By Dame Jackie
Want to know what annoys me even more than the “When are you going to write real books” question? The comment that so many would-be writers are happy to tell me: “I’d write a book if I had the time.”
Let’s not even get into how that comment immediately dismisses the notion that writing a book is work, requiring not only time but also skill. It galls me when people say that they just don’t have the time to write.
I have a full-time day job. Along with that, I have two young children and a husband who likes it when I see him more than over morning coffee or a bedtime kiss. I have a mortgage and a house to maintain that goes along with that mortgage. I have to juggle my Precious Little Tax Deductions’ after school and religious school activities around my and Loving Husband’s schedules. Loving Husband, along with his full-time job, is also in school to get his degree, so there are many times during the week when I’m flying solo with the kids. I exercise about 5 times a week, an hour each time. I prep all the breakfasts and lunches in the mornings and do the dishes at night. I’m busy.
And I also find time to write. I’ve written 12 novels between 2005 and now, not to mention the number of proposals, synopses and incomplete projects that went nowhere. (No, not all 12 books were published.) I’m at my most productive when the kids are in bed. This means when I’m going for serious word count, I don’t get to bed until about 1 am. And then I’m up no later than 7 to start the day (breakfast for the kids, coffee for the husband, lunches for all of them, getting the kids dressed and ready for school and making sure they get on the bus). Weekends I can sleep until 8 am, but then it’s chores and errands and, you know, maybe finding time to see friends and family.
It’s not easy to find the time to write. But I do. Why? Because I’m a writer, damn it. And I write. So yeah, I’m tired. And I have a lot of things going on all at once. But I make it work.
You can too.
Unless you’re that gal from Tommyknockers and can write books with your mind while you vacuum, you’re going to have to put your butt in a chair and write. For some people, that means getting up an hour earlier (stop groaning) and firing up the computer while your coffee brews. For others, it means getting to bed obscenely late and still managing to function the next day. It could mean eating lunch at your desk while you bang out 400 words. If you’re fortunate enough not to have a day job, it means scheduling time when you’re in your chair and writing.
So what’s a time-stressed writer to do? Here are Jackie Kessler’s Top 3 Time Tips:
1. Try different writing times. You won’t know if you’re at your productive best first thing in the morning, last thing at night, or somewhere in between until you’ve tried them all. Give them a shot, and see if there’s one particular time that really gets your blood flowing and the word count on the page.
2. Take your writing time seriously. Don’t pick up the phone during your scheduled writing time. For God’s sake, don’t go on Twitter or Facebook. Your time is limited. Don’t allow distractions to eat into your productivity.
3. Don’t apologize for finding time to write. Your friends may not understand why you’re not able to join them for that card game. Your mother might be pissed that you won’t talk to her during your writing time. Too bad. Writing is work. And that means you treat it like work. Even if you’re serious about writing, your friends and family may never take it seriously. That’s why you’ve got the Dames and other writers who get it. We’re here for you. We’ve got your back.
The next time people say they’d write if only they had the time, tell them exactly what you do when you’re not writing–and that you still find the time to write. Who knows? Maybe that will inspire the would-be writers into becoming actual writers.
And if it doesn’t, well, the look on their faces can speak volumes. 
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Tags: Jackie Kessler, writers
WHOA!!!!!! Ok, i admit I kinda go into the ‘I don’t have time’ thing. But that’s only because I’m lazy and I know even when I’m saying it that it isn’t true. The truth is, I waste precious time. Like, watching re-runs I’ve seen a million time while I could be writing, or surfing the net instead of writing, and then I blame it on homework, which is beyond ridiculous. It’s ridiculous and irrational, because once I get writing, I LOVE it. At least I admit it, and I’m working on it. I set myself goals and I’ve stuck to them lately. YAY! So yeah, I’m learning to juggle and not to waste time, but wow, you’re like the master!
Makes me appreciate your books (which I loved reading, by the way) that much more.
Go Jackie!
Go Irene! That’s something I should have put on the list: identifying time that’s otherwise wasted. And YAY FOR YOU for setting goals and sticking to them! Rock on!!!
THANK YOU! Amen. I’m with you on the busy train. Working 3 jobs, keeping house, spouse, putting spouse through school, and trying to find that elusive thing called sleep, all while squeezing in daily writing time and miniworkouts. And then my mother gets huffy because I say I don’t have time to come up and spend the weekend…
Jackie,
Oh, how I can empathize with your situation. Kids, loving husband, full-time working mom, getting six hours or less of sleep each night. Maybe I should give in and let my husband buy me the laptop he has been trying to get me for the last six months. So far, most of my writing has been longhand. Maybe getting the laptop and carting it to work, using it on breaks and lunch, would help up my wordcount. I write best during mid-morning, after breakfast and my morning cup o’ tea. But alas, that is when I am at work. Instead, I carve out time on my breaks and lunch. This is what I want to do, write. So I keep trying different things to make it work. If you can create twelve novels in four years, then I know it has to be possible for me, too. I only have one more lovely, beautiful tax deduction than you, so somehow I know I can make it work. Thanks for sharing. It inspires me to keep working on creating the time for writing.
