We’ve all got busy schedules, so finding time to write can be quite the challenge.
One writer I know says he waits until his kids go to sleep. Another one gets up early and writes until he has to start getting ready for his day job.
Since I work unusual hours, my prime writing time is mid-afternoon before I head out to take care of Dad stuff.
For the past couple of weeks, circumstances have limited me to about an hour, which has been very productive. My goal on days like this is to write at least one page; two if I’m on a roll, and this is what usually happens.
But working within a set time limit has also been surprisingly liberating. Knowing you’re only producing one or two scenes really takes the pressure off, and removing that part of the equation can definitely yield positive results.
Just as an example, I had to come up with a new way to have a scene play out because it was way too similar to one earlier in the story. Since it was the last of a handful of small scenes I was doing that day, I knew I’d be done when the scene was done.
A few minutes later, that’s what happened.
Not worrying about the time allowed me to really focus on what I had to do, and since I already knew what the point of the scene was, it wasn’t too hard to come up with a solution.
The more you work at it, the easier it’ll get to be productive, even if it’s only a page or two at a time.
Maximum Z 