Finding the Time - Writers Forum

CheshireCat1862 · 12-21-2003, 02:20 PM

Hi,

I'm sure this question has been asked in some form or another, but I thought I'd ask anyway because I'm curious to know...

How the hell do you find time to write?

My own special problem with finding time are the hours I work. 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hear that? It's the sound of me yawning. Anyone who has worked a similar shift can tell you it's not easy. It's the kind of shift that has it's own sleep disorder. So, my stints at the keyboard usually amount to about half an hour of staring at a blank screen, then another hour staring at the insides of my eyelids. I literally fall asleep in the chair.

Anyone else have a similar problem? How do you deal with it? I'd appreciate the advice.

Solaris · 12-28-2003, 07:16 PM

You may want to consider carrying around with you a notebook to jot down random thoughts and to work on general outlines and plot ideas, so when you do have time, you can fill in the details....so you will atleast have something to work with.

Another option is you could carry around a tape recorder, but you may look like a spy.

DL Ferguson · 12-28-2003, 07:53 PM

Finding time to write...hmm....I get asked that question a lot from people who want to know how it is that I've racked up the amount of wordage I have and it simply comes down to a matter of priorities: I don't watch a lot of television because I'd rather write. I take the phone off the hook, turn off the TV and radio and head down into the basement and close the door and just don't come up for air until I've written something of substance.

I usually don't wait until I'm sitting at the keyboard to wonder what I'm going to write. During the day while going about mundane chores such as shopping, fixing stuff around the house, etc, I'm thinking about the scenes I'm going to write so that when I sit down at the keyboard, I have a good idea of what I want to work on so I just fire up the Word program and jump right into work.

If something is important enough to you, you can make time to do it. Fortunantly, I have an understanding spouse as well as friends and family who don't take it personally when I say that I'm writing a story and am too busy to hang out or whatever. That helps a lot.

AdamR · 12-31-2003, 11:17 PM

This is my first post in over a month. Before that time, I was pretty active on these forums and plan to get back into it. But I couldn't find the time to do it during that month.

It's very common. Not just in writing but in everything. It's hard, and I know it's much easier for me when I'm still only a sophomore in HS. However, many other priorities inhabit my life. I am currently doing other activities almost every night of the week. My youth group is raising money for a trip next summer so every Friday and Saturday for the next 7 months is completly tied up. I'll be going back to a college to take my 2nd semester of 2nd year Greek as duel enrollment. This is the hardest and most time consuming class in the entire school, requiring almost 5 hours each day set aside to study.

But you must realized that you enjoy to write. You want to finish your works and start on new ones. The key is to, whenever the situation presents itself, use that time to do nothing but write! As suggested above, take a notepad with you wherever you go. I've started doing that and it has significatly helped me.

Don't worry. Your writings will be complete at some point. Every writer's schedule is busy and different, they will happen at different paces, but the one thing that makes you a writier is that you write and complete no matter how long or broken up it might be.

Good luck!

type · 01-18-2004, 10:55 AM

I have also found that setting up deadlines can be helpful. For example, if I am working on an article query, I will mark an anticipated date for completion, such as the following weekend on my calendar. And if I haven't completed it by that date, I know that I will have most of it done. Also, if I have completed that project, I can cross it off on my calendar.

Remember that you want to set up a reasonable deadline! Otherwise, you will wind up procrastinating.

Fantasia · 01-21-2004, 04:20 PM

The truth is, I only found out that *I* could find time to write when there's a deadline. I joined this challenge called Nanowrimo. It's about writing a 50,000-word story in 30 days (within November). Because there was a deadline, I did find time to write *whenever I could* between my commute, work and getting out of bed. On weekends, it was impossible unless I swore off the television, blocked my calls and told my husband that the food was in the fridge and all he had to do was heat it.

From then on, I always set deadlines. Usually word counts. I'm taking the "get it out of your system" approach, basically writing everything down before I go back on the whole thing and doing a collosal edit.

type · 01-21-2004, 06:48 PM

That is so true!

And in browsing through a how-to book about getting organized, the author stated at one point that one who says that he or she doesn't have the time to do something really doesn't WANT to do that thing.

That couldn't be me, I thought.

I felt as if the author was accusing me of not wanting to complete my book project at all; I never seem to have the time to sit down and really work on it! Other things usually get first priority and by the time I am ready to work on that book, it is late at night and I can think of nothing except for getting into bed and going to sleep. On the other hand, I do want to finish it. Maybe I am just blocked.

gabriella · 01-30-2004, 08:07 AM

You need some sleep, that's the first thing you need to realize. Creativity doesn't come to you when you're falling asleep at the keyboard.

Eat healthy, and get lots of sleep and I guarantee you you won't be as tired wehn you're at the keyboard and you'll be a lot more creative. Some people say sleep deprivation is better, but that's only if you're on a roll. Staring at the screen is doing you nothing.

You also need to readjust your whole life to your working time. If you don't get used to sleeping and eating at different times, you will always be dead tired. Same with the days you don't work. Try and keep your work schedule as much as possible. An idea is you can't be going to bed at midnight like most people. Go to sleep earlier so that when you wake up you'll still have had your eight to nine hours of sleep.

Your creativity depends on your lifestyle, more or less. So adjust your lifestyle so that you're not always tired. That way, when it's time for you to write, you'll be wide awake and ready to write.

Hope that helped you some...

Take a deep breath, and write a bunch of words on the screen and keep writing for five minutes. Something good is going to come out, promise. Go for an hour or two hour jog before you go to work, and you'll feel healthy, refreshed, ready to tackle work and when you get home, you'll be wanting to write.

Fantasia · 01-30-2004, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gabriella

Eat healthy, and get lots of sleep and I guarantee you you won't be as tired wehn you're at the keyboard and you'll be a lot more creative.

I agree with this, 100%.