How to Homeschool and Write

I’ve always marveled at writers who homeschooled and did both successfully, mainly because I struggled in to do both at the same time. In my quest to learn how to write and homeschool, I had the privilege to interview those who proved it could be done. With the start of the new homeschool year, I thought it would be helpful to repost this interview from 2009!

Susan May Warren is writer and homeschooler extraordinaire. She’s also a WONDERFUL and GENEROUS teacher! And her books prove she knows what she shares! I always learn something new when I listen to her and it seems like the girl has an unlimited wealth of knowledge.As an award winning author, Susan served for eight years with her husband and four children as missionaries with SEND International in Far East Russia. And she did it all while writing! She now writes full time from Minnesota’s north woods and the beautiful town that she always dreamed of living in.
Q: Do you think it is possible to write a book if you are a homeschooling mom?
A: I was a homeschooling mom for eleven years, during which I wrote 24 books, so I know how overwhelming it can be. I was fortunate my children supported me and frankly, after spending six hours with me in school, they were ready to let me have my time alone!However, admittedly it isn’t easy, and there are definitely some techniques to help make this an easier task.

Here are some of the things I do to carve out productive time.

Establish a set time every day, or every other day to write and keep this time sacred. Block it out on your calendar. If you only write when you can, then there will always be things that will get in the way from walking the dog to making chocolate chip cookies. Set a time, and keep that appointment with yourself, telling yourself you are investing in your dreams.

Keep a writing Journal and every day log what you have done, and establish your goals for the next day. You will access different sides of your brain as you are writing than you do when you are working, and instead of always keeping both sides active, if you write down where you were and where you want to go each day, you can let your creative side rest while you are teaching, knowing you can pick right back up when you return to your writing enclave.

Keep a notepad handy. Even though you have made notes for yourself to keep your creative side from overloading, your subconscious will still be working, and I guarantee that you will be right in the middle of a lesson, or an email, or even lunch, and suddenly you will hear/see/dream up your next scene. Quick grab your notebook before you lose you thought and write down just enough words to trigger the memory again, later. Then, you won’t have lost it, but will have put it into its appropriate place to be pulled out during your writing time.

Involve your family in your dream. I created mini-celebrations when I finished a chapter, or a scene, or even a book, we’d have mini-party ice-cream, or cookies, or a trip to the park. Also, I promised my children that if/when I ever sold a book, I’d take them to Disney world!And I kept that promise. Involving them in the process allowed them to invest in the dream with me, and made them a vital part of my writing life. And, most of all, they didn’t feel left out.

It’s not easy to homeschool and write. Many were the days when I held my two year old on my lap and typed around him. But the reward is when they introduce you to others as, my mom (or dad) the author!