I recently had a conversation with a friend who wants to write a novel. She said that she just didn’t have the time. I’m here to tell you that if this career is something that you want, you can find the time. I realize that many writers hold “paying jobs,” I’m not saying you need to quit. I’m saying that you can make the time. I write from home while caring for my 8-month-old daughter. It isn’t easy, but I make it work.
The first step to making time for your writing is to really look at your day. Examine it. What do you do? What could possibly give so that you could write? Also, what time to wake up and go to bed? Start waking up a little early and going to bed a little later. Waking up early is something that really helps me. I’m able to crank out a lot on my to do list before my daughter is up. I may hate crawling off that comfortable Temperpedic but no matter what turn my days takes, it makes me happy to know how productive I was is the early morning.
Set a schedule for your writing. If you’re like me and are working with a child this can be difficult. On most days my daughter sets the schedule. Instead, I set AM and PM goals. I also set goals that I know are manageable. Don’t over load your schedule and then feel horrible when you can’t finish it. Begin with baby steps. Make the progress that you can.
Tell you family that you want to be an author. Hopefully, with their support they can help you make time to reach this goal. It is important to have “cheerleaders,” most people find them in their families. The writing community is also rich in organizations. Join a writing group. Make friends with other writers. They can provide you will great support and time management tips.
The desire for more time has always plagued man. But I’m telling you that if you want to be a writer, you can make it work. Take the phrase, “I don’t have time to write,” out of your vocabulary. Make a commitment to yourself. You can find and make the time.
What do you do to make time to write? How do you structure your goals?
Yep, it's hard to get everything done--and actually it's impossible to try to get "everything" done--but if writing is important to you, you will make it happen. You might not crank out the pages as fast as others, but it isn't a race :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! I started getting up at 6am (even though I'm so not a morning person) to get my writing at least well begun before the children wake. I try to set smaller goals and build from there.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. (I always suspect that those who say they don't have time, really don't want to write.)
ReplyDeleteIn my booklet, Polish and Publish, I include the following, for those who are serious about writing: Arrive early for appointments and write while you wait. Write during those pointless, boring biz meetings. Everyone will think you're taking notes. Write while commercials are on—or better yet, turn off the TV.
Just a page a day (not including major holidays) will get you a draft of a whole book.
I find it also helps to set a certain time every day to write; if you can make writing a set part of your schedule, say one hour at the same time every morning, it will become much easier to keep it up.
ReplyDeleteGood post!