Thursday, December 11, 2008

वहत दो व्रितिंग मोम्स दो दुरिंग ठिर मतेर्निटी लीव?

I hope that title still isn't in sanscrit (or whatever language that appears in the title block at the moment). Anyway, it's supposed to say: What do writing moms do during their maternity leave? (Someone tell me WHY it's in another language!)

The answer is: change diapers, experience life as a cow, and stare at tiny feet while daydreaming their plot that they know they should be working on. Oh, and in my case, trying my best to convince Child #1 that Child #2 is not a toy.

Seriously, I was staring at my baby's toes last night after he started his milk coma and thought: I should be writing. Then I felt guilty because no, I should not be writing. I should be sitting on the couch, like I was, watching too much TV and wearing my son's spit-up on my shoulders. But honestly, I want to get back to my story. Ali had just exited a prison and then---I stopped writing. I got wrapped up in querying agents and then revising ROHANA. Then I became obsessed with being pregnant and then trying to become un-pregnant. Now that my baby is two weeks old, I'm ready to get back to work.

Only, I get on a computer once every four days and barely check my email.

So what do new writing moms do during this postpartum period? They work their brains and rest their fingers.

Well, it's what they do on the days they get naps.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

You rest, let your uterus get back into fighting form, and grab a moment of shut-eye while Henry is in his milk coma because as soon as you are in REM sleep one of your little bubbies is going to start screaming and making you race around the house in a postpartum hormone-zinging flurry:)

Enjoy the baby toes,
jill

Vijaya said...

Amber ... I read your title and it made no sense because it's a poor phonetic translation (not the meaning) of What do writing moms do during their maternity leave). Hee hee ...

I can't believe you're ready to write when the new babe is 2 weeks old. It took me at least 6 months, and I was writing for just 15 minutes.

In answer to your rhetoric question: I slept as much as I could.

Enjoy those baby toes and milk comas.

Vijaya (from the blueboards)

Damon Young said...

G'day Amber,

I skipped to your blog from Rachael's - lovely to see you flourishing after the arrival (our daughter was born one month ago).

On writing and sleeping children, I thought you might like this: http://www.theage.com.au/news/books/driven-by-distraction/2008/07/03/1214950947979.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

Cheers,

Damon