Home
>
Writing
>
Time to Write

Time to Write

SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?

Many people have entertained the idea of being a writer. They feel the passion to write. They have a best-seller idea. They want to share their specialist knowledge with the rest of the world. Yet years go by and nothing happens. Why? The reason is almost always the same: they can't find the time to write.

Whether you want to write fictions, magazine articles, plays, screen plays, non-fiction books, children's stories, film scripts, radio scripts or commercial writings, one thing is for certain: if you want to be successful writer, you must write.

There are only 24 hours in a day and most of us lead hectic lifestyles which leave little time for luxury like sitting down to write. Family and job usually come first, and by the time the dishes have been washed and the children put to bed, chances are you're exhausted yourself and the writing will just have to be postponed until another time.

But if writing is important to you, then you must be disciplined and decide how you want to divide your time. You'll have to analyse your lifestyle and cross a few things off your list to free up time for your personal goals.

And it's not as difficult as you may think.

HOW TO MAKE TIME

If in doubt, cut it out

Record your daily activities in details for a week. Look at the list and eliminate those activities which do not contribute positively to your life. One such obvious activity is watching television. If you must watch it, at least try cutting the time spent on it. Watch it for one hour instead of two, and you'll have seven more hours to write every week. Don't watch it at all and you'll have fourteen extra hours!

If you spend long periods gossiping with friends on the phone, try cutting it down and using emails to keep in touch instead. I'm not suggesting you should cut off all contact with your friends, but if you want to be a successful writer, you'll have to sacrifice some of that gossip time.

Break out from the rut

Are you one of those people who go through their days by rote? Up at 7.30am, breakfast at 8.00am, set off for work at 8.30am, at work until 6.30pm, dinner and TV until 9.30pm, watch the news at 10.00pm and go to bed at 10.30pm? Do you follow the same schedule pretty much every day? Do you spend a lot of time doing something because you've always done it, not because you enjoy it or it makes a positive contribution to the quality of your life?

If that sounds like you, then try having a break from your set routine and be surprised at how much extra time you have. For example, you don't 'have to' watch the 10 o'clock news every evening. If you skip it for two nights a week you will have created some writing time for yourself. Perhaps you are one of those who can write with the radio on in the background. In that case, listen to the news on the radio while you're writing and kill two birds with one stone.

Sleep a little less

If you are a morning person, get up an hour earlier. If you're a night owl, go to bed an hour later. Pick a time at which you feel most creative.

Use your lunch hour

Don't write at your desk though because you're likely to be distracted by office activities or hassled by your boss about that urgent report. Escape to the back of your car, a caf? or the park to do your writing, anywhere where you won't be disturbed for a while.

If you work near a library then you are lucky. You can use your lunch hour to do research for your writing. Nowadays most libraries have internet facilities so you can also conduct online research.

Use your travel time

If you take the train or the bus to work, use that time productively rather than looking out of the window. Carry a notebook with you at all times to jot down ideas or even write your next chapter. Or print out a few pages of your writing for editing during this time. Look at your fellow passengers for ideas: one of them may be the perfect character for your novel.

If you drive to work, invest in a hand-held recorder. You can use it to record ideas, or to dictate your writing. Then when you get home all you have to do is play it back and type it in the computer.

De-clutter your life

Spend a few days clearing out the clutter in your life. By this I mean both the physical clutter around the house, and the emotional clutter which has prevented you from writing in the past. For example: how often have you said this to yourself?

"I will write when I feel happier about myself."
"I want to lose some weight first."
"I can't start writing until I've sorted out my relationship problems."
"I don't feel confident that I can write."

See what I'm getting at? Spring-cleaning your life is a good way to start a more disciplined and structured writing life.

Get support

Enlist the help of your family. Ask your partner or parents to look after the children once or twice a week. If you have older children, ask them to help with house chores for a small reward. That way they'll feel they're helping you with your writing, they get paid, the housework gets done, and you get to write for an hour or two. Everyone's happy.

Talk to your family and friends about your passion for writing. They may not understand what writers do, but at least they will be able to feel your passion for writing and provide the support you need. If they don't know you need support, you're not going to get it.

HOW TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE

Okay, now that you have freed up some time for writing, how do you make sure you use this time productively?

