Victorian Servanthood

 Life below the stairs during the Victorian era was not glamorous. If you think working for the public in a restaurant or store puts you in contact with ungrateful people, consider what the servants of the ungrateful rich dealt with. Service jobs were done by "inferiors" who were supposed to be invisible unless needed. If you were treated well you were lucky, but not everyone worked for people as nice as the Bridgertons. 

To be clear I am not talking about slavery. This is paid servanthood that is not forced. This is comparable to being an employee in personal maid services or a kitchen worker (though today you won't be treated like you are inferior unless you have a crappy boss). The rich employed people to bend to their every whim. While Cinderella may have technically been a slave, most domestic servants were paid money. If they weren't it was slavery.

The Roles and Duties

The wages of servants were different based on roles. The butler had the benefit because he had no expenses except clothes, got discounts from tradesmen, collected the end of candles, and collected one bottle of wine for every six bottles served. Below is a range of wages (1890s) in today's money based on my research. In America today these are below the poverty level. In between this range is the butler, cook/housekeeper, lady's maid, parlour maid, cook, housemaid, kitchen maid, and scullery maid. All of these people have no money for leisure by today's standards. Some of them work for next to nothing. 

Housekeeper - 9,139.00 per year  to  Between Maid - 1818.00 per year

The duty of house staff will revolve around the family. There is also a social hierarchy within servants. A butler and housekeeper, for instance, are higher above other staff members. Uniforms were only 1900s creations. It is basically loyalty to a family for a long time.  The chores the upperclass wouldn't do were done by the house staff. 

Maid duties vary based on how many maids there are. Scullery maids did dishes. Laundry maids did -obviously - laundry. Parlous maids maintained the drawing and sitting room. Chamber maids maintained bedrooms. A lady's maid was the private maid of the lady of the house. Between maids ran from the garden to the house. Kitchen maids helped the cook. 

The kitchen also included the cook and under cook, employed by the butler and housekeeper. The cook managed all the kitchen staff. Their job was essential to impress guests. The footmen represented the estate. They accompanied the lady of the house on trips, served meals, and assisted the butler. They were generally well dressed. They held doors open and helped at meal times. The Butler was the highest rank and ran the staff. He oversaw all of it. The housekeeper helped him run the female staff and decor in the home. She would have been a high ranking servant. 

The grounds keepers included head gardeners. Grooms and stable boys cared for the horses and were often young boys as young as ten. Game keepers maintained the bird population for hunting purposes. A governess and nurse looked after the children. If more than one nurse was there, it'd be a head nurse overseeing other nurses. You could be around 15 years old to be a nurse. Governesses taught female children (Meg and Jo March as an example). Boys were sent to boarding schools (like what Jo ran). She'd be in a difficult status position due to being higher than a servant and lower than her employer. This was caused by a governess being educated while most servants weren't.  

The Upsides

Despite the hardships of the job, the service people took pride in their work. At first, they had to ask for even short periods of time off (and that was frowned upon). However, just like now, they could get days off. It was sometimes given as a reward and taken away as punishment. The 1880s began a half day off after lunch on Sundays. Once each month was a trend at that time, too. Provided chores were finished, they got these days free. The 1900s introduced an evening off a week, but often only in households with many servants that covered each other. Time off was a thing even then. It was provided and it was worth more than gold to someone who worked for so much of their life. The 1890s even offered them holiday leave for one to two weeks, which they used to see family. They often saved wages for a good while to afford the train travel. 

While no one was looking the servants let their hair down. Like I'll mention in the next section, forbidden visitors often came when the master and mistress were away. It was also not uncommon for some family members to get cozy with servants. It caused some scandal if it created a child out of wedlock, but often it was on the down-low. Large households that required more servants had "the high life" downstairs. This was playing cards, secret visitors (forbidden, obviously), pillow fights, music, dancing, getting drunk, and practical jokes. Life was not always dull and boring. I'm willing to bet that servants probably created a family-like bond in the process of working in the same house for years. 

Depending on your master or mistress, they might have a kind heart and provide a piano or reading and sun room for you. You could have relationships with your family. Most were not denied trips to town and walks in gardens. All this was yours for the use, provided you got back on duty on time (9 or 10 pm). While that cuts leisure time short, I will say a kind employer did give you at least some time to enjoy yourself. 

