A few words from Bridie Blake
Writing a Book While Working Fulltime
There are a number of posts on this subject, and a number of people searching for and hoping for the answer. Now, I’m not sure if I have the answer, but I do know what worked for me and how I was able to write two books while working fulltime (and still writing more as we speak).
I spent years using the following excuses not to write:-
“Work was busy. I’m too tired to write.”
“I spent all day looking at a computer screen.”
“It’s the weekend. I need a break.”
“I have too many TV shows to catch up on.”
And it went on!
It eventually got to a point where the excuses I made were ridiculous and each time I made them a worm of guilt lodged in my stomach. I had a choice to make. Continue with the excuses and deal with the regret, or get a grip and focus. I went with the latter. I’d like to say that the second I made that choice my drive kicked into gear. That would be a lie. It took a few months to train myself to write, and keep writing, while working 5 days a week.
I tried different things before settling on what worked for me. I’d get home from work, jump straight on the laptop and write for an hour because I read that you should write every day. I’d get really down on myself if I’d get homeand nothing came out. If other writers were able to do it, why couldn’t I? Eventually I realised it’s because writing in short bursts isn’t for me. That’s not to say it isn’t right for some people though. I even tried waiting until after I’d had dinner and a little chill out time before attempting it. Unfortunately by that time I really had nothing in me.
At this point despair set in. If I couldn’t write on weeknights when would I find the time? The answer was obvious. I just didn’t want to get to it. Weekends. I had to sacrifice my precious weekends. I didn’t come to this decision lightly, and I fought it. I’d spend all week pumping myself up for a weekend in the study only to have the weekend arrive, along with my excuses.
I started small. One or two thousand words over a weekend. I could do that and still have a life. And still have my precious down time. I got nowhere fast with that method. I had to make a bigger commitment. So I committed my Saturdays. I’d write all day Saturday and then have Sunday off. It wasn’t easy. The pull of my couch and the TV sometimes won out, so too did the sunshine during spring and summer. But I kept at it.
I did that for months, getting into a routine until all traces of my former excuses disappeared.
Once I had Saturdays, I attacked Sundays. Once again starting small until I worked up to most of the day.
My writing schedule now looks like this:
Saturday: 10:00am to 3:30pm or 4:00pm
Sunday: 10:30am to 2:00pm
And I set myself a target of 10,000 words over the two days. Do I always hit it? Hell no! But I set myself a target to stay focused and determined. I also allocate myself one weekend off a month to recharge my batteries and come out of hibernation.
To ensure I make the most of my writing time I need to be organised. For me, that means having an outline written. It keeps me on track and stops me from wasting writing time by working out the plot.
Which brings me to my one of my major tips. Use your non writing time to hash out plot problems and formulate conversations and scenes in your head. I’m lucky to work close to home so I use the time it takes me to walk there to churn things over in my head. And if I get to work and have to write something down, I send an email to myself with snippets of conversations or notes. And if you’re lucky like me and have a job that isn’t insanely busy every day, you can type up a few paragraphs and email them to yourself too. Every little bit helps!
I also go for long walks on weekend mornings and that helps clear my head so when I sit down to write, I write. If I didn’t use that time to think things through I’d wind up spending more time staring at my computer screen than actually writing.
And now that I have my weekend routine down, I’m taking the steps to make my weeknights somewhat productive. I use those now to do my promotional bits and pieces.
So I guess the key things for me when it comes to writing a book while working fulltime:-
Stop making excuses and commit
Ease yourself into a routine. It won’t happen overnight
Be organised and de-clutter your mind
Set goals to keep you motivated
Don’t overdo it and be too hard on yourself. You’re allowed a break. It doesn’t make you any less of a writer
Limit distractions. I don’t turn my TV on until I’m finished working for the day.
Is it exhausting? Yes. Do you have moments of wanting to give up? Yes. But is it worth it? Definitely. I’m glad I finally committed and made a go of it. I now have one book self-published, another out with Evernight Teen, a third close to being completed, and ideas for plenty others.
