Making the time

Hi all,

I've written short stories for as long as I can remember, but over the last five years or so (since I graduated from uni), I've run out of time and motivation to sit down and crank something out. I'll sometimes jot down an idea or two, but the hard work of writing just doesn't seem to fit into my schedule.

How do you make the time, if you're not a full-time or part-time writer? I work full-time, analysing health survey data, and the last thing I want to do is come home and flip on another computer, even though it would tap into another part of my brain. I need to get some exercise, have dinner, go grocery shopping, spend time with my partner, go to language classes, and do some socializing, and what suffers is my writing!

Come January I am going to have some time off, but generally, I've got a long way to go before I can feasibly write full or even part-time (if I ever get there). Just wondering if anyone here has strategies for fitting writing into an already busy life.

Thanks!
Jean Louise

deadlines. And not promises to yourself, but to someone else that you would be embarassed to see you fail to keep the commitment. It's why we have weddings in pubic -- so that other people "witness" the promises. Tell someone you really respect and admire that you WILL have so-and-so many pages to show them on such and such a day. Weasel out if you want... but that person will think much less of you for it. That's the power of the external witness. Of course, if it's a job (I work in the newspaper biz), then the "external" force is a boss ready to fire your ass.

It sounds like you have a full plate right now. You may have to prioritize and cut something out. For example, stop the language classes and use that time to write. Or, even cut out an hour of sleep a night (or morning) and use that time to write.

I heard about a guy (a friend knows him) who wrote 15 minutes a day for three years and finished his novel this way and is now published.

Weekday

7:30AM roll out of bed and stagger to coffee maker, then to shower, then to home office
8AM - 12PM work on work (I have an actual job doing instructional design and project management)
12PM - 1PM Write in novel (my lunch hour)
1PM-4PM Work on work
4PM - 5PM Finish up work or write in novel, depending on how much Instructional Design work there is do to.
5PM - 10 PM spend time with family
10PM - 1AM write in novel (though latelty I've been modding the Lounge so I do more modding than writing at night until this mod term ends)

Weekend

Saturday - Spend day with family (I usually watch and review Anime titles at night)
Sunday 2PM - 5PM write in novel. This is actually my most productive period of the week. 10PM - 1AM edit friend's writing, or work in my own, watch Adult Swim, mod The Lounge.

So in any given week I can secure about 8 good writing hours. I don't watch much television so it works for me.

I do prefer to work in LONG stretches and before I had a son my writing times would exceed five hours at a stretch which allowed me to catch a good groove and really ride it to the end. Now though, I don't have that luxury and have adapted to power write in short hour long stretches.