Servants had an advantage when it came to family secrets and closet skeletons. Being invisible unless you are needed has a weird benefit that allows you to hear and see what others don't. In short, you have more gossip fuel than you know what to do with (which servants got known for). The servants know the family better than they ever dreamed. If I were investigating a murder I'd go escort myself down the stairs and get the goods on everyone while nobody was home. I'd become a forbidden visitor for evidence. I'm not actually sure if being invisible is a good or bad thing in this case, so I'll say it just is (neutral). It depends on the situation. 

A living space and a meal were guaranteed if you served a wealthy family. If not, you were in a bad spot. The worst of everything if you served someone who barely had enough money to pay you. But in the case of a wealthy family, you had a roof over your head and food to eat. It was good to not be on the street. It was better than selling yourself for money. If your employer cared for you they treated you well. After years of loyalty to a family, some of them might take care of your needs later on in life. 

The Downsides

If you wanted your own personal space to be sacred, you were mistaken. Consider Harry Potter sleeping in the cupboard under the stairs and Cinderella in the attic. Consider going to bed in the kitchen area. An undeniable fact was that early in the 1800s servants did not have their own space. You were not to be seen when you were not wanted. Harry Potter and Cinderella slept where 1800s servants would have. Men tended to guard the plate down in the kitchen, though, so they bedded down in the kitchen often.

Even after the 1900s revealed servants' rooms that were an attempt to attract women into personal service, the personal space was still not there. You couldn't put up personal decor. Your space could also be raided at any time and you couldn't say no. Household guides suggested keeping servants on their toes. Sound fun? Yeah, I didn't think so, either. A bare-bones room with no personal effects that is hidden away from where guests would roam might be a servant's quarters in some old houses. Servants halls provided a social life, as limited as that was, for the staff. That, too, was a room that was particularly plain. If they had time to gather around a fire it was available. No gas lighting was provided downstairs in most households. This type of life required getting past a feeling of lonely isolation because most of your social contact was with fellow servants and your employers did not get friendly with you - although some employers and servants got friendly and had what is known as a "bastard" (an illegitimate child). 

I will note that making servant quarters plain is not dangerous. I will also note that, according to Timeline documentaries, they cut costs in the servant quarters in some houses that cost servants their lives or health. Stairs were sometimes only even where the guests were about and in the areas that were lived in by the family. Staircases in servant areas were sometimes not even. When you are carrying a plate of food or any heavy object that can throw a monkey wrench into your day faster than an avalanche with no rescue crew. Servants died on stairwells that didn't have even steps because it cost less to make servant stairs subpar. It extended the budget of the family to do this. Older stairs can be uneven anyways, yes, but if you notice that one area of an old Victorian era house has standard steps and the downstairs does not you are seeing the difference in status reflected into how the house was built. 

When I said it was lonely, I also mean romantically lonely. Unless you met your men in private and in secret you really couldn't have a relationship. They couldn't kiss you goodnight before duty because of a rule of "no followers" on the way back to your duties. Again, most of the relationships that happened were not spoken of and the strictest of secrets. Visitors to servants were forbidden. In some family closets you will also find a few skeletons. Children were had between a family member and a servant downstairs in some circumstances. In wealthy circles this was nothing short of shameful for both the servant and the family member, however, the servant would get dismissed and be unlikely to find work in that wealthy circle. It was worse for the servant. 

There were rules to follow by servants, generally summed up by being invisible unless needed. It was expected that you be calm and quiet. You basically have to do your job speaking as few words as possible and minding your Ma'ams and sirs. You are to keep your thoughts to yourself. Again, invisible is the expectation. Efficient, quiet service is what is asked of you. You are essentially part of the house itself. What this screams is that you are not equal. Does it sound like the worst job in the world? Actually, no, but depending on your employer it could be absolutely awful or absolutely wonderful. I put it under downside because it sounded so strict, yet, it depends on how strict your master or mistress is. Children actually related to servants more often due to the expectation of being seen and not heard. Governess and nurse bonded with the child more than some parents. 

Holidays were hard. Boxing day was for servants (giving boxes to servants). Sometimes they switch roles on that day. Servants had to run parties for the family. Wealthy families and upper-class families had many parties. You worked when others were off and free. You bent to the whims of your master and mistress for your paycheck.

A Bonus Section about Victorian Sexism

I hesitate to bring this one up, but I think it is worth noting. It is history and it is sexist, but it happened and I won't ignore it. Women were sometimes treated like children. What I hesitate to tell you is that women who did wrong in households were sometimes spanked. The guide to Victorian household management (written by Mrs. Beeton) suggested it. This was considered a wholesome book. Yes, I know, it's awful. Would you like an excerpt? 