Establish a writing schedule

Writing is essentially a solitary activity. As a writer you need to be self-disciplined; nobody is going to make you sit down and write. In fact, your family and friends will be glad that you're not writing and are spending time with them. But to succeed as a writer, you must write. Having a writing schedule is an important step. If you don't schedule something, chances are it will get pushed to the bottom of your list and never get done.

Write every day if you can. Otherwise, aim to write on a regular basis: every two days, three times a week or whatever suits you. The important thing is to write regularly. The more you write regularly, the more your writing will flow.

Buy a wall calendar, highlight your writing time a week ahead and put it up where you can see it. If you're disciplined enough you can use a pocket or electronic diary, but make sure you do look at it and not just let it sit in the drawer. Stick to the plan the same way as you would other regular activities in your life. Don't make excuses for yourself.

If you can, write at the same time every day. Writing regularly at a specified time establishes a pattern, and is essential to building a schedule.

Pick a time to suit your lifestyle

If you want to write from midnight to two in the morning and get up at 10am, and it fits in with your lifestyle, then do it. Similarly you may want to go to bed at 9pm, get up at 4 in the morning and write until the children get out of bed.

Don't get distracted

Aim to do nothing but write during your scheduled writing time. Try not to get distracted by writing-related activities such as research, note-gathering, writing the outline, etc. Do these things at some other time, ie, read the book for your research at bed time. If you find yourself spending all your scheduled writing time in preparatory work and never get down to the actual writing, then you need to take a look at why you're actually avoiding writing.

Prepare for writing (if you need to)

If you have a demanding full-time job, you may still be in work mode and find it hard to relax when you get home. In that case you may need to do something to help ease you into a more productive mood for writing. Call it a transition phase if you like. Try the following:

o Do some gentle exercise
o Have a shower or a warm bath
o Spend 10 minutes with your children
o Read a few pages of a book
o Listen to some relaxing music for 10 minute
o Go for a short walk
o Enjoy a cup of tea in the garden

Don't over-do this bit though or you'll end up not writing.

Stick to the schedule no matter what

When it comes to your scheduled time to write, do it, even if your mind is completely blank and the last thing you want to do is sit down and write.

Don't worry about writing rubbish at first - even the greatest writers wrote rubbish sometime in their lives. Don't expect to create something worthy of publication each time. Even if you have only managed to produce garbage in a ten-minute slot, you have achieved something: you have written. As most writers know, beginning is the hardest part. Once you've started, it gets easier.

The bottom line is: don't spend too much time thinking about writing, write!

Be selfish

Put up a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on your door (if you write in a separate room), on your computer or on the back of your chair. Be selfish. Let your family know you are doing something for yourself for an hour or two, but you will emerge as the loving wife/mother or husband/father again in due course. Don't let guilt stop you from following your dreams.

Initially your family may ignore your sign, but don't give in the moment someone shouts: "Mum/dad, where's my ? (fill in the blank)", or "Honey could you get me my (fill in the blank)". Be strict. Don't make exception unless the house is on fire. They will get used to your schedule after a few days.

Look ahead

At the end of each writing session, set yourself a goal for the next one. This can be:

"I'll produce 500 words."
"I'll write 3 pages."
"I'll finish the first chapter."

Having a goal not only helps to motivate you, it will also minimise wasted time when you begin your next session.

No excuses

Don't use "I don't have time" as an excuse anymore. Remember, we tend to make time for something we really want to do. It all depends on how badly you want to become a writer; if your desire to write is strong enough, you will find the time.

Happy writing!

Mui Tsun is the creator of Inspire Software: the simple yet powerful Character Generator, First Line Generator and Scenario Generator will enhance your creativity, kick-start your imagination and clear your writer's block. For more information visit http://www.raincatcher.co.uk/inspire.htm Don't be stuck, be inspired!

For more ideas and inspiration, visit the Rain Catcher website at: http://www.raincatcher.co.uk/inspire.htm

detailed home cleaning Park Ridge ..

In The News:

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.

DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.

Concerned about Google's AI scanning your Gmail? Learn how to disable Gemini features that access your emails, Drive files and Chat messages for privacy.

Google warns Android users about dangerous fake VPN apps hiding malware that steals passwords, banking details and personal data from phones and tablets.

Apple's digital passport feature lets iPhone users breeze through TSA checkpoints this holiday season using Digital ID technology at 250+ airports.