Amen! I’m married and in medical school and I manage to find time to write! I tend to operate best late at night, but those 6AM wake up calls are killer!
I used to work 64 hours a week and I managed to finish my first novel (in two years (started out when I finished undergrad), but hey, I did it!). I’m on my second now (also revising my first in between) and I’m enrolled in my first year in medical school. I also manage to run 9 miles a week and maintain my apartment.
I also think it helps tremendously to have people around you that understand how important that time is to you as well. My husband is very well aware of my love and need for writing, so he gives me the time that I need (it also helps that he’s the chef so I don’t have to make dinner!).
Unfortunately, I’m not on a steady schedule yet since I’m still figuring out my study schedule for school…but I hope to get on one soon in order to (hopefully) be published by the time I finish med school. Either way, writing is a HUGE stress reliever for me (as with running) so I do it because I love it and because it helps me get through those many stressful moments of life!
Wow! You need a break. Maybe at a week-long writing workshop? I have a great deal of respect for the amount of work it takes to put a book together. I have done some copy editing for a published author and I’ve seen how hard it is. Unfortunately, this knowledge makes me a lousy reviewer, because I never want to say anything bad about a book. I finally decided I would only review books I like. There are enough amateur reviewers out there who are willing to slam authors, I figure the world really doesn’t need me to do so as well
I absolutely adore this. It is not only true, sincere, bold, and positive (despite its somewhat edgy tone), but it is downright effective and encouraging. You have written something that should be read by thousands, and thus make a positive impact on this world. Bravo, kudos, blah blah, etc.
[I sometimes just wish I had MORE time, you know? ... :p]
Hi
Thank you for sharing Jackie.
You sure have FULL days!
To treat writing like a job/work is the best advice.
I loved the Tommyknockers reference!
Another of my favorite authors discusses time management/writing on her blog today too: http://pattioshea.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-time.html
All the best,
@RKCharron
xoxo
Dude, I salute you.
I honestly find you an inspiration – thanks for sharing this awesome post, Jackie!
I am trying hard to NEVER use the ‘time’ excuse in my life. I know how lucky I am to have an extra day a week to write at the moment (working 4 days per week at the Day Job), so I have to make the most of it while it lasts.
Cheers,
Kaz
Kait – I hear you. Keep the faith, and keep writing!
Dawn – I love my laptop, but mostly because I travel to cons and bring it with me. I have my office in my house, and that’s where I do my writing. I could do it anywhere in the house…but I strongly prefer my own desk in my own office. Just one of those things.
Linda – rock on! It’s wonderful that writing (and running) is such a stress reliever. Good luck with everything!
Zita – nah, I don’t need a break. I’m working toward a very specific goal before 2009 is done. But you’re a sweetie.
As for reviewing, I know a number of people who choose to review only books they liked for the very same reason you do. Thank you for reading so much and for choosing to do some reviews!
Eric – thanks! And heck, I know **exactly** what you mean. I wish I had more time too!
RK – hah, I guess Patti & I were on the same wavelength.
It’s really simple: if we want writing to be our job, we need to treat writing like a job. Glad you liked the SK reference. 
Kaz – I inspire **you**? But **you** inspire **me**!!! **huge Dame lovefest**
I agree. I don’t have as much on my plate as you do but I still manage to find time to write and still get my 8 hours of zzzzzz’s in. I don’t function unless I get sleep.
Good for you, Amy!
*raises hand* “My name is Ilasir and I could write a book if I had the time.”
Which I do. But it’s a lot easier to complain that I don’t than to buckle down and disconnect the blogonet. In fact, sometimes having too much time is detrimental to writing scheules, becuase it’s easy to say “My goal is to write an hour a day, so I don’t have to start *now*”, and then just keep putting it off until it’s time to go to sleep. (This only applies to people who have more than an hour of free time a day, which doesn’t necessarily inclde many people.)
I really enjoyed this post, Jackie. I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be to get those sorts of comments. Especially with your busy schedule. Makes me feel very lame (and lazy) for not taking advantage of my free time while I still have it.
Finding time is definitely hard, and is even more complicated with a wife who writes too, because she has the same issues, and unlike me, she has deadlines to deal with (I’ll have these in the near future as well). What gets me however, is the general public’s view of writing, and this comes down to an issue that has been gnawing at me more and more of late. Even worse are some of the first time writers who carry over this public’s naivete about writing and publishing in general. It comes down to respect.
