Most of us will reach a point in our lives when we feel like we’re too busy to write. Whether it’s a challenging job, parenting, or other life events, it’s going to happen. So how do you squeeze it in? I’d like to hear from you. Here are things I do to make time.
Outlining on My Phone
I’m a plotter, at least in the sense I write an outline before I write the actual story. I don’t have to have all the details ready yet, but I like to get a bare bones idea of the story before I really flesh it out. And it is writing. You’ve got to get those ideas out sometime.
Now I don’t always write on my phone. I prefer the ease of the keyboard vs. swiping ad infinitum. But sometimes you don’t have time to sit down and type. I do find myself waiting, especially in our pandemic world. Maybe it’s waiting for a pick up, or the flu shot, or a really long shopping line. So why not make the most of the time and get a few ideas down? That’s one of the many reasons I love Google Docs. You can sync up what you’re doing from anywhere. That way you can continue your idea at home, on your computer if you like. Or perhaps you’d like a long soak in the tub? Keep going on your phone (just be careful not to let it take a plunge, lol).
I don’t think I’d get as much writing done if I didn’t employ this method, because I also…
Editing on My Phone
Already have a story written? Time to polish that bad boy up. And no better way to do it than… you guess it, your phone, haha! Seriously though, I’ve heard many editors say it’s good to change up the way your story looks to edit it. What they meant was font change or print out. But I think that can apply to your phone, too, because the page spacing will be different. I’ve caught many errors that way.
And editing still counts as writing.
Setting Aside A Specific Time
Setting a goal of ten minutes a day or even 30 minutes on Wednesdays is another way to make the time. You can get a lot more written in ten minutes a day than you think. And ten minutes a day is more than 0 minutes a day. So is 30 minutes on Wednesdays. My husband is an exercise science major and he always touts the “better than zero” plan for exercise, which is even exercising 5 minutes is better than zero.
I think the same can apply to writing. Maybe you can only get that one line out today. That’s still one line more than zero. It would be nice if we could all take the time off to write the great American novel. Even many published authors will tell you they still have to keep a day job, which means time is limited. So do “better than zero.” I’m honestly saying this to myself as much as anybody.
What Do You Think?
What are your thoughts on making time for writing? Have you got any tips or tricks? Let me know in the comments.
Lit and Scribbles with Jae 
I wish I could edit on my phone, but that’s something I’ve never been able to do, technology-wise. Either it doesn’t format right or I can’t convert the changes to my laptop doc or… You get the picture 😉
I’ve also recently realised that I must be a pantser at heart, because the two novels that I’ve plotted start to finish, synopsis style, I’ve struggled to actually start writing. But my new technique to get back into first drafts is just to jot stuff down in a nearby notebook. If it sticks, it sticks – but if not, I’ll accept that it joins other scrapped first drafts 😛
You’d probably have to do it with Google docs is my guess. But it’s all good to be a pantser. I’ve written some decent short stories that way.