(I should clarify that I know I can and will do it—but for motivation I want to know how YOU did!)

@ShandersWrites You just have to get up earlier than the children, before the days worries have begun. Or to quote Toni Morrison, “you have to beat the sun.”

@Court_Reinland I looove this fact about Toni Morrison

@ShandersWrites I brainstormed each chapter for weeks while doing chores, childcare etc, took tiny notes in my phone & once I felt I had the entire chapter fleshed out, I stole 2 hours to write it down in 1 sitting—taught me a lot about patience & was v meditative

@mcrane_12 This is really similar to my writing process! But I found that it worked a lot better for short stories than for a novel

@ShandersWrites I’m a single mom with three kids and two jobs. I wrote most of my novel on my phone in car pool lines and speech therapists’ waiting rooms and on the bleachers at little league practice. I wrote it, queried it, revised it, and got it out on sub in 8 months.

@annie_m_morgan Okay WOW!! Eight months??

@ShandersWrites Not trying to be glib, but you just decide you’re gonna, come hell or high water, and then do it however you can. I took a crappy, sometimes demeaning job that had the hours I knew I needed.

@TDTherrien I’m definitely gonna (I’m about 80% of the way done, but the last 20% is kicking my butt)—the job and the kids are immovable, so I’m trying to adjust the writing process around them!

@ShandersWrites *gestures broadly at the history of literature up to around 1985*

@barcodezebrrr I know people do it every day!! Just looking for inspiration, especially from those who are doing it while working in another industry and raising kids

@ShandersWrites *Waves in has full time job and three kids and never gets long periods of time to write!* My books aren’t published (yet?) but I’ve nearly finished six books and queried five since 2017!

@KatyLapierre 🙌🏾 I have the same setup (work + three kids) so my second book is a whole different challenge from my first! Good luck)

@ShandersWrites Day by day. I gave myself a daily word count goal. Woke up and wrote at 5am while my kids were asleep. 500 words a day was a novel in a year. You got this!

@4everKentuckian I’ve been amazed at how well 500/day works and how much more feasible it feels than 1000

@ShandersWrites I read books I liked in prison and when I got out I wrote my books on my phone on my lunch break in Google docs and it worked out OK

@WholeTimeDavid Amazing 🙌🏾

@ShandersWrites Don’t edit or reread more the last few paragraphs until the draft is fully done, drop another ball (usually exercise or evenings socializing), keep the faith ❤️❤️

@finejuli I didn’t know you were still on Twitter!

@ShandersWrites In this WRITING STORIES interview, I share how I wrote my new novel BEAVER GIRL in 2 hrs each weekday during NaNo. I have never had a residency, sabbatical, tenure track job, grant or any 💰support aside from my discipline to make a plan and stick to it.

@PremoSteele Amazing, I can’t wait to listen!! (I was actually on Writing Stories a couple months ago complaining about how much harder it’s been to write since I had my twins 😂) I’ve always said I would try NaNo, but have never quite gotten the timing right. But may set up a makeshift one!