“I am distinctly in favour of the rod, duty, obedience and discipline make for very good, well behaved girls. Even ladies of rank must on occasion be treated like a child and put across the knee. She must make her own arrangements for her punishment, as it is essential that she must loose all sense of power. Failing this the party administering the punishment should always part or lower the girl’s draws as this adds to the feelings of shame.”

This is a problem. This was only suggested for women. Did young boys get the belt for doing wrong? Sure, but no one suggested that they pull down their drawers and spank them with their drawers down when they were no longer children. Men got to grow out of childhood and women in that era did not. Let's not repeat the Victorian era, please! You even see this in some westerns.

*Here I will decline to put any pictures because the ones I found from the Victorian era were either erotica novels, showed a full butt to the world, or were children being spanked and not grown women. All of the pictures of women looked so sexualized that it made me sick.*

Sources:

Servants' Lives - Weddington Castle

On spanking and Victorian household management | A Voice in the Corner

Servants: A life below stairs - BBC News

The Servants of a Victorian Household (simplehistory.co.uk)

Victorian Era Servants in homes: Duties and rules (victorian-era.org)

What was it like to be a servant in Victorian times? (treehozz.com)

The Life of Domestic Servants in Victorian England (thegreatcoursesdaily.com)

Pictures:

https://austenauthors.net/regency-servants-valet-and-ladys-maid/

(510) Pinterest

Life in domestic service in the 1930s - 1939 Register | findmypast.co.uk

Solving Puzzles 101

 As a Nancy Drew gamer, puzzles are an everyday part of my life. I think I'd go insane if I didn't have a jigsaw puzzle going or didn't have a game to play. I have so many sudoku books in my possession I may never finish them all. Today I'm going to talk about every type of puzzle I can and how to do them, including tips and tricks to solving them. 

Chris Ramsay and others on Youtube have channels that explore solving physical puzzles. So many Nancy Drew gamers stream and post on Youtube it'd take you months to watch them all. Markiplier and others play a variety of strange and fun games (horror and otherwise) consistently and for charity. Youtube is a treasure trove of people who solve puzzles for a living or just for Youtube in their spare time. I'll let you look these people up later, but for now, we'll start with categories of puzzles. 

The categories of puzzles I'll talk about today are physical, numbers, letters and words, logic, and jigsaw. Physical puzzles are described as puzzles you hold in your hand and play with using your hands. Number puzzles involve the use of numbers. Letter and word puzzles involve letter arrangement. Logic puzzles have to do with the use of logic and deduction. Jigsaw puzzles are interlocking pieces that create a picture. Most of these are obvious, but I include this breakdown anyway. 

Physical

The types of physical puzzles out there are vast and priced in many ranges. My husband loves these. I am incredibly frustrated by them. It takes someone who plays with everything in front of them to love these brilliant little and big objects. I don't exaggerate when I say that you have to find every button and moveable piece possible to solve some of these complicated physical puzzles. They come in metal, wood, and lego. Chris Ramsey says a puzzle is solved not only by taking it apart, but by also putting it back together like you found it. The latter part of the process sometimes takes the most time. These are known as brain teasers, technically. 

I said I'd include tips and tricks to these puzzles. The best advice I have is to find whatever moves and go from there. This really is messing with an object until you find the answer. Don't think too hard or you'll miss it. They are vast in form, too, so if you are truly stuck you can contact the company or find a tutorial online (hopefully). Some have pins that need to be moved and switches in them. Some are slider puzzles that create images.

It would take forever to categorize the variety of these things, so I won't. I'll put a link to Chris Ramsay instead and let you explore the rest of his channel to find that variety on your own. Click here for Chris Ramsay's Youtube channel! Happy exploring!

Numbers

Sudoku, Hidato, Nonograms, and Yohaku are all number-related puzzles. They all include logic, too. Sudoku is putting numbers in a square so that none repeat in any line. Hidato is putting all the numbers in the box in a way that creates an unbroken string of numbers diagonally, horizontally, and vertically. Nonogram solving is coloring in specific boxes specified by numbers on the side (no, not color by number). Yohaku is newer and I don't have a simple explanation for it. It is, and I quote, "a new type of number puzzle that will test your number sense and problem-solving skills. Each yohaku is either an additive or a multiplicative puzzle (as indicated by the symbol in the bottom right of the grid). Your task is to fill in the empty cells such that they give the sum or product shown in each row and column." 

Given Yohaku was last described, the tips and tricks for that involve being good at math. I am not. I found a good description of this, however, from somewhere else, and here it is. I know I have seen this puzzle in one nancy drew game somewhere. I purely guessed at it or cheated. All it is, truly, is basic math and time. 

