Writing is a juggling act. A writer juggles his job, family, friends, recreation, and writing. Some writers grow weary of the constant juggling act and give up writing. Others like me struggle to keep going.
“How do you find time to write?” has been a common question to writers or among writers. The answer depends on each one of us. Some writers write during their free time while others have a fixed schedule. Some of the well-known authors started writing their novels while having a job of their own. Other famous writers had the luxury of spending their whole day writing.
If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.
– Stephen King
For Stephen King, constant reading keeps the writing going. Even professional writers have their own ways of delaying their writing tasks. Arranging their bookshelves, doing some art & crafts, and binge-watching are some of them. But in the end, once they find the impetus to write, they do write on their desk.
The secret is forcing yourself to write every day, either measured by page count or by word count. The important thing is to show up on your desk and write. But when delays turn from a few minutes into a few weeks or even months, that becomes a big problem.
One of the reasons why “writers” don’t write is they don’t love writing. They like referring to themselves as “writers” but they hate the hard work that goes with it.
But there are other writers who would hit the typical writer’s block. They struggle daily on how to go through with it, and then have a breakthrough moment and leap back to work.
Like any other writer, I experience writer’s block. I spend my time on other activities other than writing. And when I realize that I have deadlines to beat, I decide to make things work in my favor. So I devise a plan: make a schedule and make it work.
Twenty-one years ago, I was still single then and starting my career as a freelance writer. I wrote from 9 am to 6 pm and made a schedule that had become my daily routine. It made me more focused and productive.
But everything changed when I gave birth. Taking care of a baby became a handful that I don’t have the time to write. Then employment in the corporate jungle came along. I wrote reports, not novels for the next seven years. Until I decided to return to writing in 2012 and started working from home.
Finding time to write is forcing me to write every day. I have to write something be it a chapter of a novel or a blog. It’s like showing up for work on my desk.
Always remember that it’s how frequently you write each week and not how many hours a day you spend writing. Spending three times a week, 2 hours per day writing is much better than writing 4 hours a day on Saturdays and Sundays. I guess, this has something to do with the momentum. Try not to lose momentum when there’s a story running in your head.
There are 3 P’s we gain from this kind of scheduled writing:
Planning
This is the most difficult part of writing. This is the stage where you set up everything from settings to characters to plot. By having a consistent writing schedule, you have the time between writing sessions to think about what you’re going to write next.
Pressure
Having a consistent writing schedule puts pressure on you not to write. Even if you’re able to write a single paragraph, you’ll be back tomorrow to write again, no matter what. Compare it if you’re just going to write once or twice a week. That one paragraph will probably stay as one paragraph in the next two weeks because you stopped somehow. And that will get you in serious trouble.
Practice
They say that practice makes perfect. It’s the repetition that trains the mental muscles and extracts creative juices. You will notice that your writing improves with time.
2 Ways of Writing Schedule
But since people are different, one method doesn’t fit all. There are two ways of making a writing schedule. Both are effective so you can choose which one works best for you.
Gridlock Method
This is a rigid schedule of writing that you must adhere to religiously. Using a grid, fill in every hour that you have commitments or activities. Then look at the empty blocks and try filling the blocks where you are absolutely positive you can write. Be realistic and don’t overbook yourself. Three to five times a week for two hours a day is fine. If you can’t find a reasonable number of hours for writing in a week, examine your priorities. Once you have a workable schedule, stick to it. Let other members of the family know that you have to follow a schedule and you’re serious about it.
Spare Change Method
This involves establishing goals for each day and week. Your goal is not putting in a certain amount of time, but rather, producing a specific number of pages each day or week. Decide if you are going to adhere to a daily or a weekly goal. Take a calendar and write down a daily goal or at the end of the week, write the page number you expect to achieve on that day. Don’t worry if you’re uncertain, or if it keeps on changing as you write. The point is to establish a goal and work towards it.
True, writing is a juggling act. But the main hurdle in becoming a successful writer is finishing a writing project — be it a novel or a short story. Making a schedule and finding time to write will help you do that.
Let me know what you think, I’d appreciate the feedback. If you want more articles about writing and productivity, be sure to subscribe and join the tribe.
