Writing When You Have No Time

 

I WROTE THE MOST when I was a teen. On top of a school schedule. On top of friends and sports, and “zero” hour choir practice. I could find that otherworldly creative zone fondly known as “the Flow” with ease. Now writing with a fulltime job and family to take care of, I’m mourning that loss of freedom and energetic youth in general. Time to yourself is this incredible endangered thing that you have to fight fiercely to protect. It’s essential to writing. So how to you prioritize it without feeling like you’re shortchanging all those other new responsibilities in your life?

#1 Remember that you are a Writer and will always be a Writer. Nothing can take that from you. If you are a Writer, then it is your core identity. You will be drawn back to writing no matter what life throws at you. It’s how you find balance. It’s how you make sense of the world. So you will always still write…the question is how.

#2 Set Realistic Expectations. The struggle of finding time is real. Lord help you if you’re an epic fantasy novelist. You read about how J.K. Rowling wrote the  first scenes of Harry Potter on napkins while riding the train, or how George R.R. Martin locked himself in a cabin (and still no Winds of Winter…?).

My first child was a rude awakening. See, I had this fantasy that maternity leave meant so much “free time” to write. (I’ll give all parents a moment to spit out their tea.) Yes, I had no idea how much work raising a child is. Once the reality settled in, I realized that in no world would I be able to both feed a newborn and type. However, I could edit. So I repurposed that time to edit manuscripts instead. I researched. I experimented with voice command. I actually did write a short children’s story on my phone.

You eventually do get time back. However, there will always be something. If it’s not the refrigerator broke down, then it’s the car, or the newest bug from daycare. Or heck, what about just making the time to catch up with friends?

Navigating your Writer identity when you’re adulting is a challenge. There’s often no reliable schedule. However, identify the most consistent windows of time available. For myself, I made a commitment to write 15 minutes a day. Short enough that you could sneak it in before work or after you put the kiddo down to bed. Long enough that you can find “the Flow,” that beautiful feeling when the floodgates open and you’re just hammering away at that keyboard, deliriously lost in your own little world. Those 15 minutes will fly by, but they add up, day after day. Find what can honestly work for you, and commit.

#3 Stoke the Fire. Stay connected with what drives you to tell your stories. Read the latest review of a favorite author’s new book or watch a show closely related to your story’s theme. Spare a minute or two on what gets you fired up to write so you stay the course. Always be asking what action you can take today to help your story get one step closer to completion. Sometimes just reading a bit from the previous chapter is enough to get you back into the Flow.

#4 Shatter the Block. What’s your writing methodology? Are you linear in style where you like all chapters of Part I to be complete before you move on to the next one, or do you jump around in the storyline as inspiration strikes?

Once you get to those 15 minutes of precious writing time, you don’t want to waste them staring at the screen. Come with a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. If you’re stuck, I heartily recommend jumping ahead (or behind). Write a different scene in the book that’s calling to you. Tell a chapter from a different character’s perspective. Work on the outline. If you took 15 minutes to move the needle closer to the goal, then that’s progress.

#5 Make Mistakes. This is a first draft. Punctuation be damned. If you’re in the Flow, you need to keep up, not pause to look up a continuity question from the previous book (“Did I give the grizzled warrior deep emerald or hazelnut eyes?”). Highlight the passage for future review and move on.

#6: Prioritize for You. Lastly, we all choose what to prioritize. At different stages of your life, writing may not be the most important thing. That’s ok. Again, doesn’t mean you’re not a writer. Remember that nothing takes that from you, but sometimes we value things differently over time—especially once we realize how short it is! However, if you’re not prioritizing writing, then it won’t get done. It’s a simple fact. Make a realistic commitment to your writing and then guard it fiercely. Some people want to become the next New York Times Best Seller. Others just want to make sense of things. Know what your goal is as a Writer, and then make your peace with it.

Looking forward to your next work of sleep-deprived greatness!