Making Time to Write

Time to Write…

Blog Schedule

How often do you publish posts on your blog? In the early days of my blogging career, I had a pretty amazing output. In 2010 on A New Day, I published 337 posts! That’s close to a post every day and it impresses the heck out of me. The following year I slipped to 230 posts. Still decent, but apparently I gave myself weekends off. My posting consistency slipped from there though. I never regained the output I started with, but that is alright. You know why? I still post on A New Day and here.

Today, my output looks more like a few posts a month on each blog. I publish book reviews, poetry, and short stories, plus articles about the craft of writing. It is all a part of who I am.

Tips for Scheduling Writing:

Regardless of where you write, how often do you sit down to the act of writing? Do you write daily in a journal, but only write a blog post a week? Are you like me, who writes for work, but struggles to find enough time for your own words? Or are you intimidated by the process of sharing anything with anyone, sometimes even yourself.

One of the tricks with writing is to make a practice of it. Set it into your routine, like workouts, extracurricular activities, classes, regular dinner dates with friends: routines help to ensure activities happen. Once a routine becomes established, it is easier to maintain.

• get up half an hour earlier to write – create the time, instead of complaining you don’t have any
• write for ten minutes in a journal before bed – make that time a priority
• jot your thoughts down during your lunch break – frequent snippets are better than nothing at all
• set a timer to ensure you reach your goals – Instead of staring at a blank page, begin to write & keep up the momentum until you reach your goal. Worry about editing later!
• carry a journal with you to take advantage of snippets of time to capture thoughts and moments from your day – never lose a moment
• join a writing group to build accountability to yourself and others – you might find fellow supporters and inspiration you never would have anticipated too
• set realistic and attainable goals – if they’re not realistic, you doom yourself to failure
• remove distractions during your writing – ie. shut down Facebook, turn off the TV, find a quiet spot away from the kids

Once you develop a habit, it becomes easier to fulfill your goals. Make those goals realistic and attainable, so that you are successful and stick to them. With success comes pride, and renewed interest in attaining and continuing those goals. If you are serious about writing, ultimately you CAN make it happen. It doesn’t matter if your schedule is daily, weekly, or monthly. Set a goal and do your part to stick to it.

I publish on average 3-4 blog posts a month, write for an hour every Monday evening in my writers group, and set the intention to make more time for my writing this year. What do you do to make your writing a priority?