Sunday, March 12, 2006

They Don't Know How I Do it!



How can Deidre do it all--agent, author, have a life. I don't see how she can possibly do all of that.

This is the question many ask of me—seeing that I’m a successful literary agent, mother, author, wife…friend, human being. The list goes on. I think it’s one reason why a few doubt whether I can juggle my agenting and author career simultaneously.

I thought it would be cool to let y’all get to know me better, and take a look at my life. For instance, what am I doing RIGHT NOW? I am sitting on my screened in back porch, with my kids (who are taking a break from water balloons and sandbox play in the back yard to have a snack), and writing a new blog entry on my laptop. The weather is perfect, probably 75 degrees, with partly sunny/partly overcast skies. There’s a light breeze reminding me of exactly why I live in Georgia and not New York City. Spring has come to the deep south, and probably won’t be departing again!

My wonderful husband and best friend is napping upstairs, I’m playing with the kids while working on my laptop—something that’s quite possible now that they’re no longer babies and getting older. At times I take breaks, doling out snacks or answers to questions: “Mommy, you know what I want? A book of potions and a book of magic.” I, of course, explained that I wasn’t behind her possible foray into sorceresshood.

Later today, the girls will head to bed at their normal hour, leaving a full night where I can write, blog, answer interview questions, or just hang with my husband and stare at him. We don’t tend to be much on the latter, we’re both too goal-driven. Judson has taken up guitar, and is now prone to sitting around jamming on his electric guitar until after I go to bed—or until I do. So what do I do during his jam sessions? I write. I edit. I work on my side-venture of being an author.

Tomorrow, it’s our girls’ intercession break, so they won’t have school all week, so I won’t have to get up quite so early. Still, I’ll be to the office no later than about 8:45 or so. Who will care for the girls? I have a nanny, Ms. Lolita (she has the best name in the world! Lolita Love—doesn’t that rock?), who will come and take care of them. Later in the day, her own daughters will come over, both of whom are about my girls’ ages. They’ll probably head to the park. They’ll definitely go to the grocery store (see, I don’t have to shop!) and at the end of the day, my honey will cook our dinner (another task that I don’t handle!)

I’m not sure if you see where I’m leading here, but I’m really blessed—my free time isn’t filled with the same tasks that occupy many working mothers, i.e. juggling in grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, dishes. THAT is how I have extra time, on top of agenting, to write. And you know, as much as many might envy me, I’ve worked my little behind off to get to this point, to have the kind of support at home that allows me to focus on what’s important beyond my agenting career. Not just what’s urgent, in other words, but the truly important elements of my non-agenting life—my daughters, my husband, my family, and my writing.

(Gotta share this—two people are walking down the street, and Riley—my three year old—just said, “see those people at that white fence. We really don’t know those people.”)

I’m so blessed; my life, both at home and professionally, is the richest, most amazing life any person could lead. If I weren’t careful, I could envy myself! LOL!
Hugs to all

8 comments:

Shannon McKelden said...

What's funny is, someone asked me just the other day, "How does your agent find time to write along with agenting?" I replied, "The same way you find time to work a more than full-time job, do all your other activities and write...you just make it work." Funny how some people can't seem to separate that agenting is your job and writing is something you do outside that, just like the rest of us do. Not that we do it all as fabulously as you, but we try. :-)

Shannon

Anonymous said...

Deidre, yes, I'm envious. We had a mild winter and now, nearly mid-March and "spring break" for the kids, there's still three foot high snowpiles in the middle of the mall parking lot. They'd better be gone in a week! My tulips started coming up the first week of February - unheard of, and now they're freezing their butts off (that's all that's up), LOL. I hate to cook--I want a husband who cooks! (I love mine, but he's no better a cook than I am). And can nannies take on teenagers? Yi-yi-yi, I swear teenagers take up way more time than elmentary-school-aged kids. I had more writing time then, definitely.

Tip to SAHMs who write: don't buy a house within walking distance of the high school. Yeah, it's great to know where your kids are (here), but not only do THEY come home every day for lunch--half of the school does, LOL. And don't get me started on "spares!"

In elementary school, they weren't allowed to leave the school property without a note from home. Oh, those were the days....

Cindy,
slightly frazzled

Diana Peterfreund said...

Can I have a nanny? I dont have kids or anything, but she sure would come in handy aorund here...

Karmela said...

Deidre -- your life sounds a lot like mine, except for one more thing: I don't sleep. Not that much anyway. I get maybe 5 hours a night, and that's just my normal body clock. So when people ask me how I find the time to do this and that, I just give them that short answer -- I don't sleep. It shuts them up right away. :-)

Jaci Burton said...

What Diana said. I don't have little ones around anymore, but I could sure use the nanny for me

*g*

It's a wonderful life, D, and one you've earned by hard work and dedication. Enjoy the fruits of your labors!

Deidre Knight said...

Yeah, yeah, see? I manage to come off sounding like a pampered NY City novel character. :) Remember the flip side--all the looong hours as an agent. hugs!

Tillerman said...

Well said - there is time to do so much in one lifetime if you concentrate on what is important to you.

Anonymous said...

I juggled job, kids, house, writing, shopping, and coping in a foreign country at the time with totally different language etc., social life, ...

The more things that needed to be done, the more I coped. I never had the luxury to sit down and think why am I doing this?

Now I find that I have more time to write, it's much harder than before when I didn't have time. Because I can procrastinate if I'm having a bad day. People tend (read "mother") to think that I'm going to be available because writing isn't a real job, so let's have lunch/go shopping/can you take me to the doctor type activities.

Being busy means you are more focused and every moment is entirely precious.

Yesterday was a monster of a day. I lost my wallet (found it, after panicking, on the floor in the car under the seat) and I also decided to shred the last third of my current m/s because my writer blockage has been caused by my basic knowledge that this was the only way out of the corner I had stupidly painted myself into and guess what...

Today is much better. Writing is better. And my mother hasn't rung.

Pennyoz