Writing does not garner the kind of respect as an artform that other artistic endeavors do. Everyone can write (ok, most). Everyone thinks they could string together words to make a story. If you asked them about any other artform, like painting or sculpting, they’d tell you, “No, I can’t do that. I’m not any good at painting or sculpting.” Why? Likely they’ve never done it or tried it in school and couldn’t do it worth a damn. Oh, but they could write a story. They know how to write.
I think some who try writing bring this lack of respect into their efforts to sell a book. They can’t understand why they get rejection after rejection. They believe because they can string 90k words together that they deserve publication for all of their effort. Everyone has a book in them. Everyone could write a book if they just had the time to do it. Writing is both a craft and an artform. If you asked any of these writers if every painting deserved to be sold or hung in a gallery, they would say of course not. Many of them just aren’t very good. “My third grader can paint better than that!” Well…(smack with clue stick) duh! The same goes for writing stories. Most don’t deserve to get hung in the gallery of publication. The written word has lost respect as an artform. The reading public just doesn’t quite get it (ok, I’m generalizing). Where along the way has our culture lost respect for the ability to tell a great story? I don’t get it. It’s hard, very hard. It takes as much skill as any other artform. Just because it’s so easy to pick up on a general level (thank you computers), that somehow makes it less difficult. So wrong.
I have no answer of course as to how to bring back respect for the art of storytelling. The internet is making it far easier for anyone to put their “art” out their for people to see. The amount of poor writing out there certainly won’t help matters in this regard. It’s frustrating and annoying. I want to smack every writer I hear about who gets pissed because nobody wants to consider their story, who flames every agent who turns them down, and laments the fact that their story will never see the bookshelves because nobody will notice their greatness or give them a chance. Just because the basics of form are accessible to everyone doesn’t make it any easier to be good at. You have to work at it just as hard and struggle to become good just like any other artform. People need to understand this. They need to respect the written word.
Jackie, I think you’re my hero, for telling it like it is.
There’s no common form of most other art-forms. Writing involves something that most people have to do everyday to get along in the world. If we had to commnicate by musical notes every day, we’d take *that* for granted. Also, people mistake the words for the story. There’s more to writing than just writing. How many people are good story-tellers? Not many. But they don’t think about that part of it. “I can form a sentence (really? I wouldn’t be so sure of that)… I’ll be a writer.”
I think the one thing good about being a student is that ‘I have to study’ is always an accepted reason. Sometimes it actually means ‘I have to write’ but what they don’t know won’t hurt them.
And yes yes yes! on finding the right time.
I could not write first thing in the morning if you put a gun to my head. Absolutely could not. If I were a full-time writer, I would be pretty nocturnal — my mother would be appalled, but there you have it.
Wow – I’ve just twittered a link to this because it is slap-in-the-face true and real and I have other aspiring writerly friends who use this excuse.
So thanks for pointing out that it is just that: an excuse.
You – and the other ladies on DD – are a huge inspiration!
Ilasir, my goal wasn’t to make you feel lazy! But good for you for recognizing that teh interwebz can be a time-sink. I bet you’ll be able to find more writing time if you have even 30 minutes of offline-only time. Good luck!
Jim, it can be damn frustrating. As I mentioned at the start of the post, when people claim that all they need to write a book is time (and gosh, their lives keep them far too busy for such frivolous things), that immediately dismisses the notion that writing a book is **work**, requiring not only time but also skill.
Rachel, you’re my hero for writing such amazing books! SHIFT!!! NOW!!!
M – enjoy the support from others while you have it! I hope that support remains once you graduate.
Liz – thanks! We Dames are here for you!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
I just started back at a (part-time) Day Job & while I don’t have the time that I used to, I know I need to find a way to work around this. I’m still writing some every day, so for me it’s just trying to get into a new groove, but I get so mad at people who just whine about the ‘no time’ thing!
Next time I hear that comment, I’m pointing them straight to this post!
Good for you for writing every day, Kathleen! You can do it! **waves pom poms**
When I wrote the rough draft of my first novel, I spent my lunch break in the car writing two to five pages a day for five days a week over a year to write 700 pages, and spent the weekends entering pages into the computer and outlining for the next week. My co-workers thought I went out to the car to take a nap since I started work at 7:00AM.
If I may offer a similar pet peeve, it’s people who prefer a different genre and ask when you’re going to write a ‘real’ book since yours are not in their favorite category. Sad.
[...] then I reminded myself to go back and read Dame Jackie’s amazing post from a few weeks ago. If you haven’t read it, you really should. I don’t mind if you [...]
I am bookmarking this post for when I need a kick in the behind.
I once talked to a guru (long story) who said that when people say they need more time, he says, “Well, what are you doing with the time you have?”
Loved this post. I need to work on making time instead of waiting for time to come to me.
Excellent post in preparation for NaNoWriMo
[...] Making Time – Deadline Dames [...]