Tips for Planning Your Writing Time

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"Anyone can call themselves a writer but you eventually learn one thing... if you want to see your writing in print and be paid for your efforts you must first write something"

It is true that people are very busy, but a little extra time can always be found. This may mean giving up watching so much television, going out for drinks with your friends or other activities that are unproductive in the long run.

As a independent writer you need to be a self-starter, creative, motivated,  independent, self-disciplined, productive and organized all while coming up with new ideas, writing articles or books and running your business.

There are thousands of writers that produce material everyday while looking after small children, running their web site or business or while working at a full time job. So how do they find the time.?

Tip: Before you begin on your writing career start by freeing up the time you will require by clearing all those irritating jobs around the home you have been meaning to do. This helps to psychologically free your mind to enjoy the time spent writing and is known to create a "flow on" effect. An organized and uncluttered life leads to uncluttered, clear and concise writing. When you have cleared those "niggling" jobs out of the way decide that from now on whatever needs to be done around the home you will set aside a specific time to get these chores done as part of a regular schedule.

Pre-plan your time

It is important to think of time as your most valuable asset...and it is... when writing and running your business from home.

From the beginning you need to learn to write on a regular basis.

To help plan your writing time use or create a basic chart (electronic or on a piece of paper) to help plan your daily work and stick to it the same way as you would organize your other regular day-to-day activities.

• What you have to do each day.

• What you want to do each day.

• When you are going to do it.

• How many hours you will devote to writing each day.

When incorporating your writing time into your schedule take into account if you are at your creative best in the mornings, afternoon or if you are a "night owl" then plan your writing times around those hours if at all possible.

Avoid spending every spare minute of your time on your writing. It is easy to fall into this trap and lock yourself away neglecting the other areas of your life.

Leave space in your schedule for your spouse, family and friends to avoid any resentments should they suddenly find themselves excluded from your life.  This especially applies to young children who may not understand if you are suddenly unavailable.

You may not be able to find the time to write every day but your success will be determined by the amount of time that you do spend writing.

Choose the actual writing times that suit you best. If you find you work best early in the morning then develop a regular routine and write at this time. Similarly if you work best at night then establish an evening routine.

Some writers work at two, three, four hour stretches at a time, others work a full eight hour day, while some prefer to do marathon stretches until they are finished.

Have a notebook or several notebooks to carry with you for jotting down ideas as they occur throughout the day outside of your writing time. Most people keep several notebooks, with pens, in the car, beside the bed, in their pockets because you never know when inspiration will strike.

A voice activated tape recorder is also another popular way for recording ideas when circumstances mean you are away from your computer or it would be impractical to use a notebook e.g. when travelling in a car.

Most articles or books require some research. Allocate this research time into your schedule. Some research tasks can only be done during business hours, the actual writing however can be done at a time that best suits you.

When organizing and planning your time for writing and find you can only spare the time to write part-time or for only an hour a day... take heart and remember!

Anthony Trollope wrote Victorian novels before dawn or on his way to work in the Post Office. William Faulkner wrote "sanctuary" part-time while working in a boiler room.

There are many stories of writers who have overcome personal obstacles to achieve recognition through their writing.

Compared to these people how big are your own distractions, interruptions and other excuses for not getting on and earning a living from your writing?

Article Library