the craft. reclaiming your writing time.

This past weekend I did something I’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t justify for myself. I took an extra day off work and booked myself a hotel stay in order to focus on my writing projects.

I think the concept was hard for me to wrap my brain around because I’d never really seen anyone do it. Even trying to explain to people that I was making time to write felt odd.

I’ve worked from home for maybe over eight years or so now. But the pandemic put a spin on the whole concept. Not only was my house my office in 2020, it was the movie theater, the cafe, the restaurant, and my place of security. The pandemic changed the game and trying to get into a writing space at home hasn’t been the easiest with that shift.

So, I had a new story idea I’ve been really excited about and wanted to dive into it. This was going to be my time to do it. At least that was the goal.

Although I ran into a few unexpected surprises, it was still an extremely productive two days. I did have to field a work call because of somewhat of a crisis. And I did have to do some tweaks on my debut novel with my editor. But the great news is, we’re turning in our final manuscript to production! Yay! Well not final, final. That just means that it goes to the copy editors which will be its own thing, but the overall story revisions are done, man!

And all was not lost. I was still able to make some headway on the new story as well. Hopefully, I’ll be able to carve out some more time to work on it before the summer is over. My goal is to have this new manuscript in good shape by the end of the year.

What I didn’t expect was how nice it was to simply be alone. To kind of plan my day how I see fit and rest and write, eat and write, binge watch a show and write without thinking about feeding my family or chores that I hadn’t done around the house.

I picked a cute apartment style place that felt swanky and had a kitchen and overall made me feel good. We cannot undervalue the importance of finding space that inspires us. I wanted to write there. Away from my desk that also houses my full time work life.

But it’s not all about me here. It’s about you too. Don’t be afraid to invest in your writing time. Protect it. It’s so crucial to ever being able to get anything done. You don’t have to wait for the writing retreat or prestigious fellowship. You can make your own.

Life never stops. There will always be people who need you. Emails will come in. Tasks will need to be completed. But you literally have to be able to pause everything at times and say I am going to get this hour in or these 1500 words down. I just don’t know any other way to do it.

Taking time out away from home that wasn’t just a few hours at a bookshop was a first for me, but I quickly realized it will not be the last. I have all kinds of dreams of owning a lake house that I disappear to for months at a time. But in the interim, spending a couple bucks on a nice place will do.

Writing is no easy feat. I laughed this weekend thinking “who chooses to want to do this?” Writing that is. But I also smiled from ear to ear as I read through my final revisions for Good Morning, Love. And fought back tears writing a scene for the new story. Those moments, well, they make me feel like I was born to be a storyteller. Who am I to go against fate?

Maybe you can’t steal away for two days. But maybe an afternoon? Whatever it is, protect your writing time fiercely. Lock the door. Turn up the vibes. I promise you, whatever awaits on the other side will be there when you finish.

When you look back at what you’ve produced, you’ll be so glad you did it.