How do you find time to write? Well, this seems to be something that comes up a lot as I’m reading blogs and books on writing.
It has been something that has been a problem for me because when I write, I really get into the world I am trying to make and once I get a good flow going, I hardly dare stop. If I stop, I will lose my best momentum and I will lose some of my best ideas. Once my ideas start flowing, if I stop the flow I must fight to get it going again.
Other times I can sit there and nothing will come. Nothing makes sense, nothing feels right, and it all comes out seeming like a big waste of time. In that time, I could have been doing something productive, like working on my blog which doesn’t require as much creativity because I am stating facts and opinions, rather than creating a world or a dialogue. I could be editing my blog. I could be editing my book. I could be doing more research on how to market effectively. I could be doing all sorts of things that require less imagination; things that are more cerebral. In other words, I could be doing things that, from a creative view, are less fun.
When taking it from that view point, it is very difficult to find three or four hours to immerse yourself in the world you are creating, the dialogue and the characters. I have a part-time day job. I am trying to figure out how to market the book I already have, which can be a great hardship for any creative. It has been stated from multiple sources, that marketing is simply not what we are best at. For me, trying to understand how the SEO, and all the invisible workings of marketing actually… well, work, is very difficult. It makes my brain freeze as it tries to grasp these concepts.
Needless to say, this process of learning marketing is slow, time-consuming, and a bit of a tribulation for me. How do I find time to write? There have been days, even weeks, that go by where I barely put pencil to paper or barely touch a key on my computer. This doesn’t count my blog or letters or anything of that nature. I am talking about the creative process.
Do I like this? No, it is a part of me to want to create these worlds, and these scenarios, and these adventures. To be deprived of that takes away a great portion of my joy. I have always been able to find happiness in more than one place, more than one art form or activity. However, writing is a part of me.
There are a few things I have been doing of late to, hopefully give me more time to write. One of these is something I’m doing with this blog. This post itself is an example. I have a personal recorder and I had an idea for a blog post. So, in moments when it wouldn’t seem so weird if I talked to myself, I recorded as I worked. Sometimes, of course, I would be interrupted, but as I said earlier, writing blog posts seems more cerebral to me. When I have my blog posts ready, I can put them on my website, scheduled to post on the day I need them to post. That way, while I am in the flow of working on blog posts, I can get them done as close to at one time as possible, and I can record the thoughts I have when I have them rather than having to try to remember all the points and all the ideas of what I wanted to say, hours or even days later when I have time to write or type them.
Is audio recording the best way to do such things? It can be a little inconvenient to listen and type at the same time, and have to pause the audio and rewind when you fall behind in your typing. However, in the long run, it is better than losing the time and ideas because you couldn’t get then information down when you needed to. It is helpful in a busy world where one must get things done when they can. It is an attempt to consolidate, so that when I have a moment and I can breathe and have that time to engage in creativity, I will have more of a moment. At least, that is the goal.
What about if life still gets in the way, keeping you from having that creative time? We must go back to what a lot of writing sources say. Find your ideal writing time, when you do your best work. Organize your life so that you can get even ten to fifteen minutes of that ideal time, more if you can manage.
I resist this; the idea that no matter whether you are in a creative mood or not, if you have no inspiration to write or not, simply write anyway. I will sit there, paper in hand or computer in front of me, and hardly get in a sentence or two. If I manage to write more, it comes off looking like junk because whatever part of my brain is needed for creativity isn’t awake.
For me, editing is horrible. Having to get my brain to come back to that particular scene and analyze what worked and what didn’t is a struggle. Therefore, I like to get my writing down the best I can the first time out. Having mostly dissatisfactory results for the fruit of my efforts makes me want to scream. Now, I am having to revisit the concept of ‘force yourself to write’ and see how I can make it more suited to me.
My best time and place is usually at night, when the rest of the world drops away and often when light is dim (which is not conducive to writing or typing.) It seems to be the time when my brain wakes up to the creative process. I have less of the concerns of the day taking up my brain with cerebral processes. I have less visual input interfering with my mental vision. I can give myself permission to free my brain. No one else can hear me or see me as I voice act the roles with no filter, and therefore, I can have no filter. Editing comes after.
I have been trying to work on learning, research, continued education, marketing, and blogging; everything that must be done in a day. I have been working later. However, I have gotten to a point where I set aside 15 minutes before bed where I am all ready to lay down and go to sleep. I start some of my favorite playlists and get ready to write. Do you have songs that you find inspire you to write, that seem to bring up whole movie scenes in your mind? Leave a comment below.
Just remember that these rules we are given are not one size fits all. Therefore, sit down and write might work for some people, but it won’t work for others. I can force myself to write. It just doesn’t produce good writing. Learn what you can from the rules. Just make sure they don’t bind you.
In summary, even during a busy life when you have many other things you need to do and something you want to do, organize and consolidate your tasks. Use timers and stick to them, so you can give your focus fully to one task at a time, do your best work, and move on. That way you free up little bits of time which will give you some writing time because something is better than nothing. Of course, there is one thing you must remember, because without it, what point is all the rest? That one thing is… enjoy the wonder.
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