Sudoku is one of my favorites. You start by looking at what numbers can't be in certain squares. Go square by square until you can logically eliminate what numbers can't go in a space and what can. Usually, they give you enough set numbers in an average puzzle to put at least a few numbers down. If you are doing a sudoku with five connected puzzles that share corners, do the corners first and then finish the middle. I do these rather well, but everyone has their own strategies to use, which you can find several of in this link. There are fancy and complicated versions if you need more challenge than the average human. 

Sudoku Example

Nonograms are a pain to do, at least for me. What I do know is that you do the rows that indicate a whole row of colored squares first. Then you logically deduce where the rest go based on that. Even then, you can find yourself guessing and checking the back of your book or cheating on them (cough couch, Shadow At Waters Edge, cough cough). The bigger it is, the harder it is. Someone explained this rather nicely in the link here. They even give you a sample one to try that isn't massively hard to do. 

Hidato, also known to Nancy Drew gamers as "renograms", is creating that string of numbers based on where the set numbers are placed. My husband also loves these. I literally bought him a book of them for Christmas because he exhausted the supply of them in Shadow At Waters Edge. This is basically logical reasoning. The shape of your box can be anything, so some are rather creatively shaped. I found a tutorial for a small hidato, should you want to try it. This is the tutorial. 

To be fair, a lot of these do go in the logic category, too. Some Sudoku also begins including letters. Challenge levels of these go from beginner to massively creative large ones that are nearly impossible. You can find the level you want. Start with beginner, though. Don't overwhelm yourself with a task that takes practice when you didn't start with the basics. 

Logic

Here we have chess problems, grids, brainteasers on paper, and visual trick puzzles, as well as many other types. 

Chess puzzles require you to know how to play chess, obviously, so I'm going to go ahead and assume you know how to play chess if you are doing these puzzles. I have a video below that will give you a bunch of chess tactics. Chess is logic with long-term thinking. I do know how to play, but this man in the video below is much better than anything I can come up with on my own. 

Visual trick puzzles have to do with illusions. These are something related to how many triangles are in a picture, and you have to count the tiny triangles within the bigger ones. You have to think outside the box. Not too many tricks for this type of puzzle, sadly, so I can't give you much help. This is the one puzzle that has no tip with it. 

Logic puzzles go broadly in many directions, and yet, I can give you one guideline on multiple types in one shot. Eliminate the impossible and you're left with the possible. Start by eliminating what can't be the answer and go from there. I notice that some people are shockingly good at logical thinking and others miss what I see as the obvious. No one is stupid, to be clear on that, but not everyone has a natural inclination for logic. 

Logic is important for many reasons, one of which is that everyday problems can be solved using it. An example from my work is people asking where a resident sits, even though they (except for a few new ones) have name tags on their tables. When one is given a table number and a name, logically they could reason out who at the table it should go to (minus those without name tags). That is an everyday logic problem. You can find more in adult life all the time. Adult life is a series of logic problems, even down to prioritizing stuff on my office desk.

You'd be surprised who's not strong at logic and who is. Those who have that strength are generally not asking questions that can be answered by basic logic (especially introverts). We simply figure it out ourselves and go, rather than ask what we know the answer to. We may doublecheck sometimes, though, just to be safe when something is critical. Pay attention to the use of logic around you today.  You can Sherlock Deduce about anyone through learning more about logic and observation.

Jigsaw Puzzles

Another favorite of mine is jigsaw puzzles, particularly in 500 to 1000 pieces. You can find challenging and extra challenging ones in pieces into the 1000s and puzzles with no edge. Some are all corners or all black and solid colored or with transitioning colors. Again, whatever challenge level you want is out there. I adore the mystery puzzles that have no image to go off of and have a mystery booklet to read. 

Here I count mechanical puzzles as related to Jigsaw. This is still interlocking pieces and creates something. It may be slightly different. All the same, I consider it the same strategy, especially with jigsaw puzzles that create buildings and 3D images. It is the same concept. The only difference is sorting is only by shape.

My strategy is simple. I also have a patience level that allows me to counted cross stitch and embroider for months. It takes patience and time to do this type of puzzle. If you have no patience or attention span you shouldn't start a puzzle (and ditto for counted cross stitch). 

