Finding The Time
This post is part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog hop. The first Wednesday of every month is Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. The awesome co-hosts for the April 6 posting of the IWSG will be Megan Morgan, Chris Votey, Viola Fury, Christine Rains, Madeline Mora-Summonte, L.G. Keltner, Rachna Chhabria, and Patricia Lynne!
Hello everybody! I’m once again co-hosting the IWSG and I couldn’t be happier. I love this group!
Wanna know how crazy I am? I’m co-hosting today AND I’m also doing the A to Z Challenge this month. I’m also in the process of moving. Yes, moving into a new place. ‘Chaos’ hardly covers my state of mind right now. Which brings me to the topic of today’s post:
HOW DO YOU FIND THE TIME TO WRITE?
By ‘you’ I don’t mean ‘me,’ but the all-encompassing ‘you,’ as in, all us writers. When do we find the time to write? Life is hectic for everybody, make no mistake. Many of us have jobs, families, responsibilities, things we have to do, things we want to do, and we have to wedge some socialization and relaxation in there or we’ll go crazy. So how do you find time to write?
For me, no matter how hard I try, I’ve never been a scheduler. I can’t say “I’m going to write x amount of words at x time of this or that day,” because that’s not how my creative brain works and it never has. I can sort of aim for days when I know I’m going to have some downtime, but again, I can’t necessarily plan for it or give myself strict rules about what time to do it, or how much I’ll write, or how long I’ll write. If something is really flowing and I’m chugging along on a story that’s speaking to me, I can hammer out a lot of writing very fast. I try to aim for 2,000 words a writing session. If the ideas are chattering I can produce much more. Alternately, some days getting to that 2,000 is like climbing a mountain made of ice and mud.
But despite having no set schedule for myself, the writing comes. I get entire books written that way. I learned long ago to stop questioning the process and just follow it. For me, when life is stressful, finding a bit of time to write always chills me out and makes me feel more focused.
So how do you find time to write? It’s been my experience as a writer that you don’t have a choice in the matter. When a story is haunting you, it will demand quality time with your fingers and keyboard whether it’s the middle of the night or a few stolen moments between responsibilities. And the more you entertain the Muse, the more she comes back, like a stray cat you put food out for. If you’re a writer you will make writing a priority and find a way to steal some time–whether in great gulps or little nibbles. You will get where you need to go.
How do you make time to write? Share some tips and tricks in the comments!
Filed under: IWSG Tagged: advice, blog hop, creativity, insecure writer's support group, inspiration, writing
