How do you have time to write?!

[Carimel]

Does anyone have the same problem like I do? How do you have time to write when you work full- time. Does anyone just set a certain time of the day or take a whole day and just write? Need some Help?? Thanks!!!

[Bubastes]

Oh yeah, I hear ya! It's a challenge (one that I'm still struggling with myself). Setting tiny goals helps. I wrote my last short story in 250-word chunks. I've found that waiting for the "perfect" block of time doesn't work. Some other people here steal writing time whenever they can. 15 minutes here, 10 minutes there, maybe even an hour if you're lucky, it all adds up.

There's a thread in the Mystery forum called the "500 words a day" thread. It's a wonderful motivational tool and it's worth checking out!

Just remember -- baby steps! One sentence at a time, one page at a time. Good luck!

[Harper K]

Yeah, it's definitely tough. My day job involves writing and linguistics, so my brain is sometimes kinda fried when I come home. I try to have a couple hours of transition time between work and fiction writing -- sometimes I go for a run; I help my husband get dinner on the table; we eat and talk; I have some wine; we clean up the kitchen; we watch Jeopardy; and then I go out to walk our crazy dog. As soon as I start on the walk, my brain clicks into WIP mode and I start coming up with ideas for what I'm going to write when I get back. Usually I have a couple good lines or a scene of dialogue in mind when I return.

That's an ideal evening, though, when I'm able to walk the dog exactly at 8 PM and then come back and have the rest of the evening to write. I try to get in two hours of sustained writing time every day, but sometimes those two hours come at strange times. Last night I was up until almost 2 in the morning, and it looks like tonight will be almost the same. Sigh. Things come up. Family stuff, or trying to maintain some form of social life, or just the urge to watch a movie in the evening.

I make good use of my weekends, though. Weekend mornings in particular.

Also, my husband sets me deadlines for when I have to have certain chapters finished. I write well under pressure, so I tend to get a lot of good stuff finished just before a deadline. I recommend this -- get a family member or trusted friend to set a fire under you.

If you can grab a few minutes to write at work -- lunch break or coffee break or whatever -- that's really helpful, too. Actually, one of my best writing days in recent memory happened last Thursday. My officemate was out "sick" (read: hungover) and so I finished up my pressing things in the morning and took the entire afternoon to work on my novel. I don't generally endorse that, but I usually work like a madwoman, so I didn't feel one bit guilty about that afternoon. The mild illicitness of writing at work fueled me to write some really good stuff! :D

[swove]

I agree it is tough. I work 8 to 5 come home have dinner with my wife and almost immediately go to the computer to write. I will spend two to three hours writing, including the weekends, as I do not want to ignore my wife. :D She is very supportive but I must not ignore her, as you well know if you are married what may happen! :D But seriously she is very supportive, I as well write at work on all my breaks, actually my co workers think I am a bit of a recluse I do not socialize with them at all.

[MrWrite]

I agree it is tough. I work 8 to 5 come home have dinner with my wife and almost immediately go to the computer to write. I will spend two to three hours writing, including the weekends, as I do not want to ignore my wife. :D She is very supportive but I must not ignore her, as you well know if you are married what may happen! :D But seriously she is very supportive, I as well write at work on all my breaks, actually my co workers think I am a bit of a recluse I do not socialize with them at all.

I know just what you mean Swove. My wife is very supportive too but she gets antsy if I spend more than an hour or two writing!

[Mumut]

When I was working, I had set times for writing, including lunchtime at work. Now I'm domestic servant, I do housework in the morning and try to write in the afternoons. But lately I've had a lot of book signings, giving talks at schools and church groups and travel (buying a house in Nambucca Heads, on the New South Wales coast). So my new-found release from work hasn't given me a heap of additional time to write.

