Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
And we’re revving up IWSG Day to make it more fun and interactive! Every month, we'll announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
September 7 Question: How do you find the time to write in your busy day?
That's a great question!
Like everyone else, my life is full to overflowing. Busy full time job (no spare time even during lunch for us!), homework for the job, family, house upkeep, treadmill & physio exercise, and then all the fun stuff.
Because of all of that, I rarely get uninterrupted writing time. A whole hour in a block is a thrill during the school year. Thankfully, I've trained myself to sink into the story without any rituals or warm up activities. As soon as I boot up the laptop, I'm ready to dive in. I can write in small blocks of time and then jump back in again after the interruption.
Elizabeth Spann Craig's blog is a fabulous source of hints for the busy writer and I've adopted and adapted a lot of her ideas to fit my own world.
How about you? Do you write in small chunks as well? Any hints to squeeze in more writing time?
57 comments:
You make time for exercise - good for you!
I do better with big chunks of time, so I have to block off a couple hours every evening when I'm writing.
I can write in small chunks. I hand write all of my stories first, so I just grab my notebook and dive right in.
I would think writing in small blocks of time would help to keep your creativity flowing and not get bogged down. Elizabeth is a fabulous source of help for writers and bloggers.
Thoughts in Progress
and MC Book Tours
Small blocks add up! And thanks for the kind words. :)
Great! It is always encouraging to hear how a writer overcomes an obstacle in writing. You have a wonderful attitude.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Good for you for finding a writing process that works for you! Keep at it! :)
I read somewhere that the key to productivity was being able to jump into a task quickly. I'm right there with you. Because of all of it, it only takes me about two minutes to be fully immersed in writing. *high five* We've figured it out!
Sadly, no new tips for you. I agree that Elizabeth's blog is great! I'm not so good at writing when I know I only have a few minutes. However, as my day is usually filled with interruptions, I start with a large block of time that's nearly always broken into short chunks anyway, and I do just fine. If I'm lucky, I do get one or two hour-long sessions in the afternoon.
It sounds like you've figured out the secret to making good use of your time. If you can't grab an hour to write, write for whatever amount of time you get. Good for you!
Thanks for that great link. You go. Thanks for co-hosting. Happy IWSG!
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit
I think we can train ourselves to drop into our work quickly. I've been leaving little questions or ideas wherever I stop writing, so when I return I can remember what direction I was heading.
Yes, never underestimate the power in short bursts of writing...it can be highly productive!
Happy IWSG Day!
Great that you can do that, Jemi. I may have to drop by Elizabeth's blog to read that post.
Hey Jemi,
Great post! Thanks for sharing! Following! :)
I think it's fantastic that you can concentrate and sink into the story. I admire that you can focus considering your rather hectic life. The exercise, I'm sure, helps you concentrate.
I leave the small chunks to Penny! #arf
Penny's fictional human,
Gary :)
With my old high school injuries coming back to haunt me, exercise is a must if I want to walk! :)
I've recently discovered plotting by hand is more effective! Have to try to stories that way too! :)
She really is!!! I can't believe how much I've learned from her!!
You're very welcome! You've been an incredible source of inspiration and support since I started this writing thing :)
Thanks Pat! Negativity doesn't accomplish much in this world :)
I will! :)
That makes total sense to me!
High Five!!!
Nice! I get some of that in the summer - and it is awesome!!! Especially for revising!
Thanks! So far, so good ... or at least decent! :)
I think it's great that you can get into writing without a lot of warm up. I still tend to need some kind of lead-in time.
Thanks Juneta! Elizabeth is a fabulous resource! :)
That's a great tip! I tend to leave off in the middle of sentences when I'm drafting - it helps get the brain kicking!
It really can! :)
She's had several - and they all help! :)
Penny definitely likes those small chunks! :)
The exercise does help keep the brain mobile for sure!!
I think we all end up finding ways that work for us!
And those ways tend to be as unique as we are :)
I used to be better at writing in small chunks of time than I am now. Now I want hours and hours.
And now that you're retired from the day job, I bet that's much more likely to happen! :)
I'm pretty sure people with less time at hand use it far better than people with all the time in the world.
I usually write in big chunks, but my most productive writing time is during quasi-uninterrupted periods. If I'm doing the laundry or cooking a meal (Time to baste! Better move those clothes to the dryer!), That's when I produce most, not just more words, but better work. It must come from years of writing on deadline.
VR Barkowski
That's probably true! The panic might help! :)
That's fabulous! I think those mini-breaks probably fire up the synapses! Yay for multi-tasking :)
Hi Jemi. Thanks for the Elizabeth link. I'll check it out. I've managed to claw blocks of 2 hours through my day and am writing much more than I used to. All that kiddie catch up time!
As long as you find time then you are writing. Good for you!
I find the time for writing by not having time for anything else lol
Yes, small chunks of writing time is good for busy times.
Two hour blocks are awesome! Love getting those in the summer :)
Exactly! :)
That sounds like a plan!!! :)
It really is! It's amazing how those small chunks keep the brain firing!
I let my neon colored post-its lure me into the writing cave most days after work, even if its only for an hour and some change.
That totally works! I'm ALL about the post-its!!! :)
I tend to feel guilty if I can't put in an hour or more at a time because I work part-time and theoretically have some open hours in the late afternoon. But that guilt is so de-motivating. I need to embrace the small bursts thinking that keeps you going. I will go check out Elizabeth's blog for motivation. Thanks for the tip!
I can relate to not having large blocks of time to write. My day job takes up a lot of time, plus other obligations. I will have to check out those tips. Thanks for sharing!
~Jess
Guilt is so destructive!! Elizabeth has tons of great tips! :)
You're very welcome Jess! :)
Hi Jemi!
I also don't get any time leftover to write after fulfilling all my other work duties. I need to take this advice you shared and start writing in small chunks instead of waiting for time.
A whole hour of uninterrupted writing time is indeed a treasure. Ive gotten better at getting by with ten minute chunks.
A whole hour of uninterrupted writing time is indeed a treasure. Ive gotten better at getting by with ten minute chunks.
A whole hour of uninterrupted writing time is indeed a treasure. Ive gotten better at getting by with ten minute chunks.
Okay, you guys are really messing with my insecurities. I'm retired. I should have all the time in the world to write. And I'm still struggling to make time. *hangs head in shame*
Writing in small chunks really is the best way to do it. Which is the way I'm doing it now in the 4th quarter of my life, with blog posts (I've now settled with Blogger so I can keep up with old friends, though some of them now have wordpress blogs. Either way...) Step by small step is the way to do it.
See, this is just my problem -- I can write in small chunks very easily. Why can't I train myself to edit in the same way?! #feelingguilty
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