I begin by dumping the puzzle pieces out of their box/bag and sorting the edge pieces out. I often have to do so again while constructing the edge of the puzzle (the missed-a-piece curse). After the edge is all nicely constructed and correct I sort them by color or pattern or both. I suggest getting a bunch of bowls to sort pieces into or investing in a simple, cheap puzzle sorting set. You take one color/pattern and put together all the pieces you can, repeating that process for all of the sorted bowls. You do this until you are stuck with a bunch of pieces that are multiple colors or you finish the puzzle. In the case of multiple colors, sort them by shape and try to fill the holes in the puzzle using shape. Eventually, you'll get there and have a beautiful image on your table or surface. 

You can frame it, put it away for future solving, or pass it on. When I solve it I give it a victory lap (aka leaving it up for a day) and then put it away, making sure the corner pieces are in a bag for when I solve it next. If I didn't love it the puzzle goes to one of my relatives. Much like books I dislike, puzzles I dislike leave my personal collection.

Words and Letters

The arrangement of words and letters involves crosswords and word searches, as well as board games like Scrabble. It comes down to how big your vocabulary is and knowing what your words mean in some cases. Scrabble boils down to knowing exactly what words can be placed in valuable spaces (which takes talent). In the general sense, avid readers and writers ace these types of puzzles. Also in this category, codebreaking is a real thing. Ciphers and anagrams are word puzzles. 

Codebreakers that broke Enigma machine codes used the art of arranging letters to do so. Some of our puzzles today and fun codes we know about were used during the war for real message sending. Ciphers are challenges that real men and women faced for the sake of war and espionage, which is amazing. Word puzzles were actually useful. Ciphers involve a keyword and shift in letters. You'll find tips for that type of puzzle right here. 

Crosswords are all about knowing what your words mean and arranging them in the correct spaces. This blog is getting a bit too long, so I will let you explore this link of tips yourself. When it comes to word searches you simply have to be observant. For more pointers, click here. Anagrams are word scrambles. Click here for some help on anagrams.

Sources:

https://www.yohaku.ca/

The Ultimate Sudoku Strategy Guide | Learn all the Tricks (bestofsudoku.com)

Pictures:

Jerry's Mechanical Puzzle & Brain Teaser Collection: Puzzles Crafted By Eric Fuller For Sale (smallpuzzlecollection.blogspot.com)

Premium Sudoku Cards for Android - APK Download (apkpure.com)

Jigsaw Puzzles Sales Skyrocket During COVID-19 (mix106.com.au)

illegitimate children - a history

I talked about fallen women already here, but we have yet to talk about the shame connected with being an illegitimate child. What happens when it isn't your fault you were born outside of marriage? Let's find out. 

Photo by legalnaija.com

First of all, you couldn't inherit any title or anything. Daughter of a duke? Means nothing. No status or inheritance for you. Basically, you would be a dirty secret that got swept under the rug by most people. Even if you didn't have a parent with a title it was bad. You represented the sin of your mother. Some women ditched their children at churches in the area in order to spare themselves shame. Some even killed their own children. The term for an illegitimate child is still in use today as an insult - bastard. At this point in time, you do not have to endure abuse for being born out of wedlock (thankfully for many children), but it has not always been so. 

Society's Flawed View 

The father was considered the leader of the household. Without the man of the house, it was thought that illegitimate children on the street became criminals. Often, a woman with an illegitimate child was not given aid (as established in my blog on poorhouses) due to her immoral reputation. Again, the child was proof of her sin at that time. The woman and child ended up on the streets without help in many cases, thus the possibility of turning to crime was high for both mother and child. In my opinion, this was more of a problem society created, but society at that time thought immoral people shouldn't be given extra help. In summary, it wasn't your fault and now no one will help your mother, thus you get punished for being born. Your reputation is mud already. 

In wealthy families you might be sent off to be a skeleton in a closet metaphorically. One Bridgerton novel covers this. The mother dropped her off to be a ward of the father, who cared for her rather well, but kept her origin a secret. Is that better than the streets? Yes, but if anyone finds out your origin you are still mud. Rich families had plenty of these secrets going around. You could also be given up for adoption, which was probably better than the streets, too. Mistresses had children, just like other women, and some families did care for the illegitimate children that came from them. Skeletons in closet secrets are often illegitimate children.

How do you know?

How could you tell in historical documents that someone was illegitimate? The lack of a father's name on a marriage or birth certificate. Easy as pie. Age is also a sign in census records. Sometimes grandparents got the child. If the youngest child has a whole lot of older siblings and the age of parents is a little older you can figure it out. The church baptism certificate might also straight up say "bastard" on it. Yep, it's mean, but they sometimes put it bluntly. When looking for the father of a child, check to see if the household servants are connected or the mother married the father shortly after (thus step-father is the biological father). Poor law records and parish records might actually tell you who the father is. Earlier illegitimate children were cared for by the church, which took care of poorhouses and workhouses. 

