Welcome to the blog of science fiction author Eileen Rhoadarmer--where science fiction and Mommyhood collide!


Friday, September 30, 2011

Nursing is Good For Writers

Yes, nursing a baby is good for a writer.  And I'm not talking about my son.  I'm not going to wax eloquent on how good nursing is for a baby's brain or claim that he'll be a writer someday.  Nursing is good for me--for my writing.

Don't get me wrong, nursing is very time-consuming, and that's hard when one also has a toddler to keep track of.  When Zaxxon was a baby I preferred to take him to the rocking chair in his bedroom for nursing.  It was quiet and comfortable, and perfect for a mommy who still felt really uncertain of the whole process (not to mention in pain for many more weeks than the experts said I should.)  With Kal'El, I haven't had that luxury (so it's a good thing that I already know what I'm doing this time.)  I've nursed him all over the house whilst trying to keep Zaxxon entertained.  BUT...  whenever somebody else is occupying the toddler, and always for the last feeding before bedtime, I still like to sit in the rocking chair, which is now in the living room.  And of course, I have a good book with me.
And that is the point I'm making.  Since nursing takes up so much time, and it's mainly just sitting still and letting the baby do his thing, I've gotten a lot of reading done.  I read out loud, too.  I figure it's good for my son to hear my voice, and it helps him to hear the language.

I use the time to read stuff I've always wanted to read but haven't had time for:  an anthology of stories written by my old professor, the first James Bond novel, a short Connie Willis book, the rest of the stories in Doomology (yes, it took me this long), The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and The Invisible Man.  Reading classics (and not-so-classics) is always a good thing for a writer, because the more you read, the more you expand your horizons, and the more you grow.

There are a whole bunch of other books in our library--including titles by Jules Verne and Isaac Asimov--that are on my list, although they've been put aside for now.  This is because I've replaced reading them with reading the first draft of my novel to Kal'El.  I've never read my work out loud this early in the editing process before, but it's not as painful as I feared it might be.

No matter how busy we are, slowing down and sitting with a good book can be beneficial, and nursing has helped me do this regularly again.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Science Fiction Mommy is on Facebook

Well, I've done it.  I created a Facebook page for myself.  I have a personal one, but now I have an "Author" page that people can "Like" if they so choose.  So if you're interested in getting writing updates to your facebook, or want to connect/network in that way, please check it out.

http://www.facebook.com/sciencefictionmommy
(There's also a "like" button on my left sidebar now.)

There's been a lot going on and little time to post.  I hope to get a few more updates on the blog soon!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

So far, so good

Well, here we are, fifteen days into September, and I've written everyday so far.  Not much every day, but it's happening.  It's taken me this long (plus a few times in August) to edit a 5,000 word story, so I'm not breaking any records, but it feels good to have this one done.  I'll probably try it out on a few family readers, just to see if they notice anything else, but I think it's mostly ready to go.

I've been feeling enthused to start editing my novel, so that's what I'm going to begin next.  I printed it out today, so I don't have to be glued to the computer in order to give it my first read-through, and it's a beast.  186 single spaced pages (double-sided, of course.  And note to self:  print the even pages first next time, that way they'll be in order after the odds finish printing instead of having to turn each page over.  Ai.)  I plan to read through it quickly the first time and see how it feels and what it needs, and then start making notes in the margins.  And then the heavy-duty work can begin.

Whee!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Maternity Leave Stat Check

As I had hoped, my maternity leave was not completely barren of writing activities, though they did slow down considerably.  Here's how I did:

During my maternity leave, I wrote on 49 days--not bad, slightly more than half.  Many were very small, but at least I did something!
Hubby and I finished the first draft of our animated screenplay, I made grammatical edits of said screenplay, and I began editing one of my short stories.
I made 0 submission
I received 4 rejections, and I suspect one submission was never received
I have 8 stories that should be in slush pile circulation, but only 3 are currently out (most likely 2, if my above suspicion is correct)
I made 9 blog posts (in 3 months, whee)

Analysis:
It was definitely good to take time off for the birth of my son.  I couldn't even think about writing for the first two weeks.  It was nice to be working on a joint project too, because it was a nice, slow way of easing back into it.  I was glad to have given myself an excuse to not feel guilty about not writing... or submitting... or anything.

I'm sure things are going to remain slow.  It's going to be a lot of work to get all my pieces back out in addition to finding time to write/edit.  Today was a perfect example, what with the baby crying and the toddler pushing every boundary he knows, but I did manage to spend a few minutes doing edits on a story.  It's one I'm really happy with, so I have high hopes for it.  Here goes!