Pen's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-time"
Get More Writing Time Out of Your Day
Everybody's busy. Between working, going to school, taking kids to baseball practice, ballet, the library, grocery shopping, doing laundry and a myriad of sundry chores, who has time to write?
Answer: You do.
It's a common complaint I hear a lot. I, too, often find myself pressed for time. But there are ways of squeezing in a little extra time to work on those writing projects.
1. Pens and paper.
Most writers know to keep pens and a small notebook handy to jot down the occasional idea, but not many realize how valuable these tools are. Invented long before the computer age, these two items are much easier to carry around than even a laptop, are much more lightweight, do not require electricity or a signal and the batteries never die. The pen may occasionally run out of ink, but that's why you always carry extras. I suggest using a steno pad or one of those small fat notebooks that fit easily into a purse, tote bag, briefcase or even your pocket.
Though it may seem outdated or archaic to some to use pens and paper, they are still more convenient to use than a laptop while commuting or on your lunch break. It is also guaranteed that few would attempt to steal a notebook and pen right out of your hands as they might a laptop or other electronic device.
2. Commuting
Speaking of commuting, if you have access to public transportation, consider using it. Take those pens and pads with you. You will be amazed at how much writing you can accomplish if you leave the driving to someone else.
Within one week, I filled half a steno pad with writing. I can write very small and cramped when I need to in order to make the most use of a notebook. The pages I had written equated to 50 typewritten 8 ½ x 11 pages. Those 50 typewritten pages were then equivalent to 80 pages in a 5 x 8 inch format. It brought the total page count of my novel very close to 300 pages. That was just in one week of writing during my commute and lunch breaks.
3. Get up early or stay up late.
Buy yourself a half hour of writing time by setting the alarm clock half an hour earlier. If you have kids or other people to care for, make sure it's half an hour before everyone else gets up. Or stay up half an hour after everyone else has gone to bed. This may be a good time to do some research for some of those writing projects. Either way, focus on your writing project for that half hour and you'll get a lot more done than you think.
4. Fifteen minutes.
Force yourself to take those two fifteen (or ten) minute breaks at your job. It may not seem like very long, but you can get a good bit of writing done when you focus on it for ten or fifteen minutes. If nothing else, it will allow you time to focus on an idea or a character long enough to get some thoughts organized for later writing. Those fifteen minutes of writing could very well lead to your fifteen minutes of fame someday.
5. Waiting Time.
Waiting to see the doctor, dentist or any other appointment, waiting for a train or a bus, waiting on hold: all these are excellent opportunities to get some writing done. Everyone knows that, even when you show up early for an appointment, chances are you are going to be waiting for at least a good fifteen or twenty minutes or even longer. Use that time to work on your writing project. Whether it is three minutes or thirty minutes, use it to your advantage.
What can I write in three minutes, you may ask? I wrote a complete dialogue between two people by writing one or two lines during the 45 seconds it took the MARTA train to pull into the Five Points station; each day for a week I wrote one or two lines during that 45 seconds. Yes, it needed a little work afterwards, but I got the basics down. It can be done.
6. Lunch breaks.
A half hour or an hour lunch break can be an excellent time to move your writing project along. If you like taking lunch with your co-workers, it's an excellent break, but take at least one or two lunch breaks during the week to spend some time working on your writing.
7. Weekends and Holidays.
A prime time for those of us working during the week to catch up on some writing. Let it be known that you will be spending some time during the weekend, even if it is only a few hours, to write. Hire a babysitter for the kids or arrange for them to have a play date with some friends. Send the spouse out shopping. Ask for the cooperation you need to do what you need to do. Chances are, if you've been writing during the week, you will have a good bit of writing that needs to be typed, organized, fleshed out or completed.
No, don't spend the entire weekend or holiday writing. After all, everybody needs a little downtime. But at least consider setting aside a certain number of uninterrupted hours for your writing. You'll be glad you did when everything begins to come together.
Though it may seem as though you are working all the time, you'll still have plenty of "downtime" on days when you don't feel like writing or aren't inspired to write. But on those days when you do feel like writing, you can steal time even if it is only ten minutes here or fifteen minutes there.
Stealing those precious minutes is an investment in yourself as a writer. And, by stealing those minutes, you'll be amazed at how much writing you can accomplish. It does add up.
