Where do you find your time to write?
Published By Casey Quinn • Dec 28th, 2008 • Category: Casey's CornerVery few get to be full time fiction writers. For most of us, fiction is a hobby we try to squeeze in every chance we get. NaNoWriMo was a great excuse to put normal obligations to the side for one full month and just focus on writing but now, where do you justify the time to spend on your writing? Personally, I spend about one hour a day on my fiction writing. That is about all I get based on the balance of full time job, home life and various other responsibilities (reading submissions eat up a lot of time).
I have tried the whole get up an hour early in the morning and sit down and write. It did not work for me. First I needed to make my coffee, then check the sports section of the news, and then it was time for a refill and right about when I was comfortable to start in, it was time to shower and get to work.
I have tried spending my lunch hours at the office on my writing. This helps but generally I get interrupted every five minutes with an email, a phone call or someone stopping over. Not very easy to just focus on writing and in my opinion, the writing shows lack of focus. A few times I left my desk with pen and paper and went to a coffee shop and tried to write. It went well but my notes are still in the notebook I brought with me. Never have the time to convert the notes to be on the computer (or I cannot read my own writing when I go back to look at it later).
When I get home from work is a good time to write. I usually can get a few minutes in but that is after the usual greetings and changing from work clothes to comfortable writing clothes. Once I sit down I have a good thirty minutes before either my dogs get hungry or I do in which case it is time for a break.
After dinner is done and the dishes cleaned, I try to write for another thirty minutes all the while fighting the temptation to just relax after a long day. Sometimes a glass of wine helps (or hurts depending on how much) the writing process at night but again, it’s all a fight to stay motivated and the urge to go to the couch and just relax. The TV is nearby my writing space which hurts sometimes but such is life. I do not have kids I can only imagine how hard it is for those of you with kids to sneak in a few minutes to write with everything else going on.
So, tell me… where do you find the time to write your fiction?
when the children go to bed, it’s time to play.
For the last 10 years I worked sort of half-time as a medicolegal psychiatrist in NW England.
Doodling and scribbling (the 2 file names on my laptop for where I deposit them) happened in the late afternoon/early evening for up to 2 hours.
BUT, no kids and a very supportive wife, whom I happened to employ as administrator in the day job, so she had to do what I said (as if!).
ALSO, we live a European ‘continental’ lifestyle with about 2 hours sleep each afternoon. So early to bed (2300 ish) and rise (0715 ish) as both of us are old (mid50’s) and troubled by illhealth.
So, in my/our situation, the time has to be made around the other demands of life, as holds for all of us. Copy-typing of old hand written work is dead-boring and their is more to life.
So, force the time and invest in a cheap small laptop or one of these new (to UK) handheld computers or a script tablet (copies your handwritten onto computer). Yes, they cost dosh but combined with regular time they are worth their expense (and regular backup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Phew. Time for bed now. HAND and KUTGW
@Daryl: Must be exhausting though to find the time. Writing late at night knowing you need to wake up early and repeat. It is great that you keep at it as much as you do!
@Dave: I agree laptops do help in making the time. It is there, takes away the excuse of not doing it for sure and you do not need anything special installed, just basic stuff to write. I have a laptop I use at home, perhaps i will start bringing it more around with me and put away my marble notebook filled with notes i will never re read
My job usually has me working for an hour or two in a row with an hour off. Then another hour on, hour off until the work day is over. I stuff my laptop into a huge backpack I got in the military and pull it out when there’s nothing going on. No one cares; most others sit and watch TV or check their MySpace pages. At home with a wife, a toddler and an infant I’m needed for other things, but at the job, an hour off is an hour off. It’s quiet and private, which just so happen to be my two biggest requirements to write. I’ve written 25,000 words in about 30 days, so I can’t complain. Actually, now that I’m writing the word count I’m astounded. I guess I love my job.
I just got out of the military with a little bulge in my bank account so I’m taking a couple of months to do some writing. Besides working out and reading fiction, I don’t do much else but write.
I admire your determination to make room for writing! All the best.
Raquel