[lucky8]

I have a full-time job but that's easy enough to work around. What's more difficult is social commitments, that can take up a whole evening, and other things that need to get done. The only time I can guarantee I will be able to write undisturbed is in the morning before work. So, consequently, I wake up at 5 am every week day. It's not so bad now that I'm used to it and it's also like I'm proving my commitment to writing, to myself, which really helps. I guess if it's important enough to you then you will find the time, even if it's just a half-hour during your lunch break.

[Linda Adams]

I make time in the evening--usually an hour or two and spend more time on the story on the weeknds and the holidays.

[sheadakota]

I am fortunate- sort of- I work every weekend 12 hour shifts and then one eight hour shift during the week(usually Friday) then I have four days off- 32 hours and I get paid for forty- but I give up every weekend- I write after my housework and barnwork is done and before my kids get home from school. and then again at night when they are in bed or watching TV.

[Stew21]

Full time employee/mother of two here. I write when the kids go to bed. I write when they take naps on the weekends. I write when I get fits of insomnia in the middle of the night and on my lunch hour at work. I just take advantage of the little moments I have available to me. When I was almost finished with my last novel, I told my husband I needed him to get the kids out of the house all day on a Saturday so I could focus. I finished the first draft that day.
Catch as catch can.

[inkkognito]

Great question! Writing is one of three jobs for me; I also own a travel agency and am a counselor. Fortunately I can do them simultaneously much of the time. Although I do some in-person work, the bulk of my counseling clients contact me via an online service so I can be "available" in the background while working on my writing. Same with the travel agency; they email or call, and I can write inbetween as long as I also make time for the paperwork. I am taking college classes, too, so that makes it a bit more challenging but I tend to thrive on the challenge. I've always had multiple jobs for as long as I can remember, and the internet just makes it a bit easier.

[Bufty]

I take my hat off to you folks who manage full-time jobs, housekeeping, looking after children - and still manage to find time to write and log in to AW.

You deserve medals - and reward for your efforts. I hope you are successful.

[Stew21]

I usually log on to AW during hours at work - I multi-task, keep the AW site open and check in that way. My job is writing at work - I write proposals for our sales department, I end up writing or talking about writing all day long.

[sunna]

I write on my lunch hour at work, and when I get home I have 2 'no-internet' hours, from 5-7. I set my router up so I actually can't get online then, or - well, or I'd be here. :) After 7 my husband is home so we have dinner, then either hang out or he works on his translations and I go back to writing. On the weekends I try to be at my desk by 8:30 am barring illness or excessive partying the night before, and I try to get in at least 4 hours of writing.

I used to just write when the mood took me, but I find that setting some rules for myself made it far more likely I'd actually get something done. Apparently me mum was right all along: I need a little discipline. :whip: :whip:

[Riley]

I wouldn't have any trouble at all finding up to four hours a day to write if I didn't procrastinate so much. In fact, you might look at your day and see where you're procrastinating (taking extra long showers, for example, or lingering at the table after dinner for no good reason,) and try to stop it.

I also write little bits throughout the day. I have high school, college, and work, gym, and practice, so I'm pretty much booked during the day, but I do have ten or twenty minutes here and there and I usually take the opportunity to write (why, God, why?)

I sit down and force myself to fill a quota during novel-writing. My goal is six pages at normal times, twelve pages on holidays and weekends, and three days when time is a factor or I'm not feeling well.

[Sean D. Schaffer]

Does anyone have the same problem like I do? How do you have time to write when you work full- time. Does anyone just set a certain time of the day or take a whole day and just write? Need some Help?? Thanks!!!


Back in the day, when I used to work, I would have given almost anything to have free time to write.

Now, I'm disabled, unemployed, and have all the time in the world.

I HATE IT!

Having nothing to do all day literally drives me up the wall. I have to regulate my time between writing, taking care of my home, and being on the Internet in such a way as to have something to do during the day. I've been looking back at the days when I worked, and my mouth waters at how creative and confident I was back then in my writing.

So don't think that your full-time job is a hindrance to your writing. It could actually be helping you to write better because of your lack of writing time. It's like what some people say about resistance. It produces pressure, and makes what you do create, have more impact.

