How Not to Write - Write Place, Write Time

A fellow writer recently asked me how I find so much time to write. There are a lot of factors that go into finding that time and some of them are easier than others to duplicate.

The most important is finances. If you work full-time, you’ll always have less time than someone who works part-time. That’s just math. But since “work less hours” is crap advice, I thought I’d dedicate this post to unpacking my best advice for how to maximise your writing time and output.

1. Decide on Your Priorities
The main reason I have so much time to write is because there mostly isn’t anything else I want to do more. I don’t care much about TV, I don’t play video games quite as much as I used to and my social life is minimal (my girlfriend socialises enough for both of us). I deliberately limit my time online and, while I do cook, I don’t make much with excessive prep time. One method for maximising your writing time is just to ask yourself, “do I really enjoy what I’m currently doing or find it useful?” and then cutting it out if the answer is, “no”.

2. Enjoy It
Nothing feels more laborious than trying to churn out a story you don’t find interesting. Worse, it’s wasteful. You’ll spend longer trying to write that story than one you love, which will just fly by. That’s why it’s important to focus on the projects that speak to you personally. Your word output per hour will shoot up if you’re writing something you love. Just be aware it might take some experimentation to figure out what that is.

3. Seize Your Opportunities
How many times have you found yourself with a loose ten or twenty minutes while you’re waiting on something else? And how many times have you used that time to check Facebook? Now, I understand for most people it’s going to be hard to get into the writing mindset in just ten minutes but believe me when I say it gets quicker the more you practice. Maybe you don’t have time to start up the PC or laptop, but could you write a passage on your phone? On your tablet? On a piece of paper? Personally, it’s why I love my AlphaSmart. I hit one button and there I am, ready to type. It comes with me everywhere, just in case I find myself with ten minutes.

4. Make a Plan
Okay, so this one won’t be for everyone. I’m a planner. It’s how INTJs do. Everything I write, I plan. Usually, I start with a synopsis so that I know the beginning, middle and end. From the synopsis, I expand into a blow-by-blow summary of the story’s events. I write the dialogue out in script format and make vague mentions of things I want to describe. Then, I expand this bare bones summary into a full story. It stops me from meandering by giving me a thread to follow and gives me an idea of what kind of word count to expect. How does this give me more time to write? Simple. I’m not wasting time flailing around in the dark because I don’t know where the story’s going. I already know so I’m just going there.

5. Practice
How long have I been writing? Anyone who looks at my list of publications might say a year, maybe two. Actually, it’s more than twenty. Some people write when they’re kids or teens and then pick it back up in later life. I never stopped. I have literally been writing more than half my life.

My point? The more you practice something, the quicker you will get at it. It’s mechanically true and its creatively true. The more you type, the quicker typing becomes. This means you can write more in an hour. Again, math. Additionally, the more you think creatively, the easier creativity will come to you. I like to read books and watch movies and try to imagine how I would make them “better”. I used to write a lot of fan fiction and finding creative ways to use the source material is half the fun. It’s good practice for imagining, and so are hobbies like roleplay gaming. Yes, though I never thought I would be that nerd, I play Dungeons & Dragons now too.

There’s an important connection to make here. While learning to think creatively isn’t necessarily tied to word count, you can’t write if you don’t have any ideas. The more ideas you have, the more stories you have to write, the higher your output will be. That’s... Crap, is that math again? God damn it.

6. Let It Go
Here’s where I contradict everything I’ve just said. Sometimes, you’re not going to be in the right mindset to write. You’ll have had a bad day, you’ll be tired, you’ll be irritated. Just the idea of writing feels like a chore. In those moments, sitting down to type might actually be detrimental to you. You’ll spend that time writing nothing or, worse, writing something you hate. Your confidence will take a knock. You might not want to go back to it. On those nights, you need to pull the ripcord. Watch a movie. Read a book. If you must put words into something, work on a plan. Don’t try to write as your best self. Take a night off and come back refreshed (and maybe even with a plan) for next time.

And that’s a six-point plan to help maximise your writing time and output. While finding time is important (obviously), output is more vital, in my opinion. There’s no point having five hours of writing time if you only write one word an hour. One thousand words, on the other hand, gives you a full short story in the same amount of time.

In brief, here’s what I suggest:
1. Put limits on activities that aren’t writing. Let writing be as unfettered as possible.
2. Write stories that interest and excite you.
3. Write whenever the opportunity presents itself.
4. Plan extensively to maximise output and minimise meandering.
5. Write a lot so you can get quicker and better at it.
6. Give yourself a break so you don’t start to hate it.

Hopefully, you’ll find something on this list helpful. Do you have any advice of your own? What helps you maximise your time and output? Let me know!