Every year at this time, I get anxious about productivity. With two kids about to wrap up the school year and my oldest already home from college for the summer, I'm once again wondering how I'm going to get any writing done. Don't misunderstand me, parenting is both challenging and rewarding all year long, but freedom from the regimented schedules of September through May can feel restrictive in a different way. After brainstorming as a family, we came up with a few possible remedies.
Consistency Equals Comfort
As much as the neurodivergent artist in me wants to dismiss the importance of routine and predictability as BORING, I must (begrudgingly) admit these tools help rather than hinder my creativity. Knowing I have time set aside, even if its only for a few hours every other day, silences the inner voice that insists I will never have time to write again. On the flip side, it also alleviates my kids' concerns that we will never have time to do anything fun. The key is to first establish a schedule that works within our current framework, resisting the trap of setting myself up for failure and disappointment with unrealistic expectations. My writing routine looks different in the summer months not only because there are suddenly three additional humans in the house seemingly in constant need of food, entertainment, and transportation, but also because I am an outdoor cat. No, that's not the right metaphor because I'm also extroverted. What's the most social animal, a honeybee? Back to the point: I thrive on spending time outside with other people and there is simply more opportunity to do so when the weather is pleasant and the schedule more flexible. So, instead of beating myself up, or "should-ing" all over myself about a dip in productivity, I'm learning to embrace that a writer is only one of many things I am, and that if I starve those other parts, my creativity will ultimately suffer for it, too.
Friends and Family Field Trips
At ages 9, 13, and 18, my kids are more independent, but also more interested in and easier to take along on bookish errands and events. I may not get six hours of uninterrupted writing time every day (who am I kidding, I rarely manage that any time of year) but there are many aspects of the writing life I can, and prefer to, do with company. Libraries, bookstores, readings, Write-a-thon's, conferences, and other locales to research are all good field trip opportunities. Whenever possible, I like to combine items from my to-do lists with one from my want-to list. Need to move my body, want to see a friend, I know which one to message about going for a hike. (Bonus: we also talk shop and solve several plot holes on the trail.) I've loved involving people from other parts of my life in my process, from asking a self-proclaimed Pinocchio scholar friend of my college kid for research support, to learning how to robot from my kids' favorite dance instructor (video coming, don't you worry).
Mix it Up
A new season is a good time to try something new and different. With my debut novella coming out in June, I'm having fun with marketing, designing swag with much-needed help from my teenager, scheduling and recording podcast interviews, and connecting with readers online and at events. Sometimes focusing on short fiction, especially flash, helps bridge the gap between desire and time to create. Instead of comparing the yield to some other writer's, or even my own from the past, I'm trying to honor the writer I am today, in this season, knowing it will change again and again throughout my career.
The Myth of Balance
I once heard an alternative to the "having it all" myth that really resonated with me. Instead of imagining ourselves as jugglers sweating to keep all the balls in the air, let's visualize some of the objects as glass and others rubber. Some of the things we juggle are fragile and precious, and if we drop them all together, they will shatter. Others are rubber and can bounce. The categorization will look different for each of us. For me, I've learned the hard way my health can't be neglected and so I prioritize it even when it means sacrificing other things I'd rather be doing. I also choose not to drop certain relationships, particularly with my kids and spouse. Housework, on the other hand, is rubber. That one can bounce away and never come back for all I care. Writing is a special kind of hybrid: precious but sturdy. I can let it bounce for a time, knowing it will always be there when I return.
Whether or not you're in the same stage of life as a parent and writer, if you struggle with some of the same debilitating self-judgement around the cyclical nature of your creative output, I'm here to say, stop "should-ing" on yourself this summer. The short, dark days will be back before we know it and we'll all be curled up inside by the faint glow of our laptops cranking out words to sustain us until the outer world beckons once more.
Rachel Horak Dempsey is a writer of dark fiction living in Denver. Her debut novella PN0K0, a retelling of Pinocchio with a terrifying techno twist, is forthcoming from M4L Publishing on June 9, 2026. Her short fiction is available from Creepy Pod, Brigids Gate Press, Timber Ghost Press, Twenty Bellows (Pushcart nominated 2024), Stars and Sabers, and others. Rachel is also the editor of the anthology Horizons 2 from Twenty Bellows. She currently serves on the Executive Board of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and appears regularly on the Writers Who Read podcast as a guest host. Rachel holds a BFA in Drama and English from NYU, a Master’s in Journalism from Georgetown and an MFA in Creative Writing from Regis University.