A woman drops her child off as a "foundling" 
Photo by BBC history

Lies breed stories that don't make sense. People will hide family history for various reasons. If you had an ancestor that was illegitimate you might find this out real quick. Be tactful if you look into that bit of family tree. Aside from the records, a story might not make sense and your common sense might tell you someone lied. Did someone pass off a child as a sibling when they weren't? Did someone disappear to a nursing home and come back with a weird depression? If someone was a foundling, you might have a real clear clue. Believe it or not, women killed their children out of shame, too. 

Strangely, the law still has some weirdness for illegitimate children. Click here for details. It is a bit complicated. I'll let you look at the link in this paragraph. Laws change. Back when there wasn't equal protection men were not entitled to help the child. The child was no one's child because legally a man's child was his property and not the mother's property. Which was terrible. 

Famous illegitimates

In the case of William the Bastard, he did inherit - but only because there were no legitimate children of his father. He was the eldest, so he got to be Duke. He also led a successful invasion of England. After this successful invasion, he was known as (drum roll please!) William the Conqueror. While his barons took advantage of him earlier on, he was a hard man due to his childhood and resorted to cutting off the hands and feet of rebels to gain control back. 

Lawrence of Arabia was illegitimate. He traveled around visiting castles, then the middle east. He joined the British war office during WWI. They sent him to Cairo, where he gave them maps and Turkish war positions. He later arranged an Arab revolt against the Turkish government and was instrumental in its success. Unfortunately, the allies carved up the middle east afterward. 

Alexander Hamilton is one we know well. He was the second child of a Scottish drifting merchant and a woman having an affair. He worked in a counting house first, then went on to go to college where his studies were interrupted by a revolt. He became captain of the artillery when fighting began and got Washington's attention, becoming his aide-de-camp. He made enemies of Arron Burr and eventually was challenged to a duel that ended in his death. 

Leonardo Da Vinci - Photo by discoverwalks.com

Lastly, but never least, is Leonardo Da Vinci. He was the product of a wealthy florentine man and a peasant girl with easy virtue. He painted the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. His seventeen siblings did not appreciate him and considered him a stain in the family. His success, however, made up for getting denied some of his father's estate. He got some satisfaction, too, out of getting all his uncle's estate (while everyone else was disinherited entirely). 

Sources:

 https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/apr/14/guardianspecial4.guardianspecial215

https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/inheritance-rights-for-legitimate-and-illegitimate-children-47186

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/illegitimate-child

https://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/tutorials/illegitimate-ancestors/

https://www.nature.com/articles/146298b0

Big Bastards: 10 of History’s Most Influential Illegitimate Children (historycollection.com)

Creating A Writing Routine

 Writers and artists are probably the kings and queens of procrastination. We get distracted and end up somewhere on our social media scrolling or end up on Pinterest (where we originally went for inspiration). I am guilty of this all the time. Today we're going to explore how to create a writing routine that keeps you consistently writing and on track. This can go for artists, too.

Photo by greatspeechwriting.co.uk

A writing routine becomes a habit once you create it and use it consistently. I am not perfect by any means, yet I have finished drafts faster than I thought I would because I didn't wait for the muse to show up. I just wrote, whether it was a paragraph or a whole chapter. You can't wait for the muse to appear if you actually intend to go somewhere with your writing or art form. You'd never get anything finished if you did that.

As for editing, the same goes. Editing is exhausting. You need to schedule breaks in and schedule out what you are doing to your draft to keep it moving. It is not easy, especially when you get to beta reading and your beta readers are taking their sweet time (and this is why you hire an editor, ladies and gentlemen, and don't just hand it to your writer friends asking them for free editing).  Without further adieu, we start with writing - because a draft doesn't write itself!

Draft Writing

 The idea of writing character profiles, an outline, and then writing a whole draft is a lot- but not if you chunk the character profiles into smaller goals, write the outline (rough outline), and then make the goal a chapter a week. The shorter story is that you just chunk it into smaller goals per week. Make your writing goals manageable. It helps you move faster, as well as makes you feel accomplished. Reaching your goals gives you some reward psychologically, thus it gives you a bit of a boost mentally. 

Adapting to holiday schedules and chaotic family occasions can cause disruption to your writing routine. Given this, be prepared to adapt your routine or skip that week for writing goals. Even if you make your goal one paragraph instead of one chapter, you are still writing. Don't beat yourself up for a goal that is made impossible by situations outside of your control. Get back on and start again the next week. 

