First Drafting, Part 2: Time

How does one make more hours in the day?  If anyone knows, please tell me, because I'd love to get some extra time!!

As writers, we know the struggles.  There never seems to be enough time to write.  Dishes must be washed, dogs walked, schoolwork done, and there are family members and friends who want to see us as much as possible.

 

So how do we get lots of time (that we may not have) to write?

 

Making Time

 

They say actions speak louder than words, so if you think your writing is more important than watching a movie, act like it.  If writing a story is important to you, you will give up things in order to make time to write.

 

So no more binge-watching, internet browsing, or piddling around making sock puppets.  It all stops now, and you will spend that time writing.

 

Just remember that you don't have to do it forever.  Give yourself a month without FaceBook.  Tell yourself only one movie a week.  Bribe yourself with ten minutes of Pinterest for every 1,000 words.  Trim your music practice to only half an hour, and get up an extra twenty minutes to make time for writing.

 

Once the draft is finished, you can go back to these other things, if you want to.  Perhaps you're enjoying your new-found time.  :)

 

Finding Time

Yet there are lots of things we can't stop doing.  Chores must be done, and you have to go to work every day.  School is piling up, and there's a test and a music rehearsal!

 

My Dad once said, "If it's important to you, you'll find time to do it."

 

Are you willing to scarf a sandwich and spend the rest of your lunch hour writing?  Are there ten minutes every day where you sit in the living room, waiting for dinner to be ready?  What do you do on car rides?  Can you jot down a few paragraphs in a notebook or on your phone or iPad as you walk?

 

You don't have to be on a hunt for spare minutes all the time.  Just until the draft is finished.  But please, take a look.  There could be tons of minutes floating around you can use.  Even ten minutes, a few times a day, can really add up.

 

Use Your Time Wisely and Prep Well

How many times have you gotten a whole hour to write, and went to check FaceBook before getting started?  Twenty minutes later, and you're on YouTube looking up how to raise a family of black snakes in a shoe box.  (Okay, so maybe not that extreme...)

 

I'm going to speak more about distractions next week (unless preparations for a church conference get me really busy), but I will just say a few things about preparing for your writing time.

I don't always come home from work and jump right into writing. Instead, I try to help my mom around the house.  But sometimes I'll tell her, "I want to get some extra writing in today.  What can I do now so I don't have to get up later?"  And then I get those tasks done and head upstairs where I shouldn't be bothered for a while.  Sometimes she'll even say "Oh, there's nothing going on, go ahead and write."  She knows that I'm serious about my writing, and if she needs me, I'll be down instantly with a smile on my face to help her.

 

Put aside a separate time for doing story research, so you won't spend your writing time surfing the internet.  Make a list of things to look-up, and put them aside.

 

Be prepared.  Make sure you have everything you'll need (be it a snack, or a chapter outline) within easy reach so you don't have to stop and get something.

Keep an eye open for when you're wasting time, and keep another eye open for opportune writing moments.  Younger siblings drawing at the table?  Get a notebook for doing a character journal and join them.  Sweeping the floor?  Think about that tricky scene.  Just because you can't actually spend the time writing doesn't mean you can't be thinking about your story and working out what happens next.  Just be sure you have a notebook handy!

Set Priorities

 

If you go to bed and have not written a word, think about why you didn't get any writing done.  Did you get those math problems solved and played a game with your family?  Or did you browse Pinterest?

I've had days where I didn't write a word.  But if it was because I was watching my little sisters, mowing the pastures, or just running errands, I don't stress about it.  I just say "well, I got a break today!"

 

But if I was goofing around on the banjo, scrolling through FaceBook, or sitting on the couch doing nothing, that's when I whip myself (not literally!) and say "alright, you are not getting away with that again!"

 

So think about what you do, and decide what's more important: Pinterest or writing?  Walking the dog or writing?  Don't stress if you didn't get writing done because you were doing something that needed to be done.  Instead, look for things that you can stop doing, and instead, spend that time writing. 

 

Hopefully that was a little bit helpful.  Any opinions or questions or comments you have, leave them below!