Ok gang, the schools have booted your kids out the door for the summer, it’s so hot actual space-time has melted and become an amorphous, uncontainable blob of sweat, and your thighs are sticking to everything, including other people’s thighs. How do you keep writing over the summer holidays? How do you claw back time? Where do you find the space? How do you keep your brain focused? How do you keep the amazing writing habit that you’ve just spent all year creating?
We asked a bunch of writers how they keep writing over the summer holidays and they told us…
“I write on my phone when I’m laying in bed after toddler falls asleep if I don’t fall asleep myself… I also protect my writing time, which is an hour and a half on zoom with a friend where we shoot the shit, share poems we have enjoyed that week and go off to write, then come back for a first draft share. It means I’m accountable to both read to find something for sharing and I’ve got a body double to get me to write!”
Jem Henderson, poet
Instagram: @jemfacepoetry
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“I record voice notes when Im walking the dog in the woods. I not ashamed to lie and cheat too, eg say I’m going in the bath but actually I’m hiding in the spare room bullet pointing with a notebook. I’m also strict with the husband, say “actually they are your kids, too. Cancel golf or take her with you, I’m working”. Then I close the door and only open in emergencies. Play dates at other peoples house, then I return the favour by telling my husband her mate’s coming round – entertain them please, I’m working! I think I covet small windows of time, and never underestimate what you can get done in half an hour. Currently got kid on lap with sick bowl, dog on foot and laptop open!”
Kathy Hoyle, writer, PhD candidate
Website: kathyhoyle60965855.wordpress.com
Instagram: @kathyhoylewriter
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“Writing is already difficult due to my disability – it means having to exercise a kindness to yourself, especially when I can’t control symptoms like functional seizures. But in the hot heat? It means parts of my condition painfully flare, especially when dehydrated. Forget the arbitrary ‘set’ routine and tune into what you can do and when, rather than forcing the issue. Buy yourself the fuck-off sized reusable water bottle, carry it with you wherever you go – especially if you take SSRI medication. Cradle it, keep it close, use electrolytes if needed. Anti ableism stickers are always optional on the side of a bottle.”
Lydia Wilkins, journalist and editor
Website: The Disabled Feminist
Instagram: @Journo_Lydia
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“I have a friend that I do childcare swaps with, so she takes my kids for a few hours a week so I can write and I take hers so she can work on her business. It is also a whole new world now that my husband is also self-employed and the division of parental responsibility can be more even. (#SmashThePatriarchy) When I’m able to leave the children with my husband or my mother (thank the goddess for my mother), I make sure I leave the house otherwise no amount of “Mummy is writing now” will convince my children that I am not available for snacks and general chit chat.
“I am also absolutely not above sticking the kids in front of the TV for a half hour or an hour here and there. Screens get a bad rep from people peddling guilt to try to make you buy stuff to entertain your kids, but TV helps them learn storytelling, engages their imaginations, educates them about all sorts of topics and flexes their empathy muscles. If we pack their days full of constant activities, we’re just teaching them toxic productivity and Burnout 101. Learning to chill out is also an important life skill. Plus, Mummy needs 30 minutes of goddam peace.”
Allegra Chapman, writer, creative therapy practitioner
Website: Creative Fix
Instagram: @allegra_chapman
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“The summer holidays have a great way of reminding me I’m human: I’m sweaty and failing to meet ALL the requests my kids make. And being human means I can’t do everything! So I drop things that aren’t essential (no Substack posts or freelance work in August), and I take two weeks off of writing altogether (OK maybe a sneaky notebook scribble when inspiration hits). And my top tip for parents who write: QUIET READING TIME! I enforce an hour of this after lunch when we’re at home in the school holidays. My kids get to read (or faff with Hot Wheels) and I can read or write for an hour. No housework. Win-win!”
Katie Holloway, short and long form writer
Website: Lose Yourself Books
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“My office is in the living room, so it can be a struggle to concentrate when my whole family is home on vacation. I have a pair of noise cancelling headphones, and when combined with the sad minimalist new classical music I love listening to while I write, it’s like I’m the only one here. Back in the days when my son was little, I’d wake up at 4 AM and do my work then (I’m a morning person, but this could be stay up until midnight just as easily).”
Sage Tyrtle, writer, facilitator
Website: tyrtle.com
Bluesky: @sagetyrtle
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“Early mornings are the key for me. There’s a blissful window of an hour, or more if I’m especially keen/lucky, before my daughter wakes up and my work calendar kicks in. The sun is generally streaming in, the coffee is brewed, and I can work on my latest project guilt-free. The fact that this time is so limited helps keep me focussed and productive too.”
Mathew Gostelow
Website: matgost.substack.com
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“Keeping the blinds open allows the sun to wake me up early when it isn’t hot and no one else is up and I am groggy enough to use my beautiful brain to actually spin out words. Also, boxers. Loose cotton boxers keep things airy. Paired with an iced coffee, they make the ultimate writing combo. If I have guests/children/visiting parents and feeling risqué, going to the local cafe in those boxers for an iced coffee helps raise that word count. If it’s too hot, I send my characters to a desert and describe it in detail.”
Akshay Gajria, author and writing coach
Website: akshaygajria.com
Instagram: @akshaygajria
