It is hard to carve out time to write. I know, I know...every good writer has a set time, a writing space, and the time to write...right?
False. Utterly, irretrievably false. Life happens. And for most writers, life includes a day job along with a myriad of responsibilities. Children, laundry, grocery shopping, classes, mowing the lawn, home repair and maintenance, paying a mortgage and bills, (and, as the King of Siam says....) etc. etc. etc.!
And there are the emotional barriers: fear, stress, anxiety, depression, "writer's block," etc. And just plain stress and exhaustion. Our world fills our lives with noise and chaos.
How does one become a writer...continue being a writer...with the outer and inner world battling for control of your time?
I published my first book while raising a toddler and baby twins. I look back and wonder how that happened! I published my second book with five children under the age of six! How?
My babies are all independent or in college right now. And I am finding less and less time to write. Life seems to be taking bigger and bigger chunks of my time and focus.
Get up earlier to write! I am told. Well, as a night person, I am almost allergic to morning (unless I stay up for it!)
Carve out a consistent time every day! Well, sometimes I am directing a show, sometimes have a concert, sometimes lessons, sometimes teaching classes, sometimes.... My schedule is NEVER consistent!
If you want to write...you can find the time without guilt. Can you only write on weekends? Then write on weekends. Do you only have time to binge write during certain times of the year? Write then. Just don't let your passion for the art and craft of writing die.
Solutions?
--Write during a lunch break.
-- Turn off the TV an hour early in the evening and write.
--Get up early if you are a night person only once a week.
--Write in your head during your commute.
--Plan while walking the dog.
--Pick up a challenge with a writing partner--make a word or page competition.
--Join a writers' group that meets weekly, or monthly, or bi-monthly.
-- Give yourself a writer's retreat: get a hotel room, a cabin, a lock on a door! Spend time away from the family, job, friends, etc.
--Binge write for NaNoWriMo (look it up--it's awesome!)
Most of all, do what you can to keep writing. There is no right or wrong. There only is whatever we need to keep going, bit by bit or in huge chunks.
I planned my first middle grade novel in my head for years before I put it on paper in one major spewage. I knew every character intimately by that time and had no trouble with the plot.
I wrote my first book for a major publisher on a throw away computer and a dot matrix printer!!!
Tools and time are the least important things. Time, talent, effort. They matter more. Tell your story and take time when you can. Above all, do not feel guilty when life gets a bit in the way. Find your way...and take your time!
False. Utterly, irretrievably false. Life happens. And for most writers, life includes a day job along with a myriad of responsibilities. Children, laundry, grocery shopping, classes, mowing the lawn, home repair and maintenance, paying a mortgage and bills, (and, as the King of Siam says....) etc. etc. etc.!
And there are the emotional barriers: fear, stress, anxiety, depression, "writer's block," etc. And just plain stress and exhaustion. Our world fills our lives with noise and chaos.
How does one become a writer...continue being a writer...with the outer and inner world battling for control of your time?
I published my first book while raising a toddler and baby twins. I look back and wonder how that happened! I published my second book with five children under the age of six! How?
My babies are all independent or in college right now. And I am finding less and less time to write. Life seems to be taking bigger and bigger chunks of my time and focus.
Get up earlier to write! I am told. Well, as a night person, I am almost allergic to morning (unless I stay up for it!)
Carve out a consistent time every day! Well, sometimes I am directing a show, sometimes have a concert, sometimes lessons, sometimes teaching classes, sometimes.... My schedule is NEVER consistent!
If you want to write...you can find the time without guilt. Can you only write on weekends? Then write on weekends. Do you only have time to binge write during certain times of the year? Write then. Just don't let your passion for the art and craft of writing die.
Solutions?
--Write during a lunch break.
-- Turn off the TV an hour early in the evening and write.
--Get up early if you are a night person only once a week.
--Write in your head during your commute.
--Plan while walking the dog.
--Pick up a challenge with a writing partner--make a word or page competition.
--Join a writers' group that meets weekly, or monthly, or bi-monthly.
-- Give yourself a writer's retreat: get a hotel room, a cabin, a lock on a door! Spend time away from the family, job, friends, etc.
--Binge write for NaNoWriMo (look it up--it's awesome!)
Most of all, do what you can to keep writing. There is no right or wrong. There only is whatever we need to keep going, bit by bit or in huge chunks.
I planned my first middle grade novel in my head for years before I put it on paper in one major spewage. I knew every character intimately by that time and had no trouble with the plot.
I wrote my first book for a major publisher on a throw away computer and a dot matrix printer!!!
Tools and time are the least important things. Time, talent, effort. They matter more. Tell your story and take time when you can. Above all, do not feel guilty when life gets a bit in the way. Find your way...and take your time!