3 Strategies I Use to Keep Writing with a Day Job

Summer is here and now is the time to relax more and look forward to long warm/hot days. I also think it is the perfect time to buckle down and get some writing goals done. The daylight is longer and I don’t know about you, but I think it is easier to get up early when it’s warm and bright.

So here are three strategies, I use to get my writing done while holding down a day job:

#1 – Make a Schedule that Works for You.

Whether you write first thing in the morning or late at night, find a time that works for you. Some folks can only write on the weekends, or a few days a week. Please don’t feel like, just because (insert famous writer here) wrote at 4 am, you must do the same. Currently, I am writing about 7pm at night for my novel, Saturday is business of writing (submissions, this blog, etc.), and Sunday is for short stories. But, I’m not afraid to change if needed.

When I was younger, I wrote on my lunch break. My commute was long (an hour plus), so by the time I got home, I was exhausted. So, I wrote on my lunch break at my desk. It wasn’t the best set up, but I got my words for the day.

Also take advantage of the built in holidays (assuming you are in the US). Memorial Day just passed here in the US and I didn’t have any travel plans, so I took time to get a few words down. I still got out and had fun, but I also didn’t waste the extra time.

#2 – Take Advantage of the Local Writing Events

Now is the time for festivals and writer tours. I don’t know about you, but attending a local writer’s event can be inspiring. You don’t have to go to one every week, but take a look around and see what is happening in the next few months.

Can’t afford to attend? No problem. Check out YouTube, or the author’s social media. Someone might record it and put it up for those that can’t attend. Maybe your local library is having some event you didn’t know about. I’m sad to admit I missed something at my local library I might have liked, but I found out two weeks after it happened.

These little moments will help you push through when you are working at your day job and feeling unmotivated to write. It’s a reminder that writing is fluid and you are still a writer, even if you’re only managing a few words a day. You are not alone.

#3 – Use a Notebook

I work in front of a computer for 8 hours a day. I also stare at my phone and the TV. Sometimes I just don’t want to open my laptop and spend more time staring at a screen, even if it is for my fiction. So, I decided to write long hand instead. Yes, it takes longer. Yes, it is inefficient. But you know what? I find myself more motivated to write.

I’m not distracted by the internet at my fingertips and it gives my eyes a break. Plus, I can take a notebook anywhere and not lug a laptop around (mine is kinda big and heavy). I find it quite satisfying to see page after page of long hand writing. A tactile reminder that I’m writing and creating and I’m not just imputing info. I think there was some study that said writing long hand also accessed a different part of the brain and you can tell yourself you are doing it for good brain health!

I also treat it like a first draft I revise when I type up the story. I’ve been don’t this for years and, for me, it has kept me writing. Just scribbling a few words down after a long, hard day can be satisfying too. Despite all the demands on your time, you still were able to squeeze out some fiction.

Hope these tips are helpful. It can be tough, when you don’t have the time or energy you would like to write, but I like to think of writing as a marathon, not a sprint. All you need to do is put one word down at a time, however that happens.

Soon your story will be done.