Friday, January 28, 2011

Finding time to write


I've extolled the virtues of speed writing and ways to do it in another post so today, I'm focussing on something different.
How do you find the time to write?
For me, it's making the opportunity the write.
If preschooler is playing at my feet, I write.
If he's blowing bubbles out the back, I write.
If he's watching Playschool, I write.
Do I feel guilty at times? Sure do. Surely I should be interacting with him all the time?
Yet I spend every day with my kids for the bulk of the day, I'm very hands-on so I guess these few snatched half hours here and there aren't too bad.
And I need them.
I have deadlines, some that fluctuate, like my current one.
I need to write 35K in a week.
In school holidays.
So far, I've managed 20 pages the first day, 26 yesterday and the bulk of those were written while the kids played around me.
We do what we have to do to find the time to write.
Here's a great post on ways to find that time.

8 comments:

Jill said...

Good luck on the deadline! Great topic and useful reminder.
I realized long ago that until I published the person that will take my writing most seriously is . . . me. I have a supportive husband and family, but that is not the same as holding yourself accountable and making your writing a priority.
I'm still not great at time management, but I manage to make the time to write. Everything else tends to go by the wayside. ;-)
and I bite my tongue really hard when people tell me that they're going to write someday once X happens or Y is done.

Joanne Coles said...

I've actually (finally!) found a system that's working for me. Don't know how long it will last, but it's really working. For me, the biggest thing has been writing every day. It helps to keep you in the story and seeing the word count climb is all the motivation I need to keep going.

The best of luck with your deadline. 30K in a week? Wow, just wow!

Romance, Rumours and Rogues said...

Jill, you bring up a good point.

Even after you're pubbed, the person who takes your writing seriously is you.

I still think some of my family believe I'm 'dabbling' rather than realising this is my full time job that pays mortgage and bills and school fees.

If I wasn't earning from writing I'd be working full time elsewhere.

Always take your writing seriously, even if others doubt you :)

Romance, Rumours and Rogues said...

Joanne, writing daily helps keep me focussed too.

Much easier for story flow also.

Dominique Peters said...

Writing daily really helps me stay on track. If I'm not physically working on my book, I try to think about it. My full-time job is stressful, so when I get home I practically running to the computer! I cherish my writing time.

Lacey Devlin said...

Ah but if you were interacting with the kidlets all the time their wonderful little imaginations would never grow from creating on their own :)

There you go, guilt banished :)

Romance, Rumours and Rogues said...

Sounds like the perfect escape to me, Dominique!

I treasure my writing each night too, at the end of a busy day, when the rest of the household is asleep.

Love that peaceful time :)

Romance, Rumours and Rogues said...

You're so right, Lacey!

They need time on their own to develop their own imaginations...good point!