by margaret hillcroft

Created on: December 06, 2008

I remember well sitting down to enjoy a quiet moment and a cup of tea some days after my first child was born. Sure enough, before the second sip a disgruntled wail began to eminate from the pram and an awful truth dawned upon me. "I shall never be able to sit down and have a cup of tea in peace ever again" I realised. I knew then that babies know, by some strange process of divination, when their mother forgets about them for a few self indulgent minutes. All the time you are preparing bottles, washing clothes and tidying toys is OK because your thoughts are still rotating around the babe. Make a phone call, take a bath or read a book and it is a different story. That baby is determined to have your attention.

This is all fine. It is nature's way of ensuring you take good care of your infant. It is the childs way of increasing its chance of survival. There is a communication between mother and child which is unspoken , almost telepathic by nature and that baby does not know , if you switch off for a while, that you will "be back online soon" and as it is no longer in the security of the womb it is all quite reasonable, really.

" Where does that leave my novel?" I asked myself as I cradled my firstborn and lulled him back to sleep. i am the kind of person that needs uninterrupted time and space to get into writing. I am easily diverted and find it hard to get back into the flow after a distraction. I could not see a way, as a single mother, that I would ever find the time to write again. I did , though. It became more important to me than ever, as I found my way through the emotional maze in wich I found myself during the post natal period. Although I did not write my novel, I found writing to be a great release and a fantastic way to clear my mind even if I simply wrote my thoughts in a haphazard way.

Each writer has their own way of opening up to the creative process. As children are so demanding, it is important to make some space in your time schedule and your home to facilitate writing. Keeping notebooks by the bath or by the phone reminds you "I am a writer". Set up a table by the bedroom window complete with a laptop, away from the rest of the family and, even if you don,t get your head together enough to write, at least you are training yourself to sit there. When you do get the urge, start by writing what is "on top" and in the fore front of your mind. It may be a recipe or a shopping list but it will lead somewhere else eventually and keeps you typing

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