I have a busy schedule, but who doesn't? I am a part-time student with a part-time job... and also a writer all at the same time. This is where it gets difficult for me. I hardly find time to write anymore due to always being at work, or studying or worrying about homework assignments. What little free time I do have is usually spent laying on my bed about to fall asleep, or just watching tv. Hardly any creative sparks hit me when I'm tired or exhausted, and it's really bumming me out. With what little writing time I do find, it's usually spent blogging about my thoughts or whats on my mind. Nothing really creative there. But I've come to miss my fantasy stories and RPG storylines and a little romance stories here and there (when I'm in the mood), and it's stressing me out that I never have time for that anymore. Which brings me to my next question... I know there are a lot of others out there going through the same situation, so how do you all come to defeat this issue and find time to write in your busy schedule? I'm not about to give up on writing, and that's what it feels like I'm doing because I hardly have time to. Should I set up a perfect time to write? I'm more of a night person, so I prefer writing at night than in the morning like some authors do. But that's what ususally gets me too. I'm such a night writer that when I really get into a story, I end up staying awake all night writing it... knowing I have class or work the next day. I need my sleep. I'm really considering switching my routine and schedule around completely to where I wake up every morning (early) just to write... but wouldn't that affect me physically? If I switched my routine all of a sudden, I'll be worried if it will cause a massive amount of exhaustion and give me that "2:30 feeling" by the late afternoon. Okay, so I'm rambling on... but you get where I'm going with this, and how much it's bothering me. What are your thoughts? Pointers from others in the same situation would really help. But if you aren't and would like to help me, go for it! I'm seriously about to lose it. Thanks, aimi
The only solution is to make time! I wouldn't advise sacrificing sleep for it - if you're sleep deprived then you're not going to be performing at your best in your studies/work and that is inconsiderate. Plus you would risk getting sick. I get most of my writing done in the evening. I'm currently up before 6am, travelling 3~4 hours a day and spend most of the day filming outdoors - so I come home cold and exhausted yet I still force myself to spend an hour or so working on writing or research before I go to bed. I do this while eating dinner if I can get away with being antisocial (easily done at the moment since I'm the last to return home). Although I occasionally have to sacrifice that time for something else. Even so, an hour or so each night is enough to make good progress on the story. I try to work a little on the story every single day no matter what.
Probably is no solution. I write when I can, which tends to be at night, and I lose sleep but I like to do it. Sometimes, I just jot down the main subject of what I wanted to write and come back to it at a later time. If I begin to get to exhausted I just stop writing all together and take a break. When I feel better, I begin again. I guess it will change from person to person, but the main thing is just do what you can.
That makes a lot of sense. Lately I've been having to "force" myself to do pretty much everything... for example, projects and papers. I'm still a great procrastinator though (I wrote my second critique draft this morning before my writing class started). I've got to get out of doing that as well. Back in my highschool days, I was spoiled with the amount of time I had to write. I felt like I had all the time in the world--and I guess I thought I could have that now... but that's definitely not the case. As a employee and a student, I guess I will have to make a devoted amount of time to write. I may even take the time to go to the local library (which I am at now) after class just to have a quiet place to write where there are no distraction or worry. Sounds good.
If you're able to write or at least take notes with other people around you could use the time you spend on buses, subways or trains to and from school/work. Other than that I think that one really have to steal time whenever you can find 15 minutes or so, and really concentrate for short periods of time. If you write down your ideas when they occur, at night when you get home you already know what to write about and you just have to continue that train of thought. as for myself I have sacrificed tv-watching for writing, both because i don't find most tv-shows/series/movies too interesting and because I know that it steals too much time from writing and reading. It's too easy to just remain sitting in the sofa after you've watched something, randomly zapping to no purpose of course everyone need to rest after a long day, you just need to choose how to spend your time and prioritize. Maybe start organizing your days differently to see where you could get an hour or so for writing. when it comes to changing the sleeping pattern, I have experienced that too. I had to, because I used to sit up all night, writing and reading, and not going to bed until 4 am. Obviously it wasn't very good for me, and it came to an end when I got a job that forced me to get up at 5am a couple of mornings a week. So I slowly started changing my sleeping pattern, and now I've gotten used to go to sleep at 10 or 11 pm instead, which makes it a lot easier to get up early even when I start to work later in the day. I used to think I was a night writer but I've learned that I can write/revise just as well in the morning, so I think once you'll get your sleeping habits changed it will also be easier to be creative in the morning or afternoon. Hope this was of any help. PS YAY, 1600!
Well, you could always set aside a no-Internet period during the time you normally use it heavily, and use that as writng time.
Turn off the TV and the internet. I'm assuming you schedule your study time - treat your writing as another class to 'study' for. Keep a log of your activities - every little thing you do each day for a week. You'd be surprised how much time there's left in a day when you see what you're actually doing.
I will second Tesoro's recommendation to write in short spurts. I am currently in grad school, and the only way I can write is by setting aside 15-30 minutes and typing like a demon. I call it "sprinting." You'll be surprised how much you can get done in such a short time when you focus. If you have some trouble getting your mind off of the stress and worry of school, a quick 5-10 minute meditation does wonders. Even better- spend 5-10 minutes quietly sitting and thinking about your next scene, envisioning as much of it as you can and THEN starting writing. It gives you a chance to transition, and makes your 15 minutes of sprinting more efficient. I would also recommend you have a way of keeping track which days you write. It can be a simple chart M-Su, and put a check every day you write. For now, don't worry about how much you write a day, but how many days a week you write. Especially since you're dealing with the day-to-day exhaustion (I know how that goes). Even if it's a paragraph or two, give yourself some credit with a check-mark for squeezing that out when you're so tired. Anyway, that's all stuff that works for me. Sometimes I allow myself an hour or two, but most of the time it's like this. I still get a lot done!
Yup, I'm there with you ... work, school, commute, and a hubby! (He's actually the best part, not being one of the offending obligations.) What I do is prioritize everything. Work, school, and sleep rank 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, because I don't function very well without a good night's rest. With this in mind, I've adopted the catnap as a survival feature for the workday following a late night up studying. Ten or fifteen minutes to doze can really make a difference. I suppose it would be a little like meditating but I strive to not think about anything, which in effect is the opposite of meditating. . Also, have very little to do with TV or movies, or the internet. If you want to write, it's going to take discipline no matter what you're doing. Definitely learn your own habits and schedule in some regular writing time. Also, I wouldn't wait for creativity to knock on the door. Does an actor not practice? An artist, sketch? If you want to write, go in search of it! I find the more consistently I write, the easier it is to fall into where I left off - even if it takes some doing. Ahh, and that leads nicely into my last thought. Writing is play, but it is also work. Realizing the priority you give to certain pieces may help in separating out when you work on what. This last point has really been helpful to me in that it alleviates some of the stress I put on myself in accomplishing my personal writing goals. . Finally, a word of caution. Be careful what you sacrifice for your writing and ask, 'is this really worth it?' For example, last year I lost my 4.0 to a four month writing spree. It was glorious! And really, really productive. However, it also really wasn't worth the reality check. I have since recapitulated my academic goals and relegated my writing to a smaller part of my world because academia isn't forever. Writing is ... and it's not going to go anywhere while I gain an education.