I would consider the full-time job a blessing instead of a curse, if I were you, because the work will temper your imagination and your desire to write, to a fine, sharp edge that can be more effective at writing whatever it is you want to produce. In short, full-time work can in and of itself make you a sharper instrument and a better writer, if you'll let it.

:)

[Elladog]

Between work, the house, and a toddler, I'm another grab-when-I-can type. I write on breaks and lunch at work, and at night after my daughter is sleeping. Weekends when she naps or when my husband takes her out for a while.

[Inky]

When I worked full time, I stopped writing. Yes, I know--gasp! Those of you that make it work, I'm envious. I was too bloody exhausted and brain dead at the end of the day to write one word. Weekends were spent with toddlers, so that was out.

Upon moving to Germany, I was going to return to college--kids old enough to be in school full time, so it was MY turn--but my husband said: You've always wanted to write, you finished a manuscript a long time ago....why not become a full time writer now?

Shit. Didn't have to tell me twice.

We made sure to move into a house that had an extra room for me to have my own 'office', where I proceeded to fill it with my swords, LOTR collectibles, and turn it into a fantasy realm haven.

But work full time AND write? I couldn't pull it off. Those of you that can are very gifted/lucky/talented.

[Ken]

Try temping. Once you make enough to pay the bills you can quit working for weeks at a time and have plenty of time to write. You have to find a good employment agency, of course, sympathetic to your needs and also having a lot of short-term assignments, available. Best Wishes.

[DWSTXS]

4 hours on Friday nights, and 10 am to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

I have no social life whatsoever. None.

[seun]

4 hours on Friday nights, and 10 am to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

I have no social life whatsoever. None.

Don't worry. Once we move house, we'll be in the same boat as you. :)

[nicolen]

I make the time. I work full time and, due to an impossible commute, am out of the house from 6:45am - 6pm ish. Some days I'll get home earlier, but not that much earlier.

I'm up at 5am every morning, whether I'm working or not. I can put in an hours' writing then get ready for work. I carry my notebook with me and write while I'm waiting for my second bus. Once I get home, have dinner and clean up it's usually around 7:30pm so that gives me a chance to get some more writing done.

Housework - what housework? My friends know not to call by without giving me enough time to tidy up. I can live with the house being untidy through the week and give it a major tidy up at the weekend. I don't watch a great deal of TV and it's fairly rare for me to go out on a weeknight.

For me it's a matter of prioritising what's important - and writing is far more important than having an impeccable house or knowing what
TV programme is hot at the moment.

[BlueLucario]

Make the time. Put all your important stuff aside(Unless your life depended on it) and write! Homework sucks!

[ClaudiaGray]

I have it easier than most people with FT jobs, because I live alone. So if I want to make the time, it can be done. Of course, it's still a struggle.

Essentially, while I'm hammering out a first draft, I give myself weeknights off. I may write on a weeknight, and I often do, but I don't have to. I can go out with my friends, catch up on housework or just watch TV. Whatever. But Saturday and Sunday are essentially all-day writing marathons -- I put in a good 8-10 hours each of those days. It gets wearying by the end, but OTOH, I can get a first draft together pretty quickly that way.

Speaking of which, I have two chapters left on Hourglass, and my current break is about to end --

[Glenda]

I get up and work on my WIP when my husband goes out the door to work, 4:45, and before my granddaughter gets up for the day, anywhere between 7:30 and 8:00.

[inkkognito]

In pondering this question a little further, I suppose it depends on the type of full-time work too. I wrote from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s and started a corporate job in 1989. For a while I made it all work, but I started getting very burned out. My job was in corp. communications, and the work and deadlines involved in three newsletters really soured me on writing. Then I went back to school and that was the final straw. I put my freelancing on hiatus until a year ago.