That's how I managed to write The Sword of Tilk Trilogy (Book One: Worlds Apart) in 7 months!
Now go steal some time!
Answer: You do.
It's a common complaint I hear a lot. I, too, often find myself pressed for time. But there are ways of squeezing in a little extra time to work on those writing projects.
1. Pens and paper.
Most writers know to keep pens and a small notebook handy to jot down the occasional idea, but not many realize how valuable these tools are. Invented long before the computer age, these two items are much easier to carry around than even a laptop, are much more lightweight, do not require electricity or a signal and the batteries never die. The pen may occasionally run out of ink, but that's why you always carry extras. I suggest using a steno pad or one of those small fat notebooks that fit easily into a purse, tote bag, briefcase or even your pocket.
Though it may seem outdated or archaic to some to use pens and paper, they are still more convenient to use than a laptop while commuting or on your lunch break. It is also guaranteed that few would attempt to steal a notebook and pen right out of your hands as they might a laptop or other electronic device.
2. Commuting
Speaking of commuting, if you have access to public transportation, consider using it. Take those pens and pads with you. You will be amazed at how much writing you can accomplish if you leave the driving to someone else.
Within one week, I filled half a steno pad with writing. I can write very small and cramped when I need to in order to make the most use of a notebook. The pages I had written equated to 50 typewritten 8 ½ x 11 pages. Those 50 typewritten pages were then equivalent to 80 pages in a 5 x 8 inch format. It brought the total page count of my novel very close to 300 pages. That was just in one week of writing during my commute and lunch breaks.
3. Get up early or stay up late.
Buy yourself a half hour of writing time by setting the alarm clock half an hour earlier. If you have kids or other people to care for, make sure it's half an hour before everyone else gets up. Or stay up half an hour after everyone else has gone to bed. This may be a good time to do some research for some of those writing projects. Either way, focus on your writing project for that half hour and you'll get a lot more done than you think.
4. Fifteen minutes.
Force yourself to take those two fifteen (or ten) minute breaks at your job. It may not seem like very long, but you can get a good bit of writing done when you focus on it for ten or fifteen minutes. If nothing else, it will allow you time to focus on an idea or a character long enough to get some thoughts organized for later writing. Those fifteen minutes of writing could very well lead to your fifteen minutes of fame someday.
5. Waiting Time.
Waiting to see the doctor, dentist or any other appointment, waiting for a train or a bus, waiting on hold: all these are excellent opportunities to get some writing done. Everyone knows that, even when you show up early for an appointment, chances are you are going to be waiting for at least a good fifteen or twenty minutes or even longer. Use that time to work on your writing project. Whether it is three minutes or thirty minutes, use it to your advantage.
What can I write in three minutes, you may ask? I wrote a complete dialogue between two people by writing one or two lines during the 45 seconds it took the MARTA train to pull into the Five Points station; each day for a week I wrote one or two lines during that 45 seconds. Yes, it needed a little work afterwards, but I got the basics down. It can be done.
6. Lunch breaks.
A half hour or an hour lunch break can be an excellent time to move your writing project along. If you like taking lunch with your co-workers, it's an excellent break, but take at least one or two lunch breaks during the week to spend some time working on your writing.
7. Weekends and Holidays.
A prime time for those of us working during the week to catch up on some writing. Let it be known that you will be spending some time during the weekend, even if it is only a few hours, to write. Hire a babysitter for the kids or arrange for them to have a play date with some friends. Send the spouse out shopping. Ask for the cooperation you need to do what you need to do. Chances are, if you've been writing during the week, you will have a good bit of writing that needs to be typed, organized, fleshed out or completed.
No, don't spend the entire weekend or holiday writing. After all, everybody needs a little downtime. But at least consider setting aside a certain number of uninterrupted hours for your writing. You'll be glad you did when everything begins to come together.
Though it may seem as though you are working all the time, you'll still have plenty of "downtime" on days when you don't feel like writing or aren't inspired to write. But on those days when you do feel like writing, you can steal time even if it is only ten minutes here or fifteen minutes there.
Stealing those precious minutes is an investment in yourself as a writer. And, by stealing those minutes, you'll be amazed at how much writing you can accomplish. It does add up.
That's how I managed to write The Sword of Tilk Trilogy (Book One: Worlds Apart) in 7 months!
Now go steal some time!
