Over the years I've spent as a writer I've tried to find creative ways around my entire lack of spare time. As a working mom with the usual need to run errands and such, I spend a lot of time in my car. As I drive, I inevitably find inspiration for writing--the way the light hits a particular tree in the afternoon, an interesting character walking down the street, etc. Trying to jot down notes while gripping the wheel is rather unsafe, however, and pulling over every time my imagination activates is highly impractical. Still, waiting until I arrive at my destination to record these thoughts is an almost surefire guarantee that they'll be lost forever.

Then I hit on the following writing tip: keeping a micro tape recorder handy to harness those sudden flashes of author genius. Once home, I found an added bonus--I asked my kids to "transcribe" my notes into a computer slush file. (I then sort it out for use later.) This approach not only produced extra writing time for me, but it also helped build the kids' listening and typing skills. A winner all around!

Now if I could just find a way to record my dreams so I can write in my sleep...