It's funny, but I just knew that it was time to get back to my writing. I never gave it up completely; my work involved a lot of writing, even when I shifted over to training and development, and in 2004 I started my blog which gained a pretty decent readership. Now I know I am back in this forever, come hell or high water.

[Toxic_Waste]

This is going to sound kind of weird, since here I am on a forum and AW has a chat room and everything, but I find the time to write by cutting way back on the time I spend talking about writing!

[DragonHeart]

It's easy for me to find the time because I have no social life. Seriously. I work full time, but that's my only real responsibility. (I live with my mom and her boyfriend, so they take care of the biggies like groceries.) My shifts tend to be 6-7 hours, so if I really wanted to I could write for at least eight hours a day. Sometimes I go out with my best friend on my day off, but it's rarely an all-day thing, so even then I have time.

I find it's mainly an issue of discipline and energy. We're in the middle of moving to our new store location right now so I'm working more hours than ever and doing a lot of fairly heavy physical labor. I'm so drained by the end of the day all I can do is take a shower and flop down on the couch for a well-deserved nap.

The rest of the time I'm either browsing online, reading, watching the history/discovery/animal planet channels, or playing video games. I really need to cut back though, I've been watching way too much TV lately.

~DragonHeart~

[Metaphor]

Write? When?

I have no time at all to write, no matter how hard I try. Hence my incredibly low word count on my WIP.

I might not have a full-time job (well actually, I don't have a job at all) but I do have full time school.

I have no time in the mornings - I wake up, chuck on some clothes and go to school, and school finishes at 4:00. However, by the time I actually get home, what with matches, sport, music lessons, etc. it's much later. (5:15 on mondays, 6:45 on tuesdays, 7:15 on wednesdays, 5:15 thursdays, 5:15 fridays. Ugh.). After that I have to fit in an hour of music practice, two hours of homework, dinner, and then go to bed at 9:30...

Oh, and did I mention, for some reason I can only write on a computer, and I'm only allowed an hour of computer time a day, max, and that's if I have time.

So, yeah. I'm almost looking forward to leaving school for a full time job :P I'd have more time!

I really envy all you people who have writing as their full time job! :S

Poppy

[giusti]

Fortunately, I'm one of the lucky ones. My job(s) are not very time consuming, as most of the work that I do is freelancing (not just in writing, in programming, animation, and web design too). My girlfriend is also very supportive, and will actually do most anything for me so that I don't have to do it, and therefore have time to write. But I certainly hear all of you who struggle with the time issue. But in my experience, and from what I've heard from other writers, is that the key is to be thinking about your WIP all day, about characters, and plotlines, and the world you've placed it in, so that when you eventually do get time, you can just whip a bunch of work out, all at once.

-giusti

[seun]

I might not have a full-time job (well actually, I don't have a job at all) but I do have full time school.

I have no time in the mornings - I wake up, chuck on some clothes and go to school, and school finishes at 4:00. However, by the time I actually get home, what with matches, sport, music lessons, etc. it's much later. (5:15 on mondays, 6:45 on tuesdays, 7:15 on wednesdays, 5:15 thursdays, 5:15 fridays. Ugh.). After that I have to fit in an hour of music practice, two hours of homework, dinner, and then go to bed at 9:30...


What about giving up some of the matches, sport and music lessons? I know this sound simplistic, but if you want to write, you write.

[lucky8]

It's really impressive to hear about how everyone works writing into their life and hopefully for those of you that struggle you can take some inspiration from the stories. It makes me wonder what other time I could find to write. I think, for me, however, a regular schedule is important and scattering writing throughout the day would do nothing for me.

[IdiotsRUs]

When I first started writing I worked 20 hours a week, had two kids under five and was doing a degree. I had to be at work for 5am in a bakery, but I used to spend that incredibly boring time frying doughnuts / making rolls ( very zen activities) by thinking about my WIP. I always had half a dozen or so paper bags that we used to put the cakes in, in my pocket, covered with scribbles. I'd lay in the bath thinking up scenes, or when I was cooking, or at the gym. When the kids went to bed, I'd do my three hours study for my degree, then be up till all hours writing. With all the thinking I'd do during the day, the words just kind of fell out of me.

