I’ve always been the kind of writer who wrote in the moment. That meant if there was a time space that I could fit writing in then that would work. It’s what how I completed my draft.
Now since I’ve started writing in the morning, I must admit it does have its advantages. Now I realize how important it is to have a writing schedule. Even for a night owl like me, when I finish my writing session in the mornings and then start my day, I feel like I’ve accomplished something. I’ve put my writing first. Then, I can focus on the day job and come home and have the luxury of knowing that my writing has been already done. So if I to revise that day’s pages or work on another scene, that’s just icing on the cake.
I’ve been reading BookLife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer by Jeff Vandermeer. It’s a great book that talks about how writers can work with the opportunities of new media and technology as well as creating a structure of inner creative life and outer writer persona.
This is what the author says about writing schedules:
“If you want to write, you’ll find the time, whether you have a day job or not. Time is not the issue: the will to write is the issue. The ability to will yourself to write is enhanced when you have a schedule.”
Yes it sucks to go to bed early so that I can wake up and write in the early morning. It goes against my night owl nature. But I’m dealing with reality. I have a job that leaves barely nothing at the end of the day, so I had to make the sacrifice. It’s still hard, but now it’s becoming a habit.
Schedules can become another skill set in your writing toolbox. And before you know it, you’re meeting your goals and finishing novels.
