by David Rawlings, @DavidJRawlings
Time can sometimes feel like an enemy to a writer – you’re on deadline to finish, that proposal to Agent X was sent six weeks ago and you haven’t heard, it’s been a year since you last published …
… and now we’re all stuck at home watching time drip away while we’re unable to do anything about it.
If it helps, I share your pain. I’m launching my third novel [link to https://davidrawlings.com.au/portfolio/where-the-road-bends/] in two months, and rethinking and reshaping my launch plans on an almost daily basis – especially considering we don’t have an end date for this yet.
But time is always a writer’s friend. Time gives us a chance to percolate our ideas rather than microwave them. Time allows us to craft rather than mass-produce, and our writing can be better for it.
Maybe this forced downtime is a time for you to work out how best to use time for your advantage, and not just power ahead. I’ve got to say, I’m starting to see the whole “you’ve got all this time on your hands now, go write another book” argument wearing thin. The writers I’m in contact with are also entertaining their families, having conversations with loved ones, playing board games, homeschooling, teaching life lessons to their kids or doing those jobs around the house that have been shoved aside for some time. And cleaning … endless cleaning. In fact, I’ve heard a number of people say (via posts or emails) that they’ve never been busier.
So how can you use time to your advantage during this time? What can you do beyond simply trying to smash out another novel?
- Read something unusual. I know we’ve all got our favorite genres or authors, but why not take time to read something outside your comfort zone? And read it as a writer – look at this new author’s craft, their storytelling or the way that they produce characters.
- Read writing craft books. Pick a topic you know you’d like to improve in, and read about it. But don’t then instantly write, just soak in it and allow it to challenge your thinking about writing as much as your writing.
- Build one part of your platform. I know the entire world seems to have moved into social media. So while you’re there connecting with everyone, why not focus on just one part of your platform and build it? Just focus on one, not the whole thing.
- Build relationships with others as a reader, not a writer. This is one I’ve challenged myself to do. When you’re running a platform, there can be a temptation to sell, sell, sell. But take this time to connect with people.
- Freeform blog post. If you do want to write, why not just write a blog post that comes from the heart? If you’re happy to publish it, it will help your readers get to know you as a person as well as an author.
So there are a few ideas … which ways have you identified are the best ways you can use this downtime as a writer?
Andy, Bree, Eliza and Lincoln were inseparable in College. When they graduated, they pledged that when they turned 35, they would reconnect, go on a big adventure and share stories of their successes. Life has since pulled them in different directions, but now it’s time to make good on old promises.
They head to central Australia for a Walkabout Tour in the Outback. Lincoln wants to show to a certain someone what she missed out on back in College. Eliza is almost at the top of the fashion industry in LA and wants to rediscover her purpose in life and Andy just wants to disappear for a while. And Bree wants to know if she can put to bed her dream of becoming a musician, which never eventuated.
Arriving in central Australia, they are taken to a remote campsite in the rugged and dangerous beauty of Australia’s heart. And while they enjoy the gorgeous wildlife and beautiful sights, eating native bush food and learning to throw a boomerang, they soon find their reconnection doesn’t flare into life like they thought it would, and issues from the College years start to creep back in ways they never expected.
After an overnight dust storm, they find themselves separated and needing find their way back to their campsite. Lost, hot and thirsty in the Australian Outback, they are stripped away of who they thought they were and. As they try to find out where they are, they are confronted with not just who they are, but where they are on the road of life. And how they got there.
Based in South Australia, David Rawlings is an award-winning author, and a sports-mad father-of-three with his own copywriting business who reads everything within an arm’s reach. He writes that take you deeper into life, posing questions of readers to explore their own faith and how they approach life.
His debut novel – The Baggage Handler – won the 2019 Christy Award for First Novel. His second novel – The Camera Never Lies – focuses on honesty in relationships and is now available.
Where the Road Bends – a novel based in outback Australia – is available for pre-order and launches on June 2. Why not take a virtual vacation during your time at home?
He is currently signed with Thomas Nelson and represented by The Steve Laube Agency.