Does being a parent kill creativity?

[Deleted]

Ok let me explain.

Before I had my daughter...clarification: before my wife had our daughter, I had so much time to sit and really get into a writing groove.

I would take my laptop into the backyard, spark up a cigar, have a cup of coffee (or a shot of something tasty) and write for two hours a day.

Now I struggle to write for even 10 minutes a day. I watch the baby until 10:30 AM, work until 7:30 PM, play with the baby and then put her to bed at 8:30 PM. I get to eat dinner at 9, and spend a few minutes with the wife. Then it is time for bed.

I never sleep enough or shower enough (I work from home) or have enough time to do the things I need to do, much less do the things I want to do.

I guess I am asking for advice from other parents. How do you squeeze in your writing? How do you keep the creative juices flowing when you are suffering from sleep deprivation and you smell like last weeks cabbage rolls?

Any advice or suggestions for a new dad who is a wanna be screenwriter?

[songswithoutwords]

Hey brain. Been there.

Firstly, how old is your baby? As children get to be 3 or more, they become to a certain extent independent, and while you still want to take the time to play with them, they can do things like going to the bathroom on their own. There's 10 minutes of day freed up; 10 minutes a day of extra writing time.

But forgetting that for a moment: Time is a matter of perception. As a person who has 4 kids, constantly travels, and regularly works 50 or more hours a week, I'll let you in on a little secret I've learned.

The less time you have, the more you get done.

I can't explain it, it's not logical. But somehow, 10 minutes of intensive writing resulting in 5 good lines of dialogue and 5 bad lines of dialogue, is worth much more than 3 hours of rethinking and retyping the same line of dialogue to get it just right.

When there's no time, you work fast. I work in airplane lounges. Taxis. During a 15 minute break at the office.

I do my thinking while riding my bike to work. When I can't write anyway.

On the other hand, in the evenings, when the kids are in bed and I get on the computer with 2 hours of free time ahead of me --- I do nothing. I browse the web. I click "refresh" on Gmail.

When you have no time, you get more done. So don't be put off by only having 10 minutes. Just make those 10 minutes as useful as possible.

Andrew

[Deleted]

My daughter is 16 months old. She is very active, quite the handful at times.

4 kids, travels, and works 50 hours a week?

Dude...you are my new hero.

I understand what you are saying. Instead of writing a lot of drivel, you and I have to make the time count so we think about it over, and over, and over again, and then when you put it on paper it is already "polished" because we have worked it to death in our minds.

[mscherer]

mybrainhurts,

Although I no longer have young children I do have demands on my creativity / writing. My wife has a disability; together, we take care of her 88 year-old mother who lives with us; I commute 75 miles one-way to work – a 70 minute drive each way – leaving at 4:20am and sometimes returning home around 5:30pm. My plate is full. My dance card is filled. My writing time is non-existent. Except......

.....on weekends.

My lovely wife allows me the opportunity to make off for the local coffee shop each Saturday and Sunday morning. Opening times are 6:30am and 7:30 am respectively and I stay there until 11:30 am. This allows me nine hours of writing each and every week. In the last year I have completed two (2) screenplays and did rewrites on four (4) others and I am currently in the planning and/or writing stages for two (2) more.

Now I’m not saying you should do as I do, but, you must make do with the time you have and you must always,

Keep Writing!

[attatt]

My son is 9 and he has fueled my creativity.

While he was little it was impossible for me to write or draw so I focused on things that seemed less brain intensive - playing guitar or drums, sports, etc....As he got older, his own imagination, love of comics and cartoons, and independence have jumpstarted my creativity again. We also have adventures together that I would never have on my own adult time.

The answer to your question is yes, but it should be a temporary yes as long as you dont have 10 kids.

[outofcontext]

I absolutely agree with songs on this one. I do my thinking when I couldn't write otherwise and when I do sit to write, I'm usually ready to go.