Now it's kind of easier. My kids are at school, I'm unable to work ( due to ME, though I do my hubby's accounts) so when they are at school ( and I'm not asleep) I write. When they go to bed, I write. But the words don't come as easy. I should spend more time thinking before I try and write stuff out.

[Pestilence]

I used to spend a decent amount of time on writing before I started working full time. Now, as previously stated, I'm simply too braindead and tired at the end of the day to even consider it. Working 10.5 hour shifts doesn't help.

I do have 3 days off a week, but these usually consist of tidying the home, looking after the dog and then bending to the other half's wishes for the rest of the evening when she returns from work. I've recently decided, however, that it's time to put my ass in gear and really get the effort in to writing. I want to be paid for something I truly love and not just slog my ass off in a hateful job to survive. You only live once, and you need to enjoy it. I've spent hours straining over the beginning of a screenplay, only to delete the whole lot after a brief re-read, but that's the nature (and beauty) of it. Until recently I'd forgotten just how much of a buzz it is to write it out again, but infinitely better and KNOW so.

So, in a nutshell, I have very little time to write...but this is the point in my life where I need to give 300% and tire myself, drain myself and push myself to the absolute limit to make my writing a success. I think these are words that a lot of aspiring writers with full time jobs can relate to, and to quote the timeless vernacular: "No pain, no gain!"

[dracken]

I am in college full time but I found that if you keep at writing it soon becomes more of an addiction than just hobby. I do not feel accomplished if I do not write anything or read something for the day. So in between class and before dinner I usually write around 1000 words, schedule which helped me finish around 10 stories in February. :) I'm veryy proud of that

[Phaeal]

I get done with my work about 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon and put in 2-3 hours of writing after that. If I have a hot project, I'll put in 2-3 more hours at home that night. Weekends I like to spend 2-4 hours at one of my favorite cafes, writing or editing.

Poverty is good for writing -- you can't afford to spend money on entertainment and so have a lot of free time. ;) Having a spouse or partner who is also a writer helps greatly -- nonwriters have a hard time understanding how much solo time you need. Plus if your pard is a writer, you can write together -- great cheap date. :)

[Shadow_Ferret]

Does anyone have the same problem like I do? How do you have time to write when you work full- time. Does anyone just set a certain time of the day or take a whole day and just write? Need some Help?? Thanks!!!
If you're serious about writing, you'll make the time.

I work full-time. I have a family, 2 boys, 2 dogs, 2 ferrets. I'm a den leader and I'm actively involved in our sons' school.

I have to grab my moments. Sometimes they allow me a few minutes at the laptop while we watch a show together on television (although I'll just as often use that time to catch up on my reading). Other times, I have to wait until every is asleep and then I can grab an hour of writing time. I often only get about 6 hours of sleep a day.

I also take my flashdrive with me and punch out a few sentences at work on breaks or whatever. I take a small pocketsized notebook with me and write while at my sons' sports activities or in church (although my wife gives me nasty looks when I do that).

[jessicaorr]

I write when my daughter takes naps and before she gets up in the morning. It isn't easy to find the time, so I have to carve it out of the day with a big ol' cleaver!

[James81]

I'm thinking about "hiring myself".

What I mean by that is, if I treat it as if it's a second job, I may be more apt to sit down and get stuff accomplished as opposed to just writing when the whim strikes me.

I'm thinking of setting up a "shift" schedule through the week for myself and everything. I think if I take the time to actually set that stuff up, it'll seem more "legit" to me and I'll have more of a drive to sit down and get stuff accomplished.

[MichaelDeVere]

Discipline.

Like a drill instructor.

"YOU WILL WRITE 500 WORDS BEFORE YOU SLEEP TONIGHT MAGGOT!"

