Time for Writing

It's the same old story: You have a terrific idea, and lots of plans for how to work the story and characters. However, your life has other ideas, and between work, family, and other obligations, getting to the keyboard can be a nearly impossible task. How can one write the next classic when finding time to write is so difficult?

Most of the books tell us to set aside time each day, set up a writing schedule, and stick to it. Sometimes we have to stay up late; sometimes get up early, but do it every day.

Unfortunately, one's life sometimes tends to make such sessions rare and elusive. So how do you keep at it when parts of your life seem to be working hard to block you? It can be done, using one of your own tools of the trade - creativity.

Keep a Notepad Handy

This will help you retain those fleeting thoughts, snips of dialogue, and sparks of genius. I always have pen and paper at hand. My wallet is a kind of mini-organizer, with a pad of 3x5 paper and a pen inside. Sometimes I just capture a short thought or phrase; other times I have filled several pages. The point is that if I'm caught up in a line, stuck in traffic, or waiting for an appointment, I can still be productive.

Write in Your Mind

This one takes practice, but can be very rewarding in the long run. Mozart did it, and William Saroyan did, too. They would conceive the work in their minds, get it all together, and then merely act as their own transcribers. Mozart, of course, was doing it with music, harmonies, melodies, and various instruments. William Saroyan would get the play together in his mind and then go to a hotel in New York, sequester himself for several days, and then just unload into his typewriter.

Now I'm not saying that I'm in the same class as either of those two, but I do a lot of those techniques. When I'm walking or doing something where I can't write, but can focus my attention inward, I think of places in my current project that need some work or where I may have had some writer's block, and try to solve those areas in my mind. When I do get the chance to get to pen and pad or to my keyboard, then I just get the information noted, even in a sort of shorthand, but it's recorded, and that's the main thing.

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