So the school year is wrapping up here in Utah and I'm finding that there are more and more things going on. Between school carnivals dance festivals and field day there are book club meetings, a garden to be cleaned up/started, mow the lawn, tune up the bikes etc... There are never enough hours in the day.
So when to write? How do you find the time?
I have some thoughts,
1st : Knowing Your Story: Figuring out all those pesty plot/ character details will help provide motivation to sit, type and produce.
2nd: Built in Boundaries: We all have free time, we just don't always see it. What is essential to your daily chores? Weed out the TV/Web surfing and vege-ing if necessary and you'll find that elusive free time you are looking for.
3rd: Writing Center: Make yourself a writing center mobile (laptop, writing bag, 3x5 cards) or a set place at home (desk, comfortable chair, maybe even a separate room). Find what works best for you and invest in your writing goals. Providing a designated place or things help to focus your mind: it's time to write.
4th: Focused writing: Don't let yourself fall into the trap of editing everything you wrote last month each time you sit down to write. Organize your writing time so that you work on the deep stuff like plot structure, character arcs, general move the story along stuff some days and the lighter stuff like research, revising and rewriting other days.
How do you find time to write, what are your strategies?
3 comments:
Oh--guilt trip--gotta go--write something!
I learned a long time ago if I really wanted to do something (usually it was finding time to exercise with a large family) I would never succeed if I tried to "find time." You have to "make time." Usually it means that you choose not to do something else. Is there a favorite TV show you could give up for example? All you have to do is decide which is more important to you--watching the show (or some other optional activity) or writing. It's a matter of priorities.
Sometimes it means we give up sleep.
Great ideas. I find myself editing to death. It's crazy.
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