Find a space that you can focus in and make it yours. Upon doing just that, you can make it purely a writing zone. If possible, do this where and when you won't or can't be interrupted. Depending upon time of day, you might want to find a time where no one is in the apartment with you, your kids are at school, or when not many people have woken up. Unless, of course, activity gives you inspiration. Put that time in a planner or on a calendar and commit to that time of pure writing. In this way, set goals and deadlines for yourself (that are manageable) to keep yourself moving on drafts and projects. 

Photo by stevelaube.com

Log your hours for yourself. Start with 15 minutes and go from there. If you want to finish something fast you'll thank yourself. 15 minutes per day alone can get you at least two short chapters in a book finished. Even if you're using the time to research for a book it is worth it. Make it a page or word count log. Do what works for you, unit-wise. Prioritizing also helps with getting a draft out at a quick pace. When you cut out the time-wasting in your life it ends up creating time, which you can use to pop out the draft you are working on. 

Accountability may help your writing routine thrive. Grab a fellow writer or friend and tell them about what you do. Have them ask about your progress and projects. If someone is doing the routine with you, ask about their projects. It'll keep you both on track and writing. Make sure your buddy is committed, too, and can be honest with you. You may even use them for beta reading later (given you are both committed to writing and feedback). Be willing to do what they do for you. Partnering with someone is not a one-sided activity.

Editing

This is the worst part. You now have a draft, yet it isn't polished or ready to release into the known universe. So, how do you start? First, you plan out what aspects of your book to edit. You have grammar, plotline, plothole searching.....Just pick one at a time and take short breaks between. It is a good idea to save your editor some time (and yourself some money) by doing as much editing as you can before sending it to a paid editor. 

Start by leaving your draft alone for a week or so. Go take a break and relax, maybe work on another draft (like I do) to keep the creativity flowing. This will ensure you don't get blinded to some mistakes that your brain automatically corrects. Some people even put it in a different font and/or print it out. I go through several rounds of editing, so what I do is leave it alone for at least three days between rounds. 

Yes, beta reading is an aspect of this. You need feedback from fresh eyes. Find someone who has the time and will be honest. Accountability partner? Family members who love you and are retired? Many will volunteer, but in my experience, you find out time is an illusion. Those that think they have time will get hit by life - and so will you. Beta reading takes control from you. It is hard. It is necessary. Remember who was swift at beta reading and contact them again sometime. Rule of thumb, go for the people who have time to play with and care about you when choosing beta readers. 

Before beta reading, however, you correct the small typos and read through for plotholes. I do only one of these at a time and plug my chapters into my Grammarly app. It helps me correct sentence structure and find better words to use. I recommend it wholeheartedly, though you should see if it works for you by using the free version before paying for it. Get anything small out of the way in order to fix anything that is big. 

Photo by Wordpress.com

Collect your feedback here. Write it down. Keep track of it. This can be where you get fresh eyes on it (paid editor or beta reader). You take that feedback and make any changes you need to. Comb it a few times. An editor can guide this process with their thoughts. If using beta readers you should probably find the most common thoughts and mark them. Fix what is repeatedly mentioned most of all. By this, I mean easy fixes (grammar, spelling, format....), not hard fixes (plotholes that require thought). 

Now is the time to brainstorm ways to fix big plotholes. I suggest involving a paid editor at this stage. You need another head to help you. Still have that accountability partner? Go find them, too. Talk to other writers. No one is an island and no one can edit alone (despite your belief your draft is gold already). Then get to work using the advice you heard. Be aware that sometimes changing one detail can mess with an intricate plotline and make you change other details after that scene. 

Repeat. Do all this again until you have polished it to a point of beauty. Editing is a long process (and you have no idea how long until you do it). All those books on your shelf didn't start looking perfect and are not perfect by accident. Hours of editing took place. Your favorite authors have professional editors. Don't be fooled into thinking it magically comes out of a pen, then gets released. No, Rita Skeeter is not reality when it comes to writing a book. The same goes for any art form I can name. 

A Note For Artists

Artists, I know I just talked about writing, but you can still use the chunking method to do your art form. How you split tasks up depends on the art form. The basic concept is that you make a manageable goal and keep moving on the project. It does not matter what project or art form you choose. Muses come and go, but successful artists and writers consistently learn their craft. Practice creates more skill, skill creates better projects (notice I didn't say perfect), and better projects give you psychological reward. Don't give up. Don't leave a million great ideas undone in your basement or attic or workshop. Go achieve your end goals. I believe in you all!

