
Have you ever made supper while feeding a baby and paying bills at the same time? I have! And I have to tell you, I wouldn't have it any other way. I LOVE multi-tasking. It's an illness, really. I mean, if I'm NOT multi-tasking, I'm not happy. Take this post, for example. I'm writing it, but I'm also thinking about the next chapter in the book I'm working on and waiting for a podcast to load so I can listen to it.I think part of why I enjoy fiction writing, especially novel-length pieces, is because of the multi-tasking. I don't sit a character in a room and let him or her talk about the same thing for an entire book. I have a number of characters with different attitudes and appearances running around doing a whole bunch of different things. I have to remember which one has which color of hair and speaks in which manner. If I was not good at multi-tasking, there was no way I could do it.
Don't get me wrong...it's not like multi-tasking is an easy thing to do. Because of everything I have going on with my 4-year-old and 7-month-old, I rarely know what day is is. Case in point...a friend emailed me that she might take the following day off of work. I told her she should because EVERYONE should have Saturday off. She wrote back and said, uh, Brooke, tomorrow's Friday. I REALLY didn't know it was Friday. I even told my daughter earlier in the day that daddy got to stay home the next day because it was Saturday. She was disappointed to learn I was off a day...as was I.
Sometimes, multi-tasking can get to be a little too much. Trying to play with Mickey Mouse statues while changing a screaming baby and attempting not to burn the food on the grill can be a little challenging. There are times when all I want to do is sit in a quiet room and do nothing at all. But overall, I am a multi-tasker. And I am thankful that I have that talent. Because without it, my characters would all be the same...act the same...and never go anywhere at all! And my children would be bored. They would probably fire me. :) Some day, when my kids are grown up and gone, maybe I'll do one thing at a time. When that day comes, I'll savor the moment. Maybe for an entire hour. Then, I'll get bored, sit down, and write.