by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan
Today’s writers are not like those portrayed on TV. Many do not have the income to write full-time, nor do they have opulent offices overlooking the ocean or city skyline.
In fact, quite a few of my author friends work full-time inside or outside the home, care for their families, juggle church responsibilities, battle dust bunnies from overtaking their homes and try to squeeze in a decent night’s sleep.
And I’m no different. In addition to writing novels, I’m also the Operations Manager for Novel.Academy, the online writing academy through My Book Therapy, and I provide weekday care for my adult niece who has special needs while her parents work. Additionally, I oversee my church’s children’s ministry program and teach Sunday school. So finding writing time can be a challenge when I’m wiped out from working all day.
Now that my boys are grown, I have more free time in the evenings to write. So I’ve set aside two hours each night to work on my current projects.
But, you know what? Even with scheduled time and good intentions, that time can get eaten away by other priorities or unexpected crises. So I’ve learned a way to carve out essential writing time to ensure I can meet my deadlines. How?
Stolen moments.
I’ve forced myself out of bed and written in the mornings before my work day began. I’ve used my Notes app on my phone and written while waiting for appointments. Just last night, I stood in line for over an hour to vote and wrote 800 words on my phone. I’ve given up the majority of my favorite TV shows. At times, I’ve had to say no to fun activities so I could meet my daily word count goals.
Sound familiar?
If you’re struggling to meet your word count goals or trying to find writing time in your schedule, consider stolen moments such as:
- Write during naptime
- Delegate household chores and ask your family to help with cooking, cleaning, and laundry so you can use that time to put words on the page.
- Turn off the TV or Facebook or whatever distraction takes your attention away from writing and use that time to write.
- Set your kitchen timer for 15 minutes and write without stopping, editing, or backspacing.
- Arrange a kid swap with a friend, family member or neighbor. Ask them to keep your kids for two hours and you’ll do the same for them. Use those two hours to write.
- If you can afford it, hire a college student to entertain your children for a couple of hours.
- Get up an hour early or stay up an hour later and use that time to write.
- Head to the library for an hour or two.
- Take a notebook and brainstorm or make notes while waiting for children to finish extracurricular activities. I like to use my Notes app on my iPhone because it syncs to my Mac and the words are waiting when I sit down to my computer.
- If you carpool or commute to work, use that time to write a scene…as long as you’re not the one driving. 🙂
- Learn to say no to additional obligations. Crowding your plate forces your dream to become less of a priority.
Set a daily word count goal even if it’s only 250 words a day. After all, those pages will add up. Then look at your daily schedule and routine to see where you can free up stolen moments to write. Consider asking a writing friend to be your accountability partner to encourage you and to crack that whip when your motivation fizzles. That word count will continue to increase as long as you are diligent about writing on a regular basis.
Maybe you’re reading this and thinking it sounds easy for me because I don’t have young kids running around, I’m not caring for a sick family member, or I’m not dealing with a health issue.
I’ve been writing since my boys were toddlers. I’ve written in the waiting room during my mom’s open-heart surgeries. For nineteen years, I owned and operated an in-home early education program and wrote during naptime, publishing five novels during that season of my life. And now I’m juggling writing time with two other jobs. I also battle rheumatoid arthritis. During flare-ups, I can’t type because my fingers are too inflamed.
I’ll be the first to admit this writing gig isn’t easy. In fact, sometimes talking about writing is so much more fun than actually doing the work. And maybe writing in stolen moments doesn’t work for you. Maybe you need larger chunks of time to write. Each person needs to find the system that fits for their busy lifestyle. The important thing is to do what works best for you and keep striving to achieve your dream because it’s too important not to be pursued.
His dreams can all come true…but only if his ex-wife will agree!
Jake Holland’s peaceful dairy farm is a sanctuary—one he wants to share with other worn and weary veterans. He just needs one more piece of land to start his program…and it belongs to Tori Lerner, his ex-wife. A collaboration could benefit them both, but with a past full of secrets between them, is there any hope for renewed love?
Heart, home, and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. Represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Literary Management, Lisa is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. Her latest book, Season of Hope, released in March 2019. She is the Operations Manager for Novel.Academy, powered by My Book Therapy. Happily married to her own real-life hero for thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys family time, kayaking, good books, and being creative. Visit her at lisajordanbooks.com.