How to Balance Writing with Everyday Life
Happy Fourth of July!!!!
So many people ask what the secret is to finding the time to write when life is jammed with other necessary duties (e.g., family, full-time jobs, social obligations, etc.). The secret is: there is no secret. One must MAKE the time to write. It may seem impossible viewing from the surface. However, there are several ways to do this, and the first is recognizing a writing opportunity. Everyone has heard of cuss jars or quitting smoking and storing the money that would be spent on cigarettes in a jar. Over time, the coins add up. So, add up the spare five, ten, thirty minutes one might find during the day. For example, persons with a thirty-minute lunch break may write while eating. A person must capitalize on these moments. That’s number two.
Once a moment is recognized, a writer needs to act. Just thinking about writing isn’t accomplishing much, unless the writer is mentally plotting, brainstorming, or outlining. This quickly leads to number three. How? If a writer commutes to work, perhaps on the commute he/she could use a voice recording app to dictate the story and transcribe it later. Or perhaps if another person is in the car, that person could take dictation. A writer at lunch may need to write on a napkin or the back of an envelope. It would do a writer well to always be prepared to have a method in which to get down story ideas. Perhaps, have lunch at a coffee shop and take the laptop. Maybe a writer decides the atmosphere is not good for creative but has a hard copy of his/her WIP at lunch. In this instance, the writer could possibly edit or perform internet searches for research. During an orientation, the group leader stated she was giving everyone a fifteen-minute break. That fifteen minutes I was able to work on my blog—something that I desperately needed to do.
I find having a small notebook handy is great for jotting down notes. I traded my purse for a backpack and am ready most times for just about any writing opportunity. In it, I have pens of assorted colors, Post-Its, notebooks, flash drives, a calendar, etc. I know most people keep digital calendars, and I do that as well. The paper calendar I used to track submissions, edits, blog posts, conversations with agents, etc. I like paper for this, because I sometimes, I can’t whip out my phone or laptop. Or as in one case, the power was out for hours and I needed to conserve my batteries.
Some writers have rituals or routines they need to perform before writing. So, writing on the fly may not be something practical. Also, what gets written may not be the best. However, writers shouldn’t be seeking a finished product at this point. The idea is to get down the words and edit later. This is an especially useful technique for writers who need to produce a high quantity of documents/works. For example, bloggers may need to write many posts at once and schedule them for later publication. Filling these open moments with rough drafts may greatly help bloggers to meet deadlines and goals.
Now, I’m not a fan of writing just for the sake of writing. Some experts argue that a person should write daily regardless of what they write. For me, spending fifteen minutes writing useless dribble is counterproductive. The writing that fills these gaps should be directional and meaningful. There may be tons of grammatical mistakes and typos. That always can be cleaned up in subsequential editing. However, the content should be solid. The content should form base ideas that will eventually be turned into usable. If it’s not, the time could be better spent making a grocery list. But speaking of lists … Sometimes writing a list is useful. One may write plot points or checklist of items to correct. Frequently, when doing this quick block writing, I make organizational lists such as writing characters names or name changes. I’m a pantster, so it’s not uncommon for new characters to crop up. When marketing, I like telling readers about the characters. This is the best way to not forget anyone. Also, sometimes, I change a character name because the names may sound too close to each other. A character list will allow me to quickly discover that. Or if I’m stuck on a part of a story, I might list possible options to solve the story without writing out the entire scene. Lists are sometimes very quick to compose; thereby, making the gap space a perfect time to write them.
Don’t forget to visit Creole Bayou again. New posts are made on Wednesdays. If you have any questions or suggestions about this post or any others, feel free to comment below or tweet me at @dolynesaidso. You also can follow me on Instagram at genevivechambleeauthor or search me on Goodreads or Amazon Authors.
Enjoy sports romance? Check out my new adult romance, Defending the Net, being released in November. It is the second in my hockey series and guaranteed to melt the ice. Preordering information coming soon. Crossing the line could cost the game.
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