the craft. carving out a writing routine.

I know. Nothing about a schedule sounds creative, artsy, or inspired. But I want to tell you now that if you want to be a part of the business of writing, I’m not quite sure how you get around it. It’s important to be able to separate for yourself, am I doing this as a hobby or a career? That answer will dictate your approach and either answer is fine!

What I hear most often from writers is that they don’t have the time. What that typically translates to for me is that they haven’t found a way to prioritize their writing. That’s different than not having the time. It’s not lost on me here either that we are in the middle of a pandemic and global crisis and many parents are indeed utterly overwhelmed.

It’s just that when we start to dig, there is more than likely some time that could be used differently to accommodate some writing. For me? If I ever struggled with making the time to write, you know where I could immediately reclaim my time? Scrolling! I waste more time on social media than I care to admit on today.

You don’t need a lot of time, you just need dedicated time.

I do not write my best at night. I can write at night, especially if I’ve procrastinated on a deadline, but it’s not apt to be up to my fullest potential. I have the clearest mind in the morning and many times if I don’t write some time before 2 pm, it ain’t happening Cap’n. So, I try to make dedicated time in the morning to write whether it’s an actual work in progress or simply journaling. What time of day works for you?

How much time?

I’ve talked ad nauseam about the power of thirty-minute increments in writing. Phone on DND. Lock the door if you can from those beautiful babies or distracting partners, and no internet tabs. Light a candle, buy a pretty notebook, whatever you need to set the vibe and write. You’d be surprised what you can get done when writing for just thirty minutes a day, consistently. To my earlier point, if you can’t find thirty minutes in a day, you have bigger problems with time management and self-care. Even if it’s not every day, maybe you set a goal of thirty minutes per week. Per week? I’m trying to give you room here.

The D Word

Discipline. I heard someone say once, either you have it or you don’t. And it kind of hurt my feelings because I STRUGGLE with the discipline to work out, but not with writing. Discipline means sitting down and doing the work even when it’s hard or you don’t feel inspired. Everything you write doesn’t even have to be good. But it’s getting into a rhythm and practice of writing all the time. Just like athletes do conditioning at the gym. Thinking about writing doesn’t make you a writer. Though that can surely be a part of the process. Writing makes you a writer. And I’m not talking about getting prestigious bylines or a six-figure book deal. Those things are nice but not what I mean. I literally mean getting the words that are swirling around in your head onto paper or into a word document. That makes you a writer.

A last note, make yourself a space to write. I know that may not be easy, but even if it’s some really pretty floor pillows and a plant. Especially now that cafes don’t have a lot of indoor seating happening right now. You will want to write more if you make an inspiring space for yourself.