldest, my daughter, to watch my youngest, my son, for an hour so I can have time to write. This is usually when I absolutely NEED the time to work on a book and can’t seem to fit in the time, and it usually works out really well. My daughter is happy to earn a little money from babysitting, anyway. She wants to take on some babysitting jobs when she gets a little older, and this is good practice for her.

These are pretty much the best ways for me to get some writing time during the summer. I don’t want to miss out on summer fun with my children and the time I have with them is very important because they’ll be grown up and living on their own before I know it! So in order to have time to write and be able to enjoy the summer with my kids, these are going to be the methods I will have to start putting to use if I want to get some writing done.

31 Writing prompts for kids

As part of my daughter's "summer schedule" (which was put together to ensure she doesn't spend her summer in front of the TV or stomping around the house complaining of boredom), I have a weekly "writing session." I put together a list of writing prompts and she selects one each week to write.

And since July has 31 days, I decided to put together 31 prompts. Huzzah!

These prompts are mainly written for children but I see no harm in adults trying their hand at one of them, too. After all, I don't think we ever outgrow that fantasy of being a superhero. :)

Enjoy!

31 Writing Prompts for Kids

1. Write a story.

2. Write a poem.

3. Read a book and write about what the book was about. (This works best for a short book. No comic books!)

4. Write about what has happened so far today.

5. Write about one thing that happened today that made you happy, sad or got you thinking about things.

6. Write about the things that you like to do. Why do you like to do them?

7. Write about what you want to be when you grow up.

8. Write a letter to a friend or someone in your family.

9. Make a list of what you would buy if you went to the grocery store.

10. Write a song.

11. Write about what kind of game you would make if you could make up your own game. Don't forget to name it!

12. Write about what kind of animal you like. Why do you like this animal?

13. Write about what kind of car you would invent. What color would it be? What would you name it?

14. Write about a dream that you can remember.

15. Write down as many names you can remember of everyone in your family (that includes grandparents and cousins).

16. Write about something you once did with a friend. It could be something fun, something scary or something that made you laugh.

17. Write about what kind of animal or monster you would create. What is it called? What does it eat? Where does it live? Don't forget to color it!

18. Write about your favorite book or story. What happens in it? Why do you like it?

19. Write about something you would like to do with someone in your family. Does it need to be on a sunny day or a windy day? What kind of things would you need?

20. Write something about God.

21. Write as many words as you can think of that start with each letter of your name.

22. Write about what kinds of things you would plant in your garden if you had your own garden. Why would you plant these things?

23. Write about the things you like to do when you are using the computer.

24. Write about something you want to change in the world.

25. Who is your best friend? Write about this person. Why is this person your best friend?

26. Write about the last TV show or movie you watched. What was it called? What happened in it? Did it make you laugh or feel scared?

27. Spend some time looking at a favorite picture or a picture hanging on your wall. Write about what you like about the picture.

28. Write everything about you and what kind of person you are.

29. Create your own recipe! Write about what kinds of foods you would use to make it. Write down how you make it. What do you think it will taste like? Will it be spicy or salty? Don't forget to give it a name!

30. Write about what kind of superhero power you would like to have. Would you like to be able to turn invisible? Run really fast? Be really strong? What would your name be? What colors would be on your uniform? Write all about you being a superhero!

31. Write about what you wish they would teach at school. What would this class be called? Who would teach it? What kinds of things do you need to use in this class?