She did not begin writing until the age of fifty-three, and then only because she desperately needed money to support her six children and ailing husband. In order to squeeze the necessary writing time out of the day while still acting as the primary caregiver to her family, Mrs. Trollope sat down at her desk each day at 4:00 a.m. and completed her writing in time to serve breakfast.
Mason Currey, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
Though Frances Trollope didn't start writing until late in life, by the time she passed away at aged 84, she had 40 books under her belt. With a work ethic like this, it is no wonder. If one needs to get work done, one finds the time is the lesson Trollope imparts. Other duties aren't excuses.
Trollope's example was followed by her son, Anthony, who penned 47 novels and 16 other books using the same practice. Anthony woke up at 5:30 am every morning and worked for three hours straight. Until he had to start his duties at the General Post Office. He writes in his Autobiography, "...three hours a day will produce as much as a man out to write. But then, he should have trained himself that he shall be able to work continuously during those three hours,--do have tutored his mind that it shall not be necessary for him to sit nibbling his pen, and gazing at the wall before him." Would the same logic work on new parents spending time with their children, I wonder?
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