The best method I've found for finding the time to write is to have a set writing time every day. I have a one hour lunchtime at work that I reserve for writing. I usually eat at my desk so that I have the entire hour without distraction. I've been doing this for so many years that I can't not write during lunch anymore. I also find that I can dive right in quicker then than any other time. It's like my brain is hotwired to be creative at noon.
Another thing I do is reserve a four-hour block on Saturday or Sunday. Usually if I have weekend plans, they are usually on Saturday evening, so I'm free to write away during the day without feeling like I'm missing out on anything. I'm sure this is probably harder if you have children . . . or dogs. I have neither. I keep an assortment of stuffed animals in the apartment, because they're cute, they don't make a mess, and I can leave for a weekend without getting a babysitter or putting them in a kennel. But I digress.
It helps if you have a spouse in Grad school. Despite that my hubby works on his thesis during the day, he's also often working on it in the evenings and weekends. I see him working on it and think, hey, I should work on my book now. So I pull out my laptop and start working. The funny thing is I'm probably one of the few people who has no issue with their spouse spending a ton of hours working in school, because it makes me feel less guilty for spending so much of my free time writing.
So my advice is to get rid of your children and pets and force your spouse to get a P.H.D. Just kidding. Though, it might help.
In my younger days, I would get up at four in the morning to write. This gave me a 2 to 3 hour writing block depending on if I spent a lot of time on hair and make up or merely put my hair into a ponytail and headed out the door (sadly, it was usually the latter). Now I'm bleary eyed at seven in the morning. If I want to write for several hours on a weeknight, I'll go to a coffee house after work.
I've heard of a writer who's written several novels say that she usually only has fifteen minutes at a time to write. She has three young children so she seizes any available time, even if it's brief.
In the end, I just carve out the time that I can without losing my sanity or driving away my hubby. There are times when I have to put away my laptop, such as to meet some friends for lunch or go on vacation with my hubby. There are weeks (or months) when I'm so driven that I'm almost never away from the computer. For me, it's about doing what I love while not forgetting the people that I love, too.
Like my hubby, my friends, and Snoopy. I own a lot of Snoopy's.
2 comments:
I know what you mean about doing what you love no matter what. Writers seem to have a lot of passion, and that passion drives them to write, no matter what.
I've talked about this a lot on my blog too. In fact, this is the main premise of my blog, taking it day by day and doing you're best.
I decided a while ago that I wasn't getting anywhere with the 'I'll fit writing in where I can' mode. I was working a full time job too, but my full time job had me eating at my desk and doing my job work at lunch and often working late hours. So, I'd fit in writing whenever I could, and that sometimes meant a day or so every month or so.
When I got serious about writing, I started setting my alarm at 5 or 6 so I could write a few hours before the rest of my day started. It was hard, but that's when my writing started to get better. I was writing every day, and my passion grew.
For me, it's not so much about finding time, but about MAKING time. If you're serious about being a writer, you have to make the time to write.
Thanks, Samantha, for sharing how you find time to write. I also found it interesting to find out how you came up with your blog title.
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