Also, if you need to create a list of the projects you intend to do in order to keep track I'm right there with you. There is no shame in listing them and doing them one by one. A backburner list is a great idea and keeps you moving on your many dream projects without creating excess stress. Don't start ten million projects and overwhelm yourself. One or two at a time is fine (depending on how complicated they are). I care about your stress levels. Go easy on yourself. 

Sources:

How to Create a Writing Routine - See Jane Write (seejanewritebham.com)

Writing Routine: How to Develop a Foolproof Writing Habit to Write Faster (self-publishingschool.com)

6 Tips for How to Organize Your Novel's Edits - Helping Writers Become Authors

Long Hair Care

 I have long hair. When down and out of the braid I keep it in, it nearly hits my waist. I quite literally have it up or in a braid almost all week, with the exception of when I wash it. Today I have found some nifty tips on what to do with super long hair. 

Photo by The Freckled Fox

In the general sense, thick long hair is great to have, yet takes work to take care of. I love my hair being long and it makes different hairstyles possible. I only wash it once a week and have my husband braid it (because he's so good at making the braid last) to keep it from tangling. Even then it tangles after five or so days of being up. I sleep in this braid, for reference. (If I'm not supposed to do that, well, too bad. I work in foodservice. It makes it easier to wear a hairnet.)

I did some research on how we're supposed to care for long hair. This is everything that I found. 

General Care

When you brush your hair go from the bottom to the top, working your way up. It doesn't rip out hair nearly as much. Also, finding a brush that gets through your hair with minimal pulling is key. Quite frankly, my hair is so thick that I brush out my hair before a shower to make sure I don't have to detangle while my hair is wet. I may brush the conditioner through the hair, but by then there aren't tangles left to brush out. I have a paddle brush for my hair. 

If you use heat, get a protective spray before you do. Heat can do a lot of damage to your hair, especially when heat is used when your hair is damp or wet (don't do this). It's worth protecting your hair from heat. I think you can kill your hair with heat. 

Washing your hair is good, but not every single day. Don't overwash your natural oils out of your hair. They recommend 2 to 3 times a week. Speaking of how to wash your hair, shampoo only goes on your scalp. Conditioner is for the length of your hair. Rinse with cool water for less tangles and breakage. 

Sleep with it in a messy bun or a loose braid to prevent tangles. Sleeping with hair down will cause massive tangles (and I should know). You're also supposed to brush it out consistently. I kind of fail at that, but only because I keep it back and out of my face all the time. The research I found suggested braids for long hair. I did that right, at least.

Detangling is best done gently. For me, it takes a while. It was suggested that you distract yourself with music or audiobooks and do it, which means you don't yank your hair. Don't be afraid to use your fingers to detangle slowly. Wide-tooth comb from bottom to top. Do this before a shower or you'll find they are worse. 

 Simple Hairstyles

Photo by
love hairstyles

Keeping your hair out of your face is a struggle. You can't keep it down all the time. I found some cute styles that don't take forever to do. We're busy people and have places to be. I especially sleep in. Thus I stick to my braid. 

Bobby pins (the ones for thick hair) are great for pinning it out of your eyes. Pull it half-up using them or just pull back your bangs with them so you can see without brushing them away. 

You can literally dress up a ponytail with a bandana, ribbon, or colorful cloth wrapped around it. Add a flower and you achieve the same thing. Braids can get fancy with added ribbon, cloth, and clips (flowers or otherwise), so don't think too hard. A bow also looks cute with braids and ponytails. Buns and clips, ribbons, and scarves are cute, too. 

You can take a large clip and make it a ponytail or half-up (I suggest Lila Rose clips for thick hair). I discovered that you can create a bun by using one of those premade bun shapers. All you have to do is pull a ponytail through it, take a hair tie and secure the hair around it, then tuck in ends. I used to take a claw clip and use it to attach the bottom of my ponytail against my head (only now my hair is too heavy). 

Fancy braids like fishtail braiding are easy and look fantastic, professional even. I did that all the time for theatre - but never did I leave this one in for more than one day. 

Easiest one yet, flip your part and create more volume on one side than the other. Cute, nice, and even elegant. Just brush it out, in case of tangles. 

The Freckled Fox has some simple, bohemian hairstyles that I like, especially for long hair. They also don't take forever and a day. The bohemian side braid is my favorite. 

Sources:

https://www.luxyhair.com/blogs/hair-blog

30 Quick and Easy Hairstyles for Long Hair (byrdie.com)