So I either write it, or face the emotional duress of the dress down inside my head in the morning.

[Broadswordbabe]

Oh, and did I mention, for some reason I can only write on a computer, and I'm only allowed an hour of computer time a day, max, and that's if I have time.

Use a pen. Seriously. The majority of the world's literature was written before the invention of computers. Unless you actually have a disability that prevents you from holding a writing implement, get a notebook and a pen. You can take it out and use it while you're waiting for the bus, waiting for a lift, waiting for the dentist...wherever. You'd be amazed how much you can get done in slots of 15 or 20 minutes. Then you can transcribe it when you get computer time.

If you really find you hate using a pen, you can save up for a second-hand Alphasmart. They're cheap, light, and tough, and you don't have to wait for them to warm up, so they're almost as quick as a pen. Or try getting a dictaphone, and use it the same way as a notebook. But please don't hamstring yourself or your creativity by believing you can only write on computer.

[MrWrite]

That's what I do. I sit in a coffee shop and just write. Yesterday I wrote 6 pages of my screenplay. In a few minutes I'm leaving work and doing the same again. For some reason I write better away from home. Less to distract me I guess. I can put it on the computer later.

[steveg144]

It's very tough. I have a full time job, plus an endless honey-doo list. Plus -- call me crazy -- I like my life and want to enjoy its many aspects. So I squeeze it in where I can. Mostly I make it a point to get up at lunchtime and go somewhere quiet and spend the entire hour writing. That, plus a little bit of time in the evening, is all I have anymore. My standing joke is I can't wait till I win the lottery, so I'll have some freaking time to write.

[JacobWorld]

Its easy you just make it your job and you will motivation !!!
When you have to earn money from It you will have to find time.

Another solution :
Go to China start teaching English ( 6 periods a week) and you have hips of time - all the bills paid and 4 months a year of holidays and much more .
If you want more details please contact me

[She Raven]

I don't take time to write, I schedule it. With four kids and their sports, working for the government and in the medical field, I'm always pushing the envelope. I am not a morning person by choice, but I do write between 4-5 am before I get the kids up for school, at lunch I can whip out 2-3 pages between a meeting or the hospital, in the evening after 11pm- till whenever i can't support my eyelids with toothpicks anymore. it's your call most authors I know write at least 1 page a day. when you not writing you should be reading the genre your writing in just for good measure. When your in the zone you shouldn't stop till you've finished at least that scene.

[robertmblevins]

In between running a sci-fi mag and editing books, it can be tough sometimes. But I try to do about a thousand words a week at the minimum.

[thismakecents]

Mornings and Evenings. No set time for me, just first thing in the morning with cup of coffee, then I write in evenings with my cup of bedtime tea.

If it is only for 10 minutes or even 1 hour then it is fine. As long as I write something during those time periods.

For the longest time, I would sit down to write, get afraid and get up to do something else. Give myself excuse after excuse not to write. Make the time and force yourself to do it. It is not the quanity that counts, it is the quality that matters most.

So, if I force myself 10 good minutes to write a rough article in the morning, then at night I will only spend 20 minutes polishing it up.

And before long, I find my creative juices flowing each day. Then after a week, I find I have a very nice finished product to present to the world....

Taadddaaa....Now, how do we finish this grand american novel? Hmmm. Hahahaha

[mamakat]

Finding time is a major challenge...in fact, I'm writing a piece about this topic now! For me, simplifying my life as much as possible to make room for doing what I love-writing- has helped the most.

Figure out where all your time goes, and see if you can find ways to scale back. Can you live on less in order to work less to free up more writing time?

Can you relocate to spend less time commuting? Can you apply for a telecommuting job?

Can you streamline errands?

I no longer shop in malls, or run any errands outside food and household shopping. The little things can help a lot.

[L.R. Currell]

I write at work, I am a manager and sit in my office most the day, smash my work out of the way and then get on the keys. I really need some of that voice recognition software though, I am getting cramps in my fingers.