Writers! How do you balance your writing with work?

You make writing a priority, but maybe not a top priority. You fit it in when and where you can, and you make progress when and where you can, even if it's just 100 new words added to a rough draft, or 15 minutes of research or editing.

Life will always be busy...but maybe less busy after school. But you'll have a job and possibly family and other responsibilities. As I see it, your family and primary job (that earns a living) takes priority. After that, you set the priorities and parameters.

 

Yeah, this is where I don't have answers... As of this month, I'm clearly still struggling and may need to convert my writing to a stage of getting manuscripts ready enough to polish and shop around after I retire. My time demands are pretty difficult to get around right now, and unfortunately the big ones have been hard to predict. Both parents had strokes over the last year, and my work responded to the Ft. McMurray fire by establishing a telecom reconstruction team and I've been given a significant role there. These are 12 hour days... longer when I'm flying back and forth from Burnaby. If you asked me in January how much spare writing time I'd have in June, I'd have overestimated it significantly.

The 2nd problem is my environment. I think I've concluded I need to get out of the house to write. My wife's hobby is singing, and we have about 1,000 square feet to share. It's really hard to concentrate with her singing the same two bars for hours on end... It's like when my kid was a teenager and had a favourite song she'd play over and over. Very distracting.

A month ago, I broke down and bought a laptop, and took it to a few cafes - that's useless, it's noisier than the house and I have to keep buying stuff. However: I think the library is working; I was able to write about 5,000 words there in one day's sitting, with a break for a bagel around noon. One thing I do regret is selling a crappy condo I had over on Fraser St. In retrospect, it would have been a perfect writing office. I might consider a flex office if I can find one that's quiet enough and conveniently located.

A peer in my writers circle flat out asked why I was there if I didn't expect to make much progress on my manuscript over the next 5 years. My reply was that it keeps me current with the industry and gives me experience with critiques, but I don't think she was satisfied with that answer.

It's kind of a bummer.

 

I write, but am in no means a professional writer. For me, it depends on my mood. I'm still young, don't get me wrong, but the period of my life where I wrote the most was also the period where I worked the most. I would work 80 - 120hr weeks, bike 15 - 45 miles a day, jog 2 - 10 miles, and hit the gym. That doesn't include kayaking, swimming at the beach, etc. I would sleep 3-5 hours a night, or just completely skip sleep, and yet for some reason was hyper-functional. I guess it had to relate to being in incredible shape and eating ridiculously healthy all the time. I also had a huge source of motivation. Any free time I had I felt was very valuable. I would only fit things in that I wanted to do. I would be so comfortable by simply not working and relaxing (even if exercising) that during my bike rides, jogging, or kayaking I would think more. I was also a little bit in love at the time, so it led to inspiration with my writing.

Now I work a lot less (60ish max), have a lot more free time, and a lot more stress. I'm not anywhere near as physically active nor healthy. My bursts of motivation come in spurts. I have to force myself to write, but I keep doing it. When I'm in a great mood the words just flow endlessly. Now it's a struggle and I'm forcing myself to world build and iron out details bit by bit because I'm not motivated enough to do anymore.

I think I need to rethink my living and work situation. It sounds about time for a change.

 

It's a simple act to balance them. I don't do enough of either!

 

I love this idea! I may just have to try it.

 

Holy moley do I struggle with this! I wrote my first novel while having the most mind-numbingly boring job with zero overtime. It left me with plenty of time and mental energy to write for hours at a time, often every day. Now I have an extremely fulfilling but challenging job where I work long hours and am drained by the time I get home. Needless to say, my writing productivity has dropped dramatically.

My first novel was accepted by a publisher, and after the editing process was complete they mentioned that they would love to have more material from me. I have a half-finished novel that would be perfect, and I just can't seem to find the time to work on it. I did pull out a old novella and revamp it for one of their collection calls, but ugh I'm not getting anywhere on the WIP. My first novel is coming out next month, so I feel like this is a time when I should be striking while the iron's hot.

 

In a dream I was lost, resigned to a life of poverty and my world so gone.... but no, I am lucky to get an hour a day to write and that hour is late at night after my soul sucking job took its share of my soul away. I feel like a two year old trying to read War and Peace but the ideas, those they can not take away, they are my anchor in the windy city of literary madness.

 

How I do it is I treat it like going to the gym. I set a schedule for myself when it comes to my writing. I go on Saturday, Sunday, and sometimes I go Friday. I always leave my house as well ether to the library, or coffee shop. Then I write, and the times I spend writing depends on how I feel, or what ideas I have. So I might be there for an hour, or two hours.

 

Which publisher was it? And is it traditionally published? I thought you needed an agent for that. Great to hear though!

 

Nope, I submitted personally via email to Less Than Three press. They're a smaller LGBTQ publishing house, but they've been amazing to work with. I already got my first royalty check for a few pre-sales!

 

What is lgbtq stand for?

 

LGBTQ: "LGBTQ" is an acronym that originated in the 1990s and replaced what was formerly known as "the gay community." The acronymn was created to be more inclusive of diverse groups. LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (and/or questioning) individuals/identities.

 

I make my own time by using public transport to get to work. It gives me some time to scribble down some words that I can edit on the way home. Once home I have dinner and relax which gives me time to mull over some ideas to write the following morning. Apart from that I am usually up late Friday and Saturday nights writing.