I am frequently asked what the most difficult part of being a writer is. Is it conceiving the initial outline for the plot of a novel? Or the development of the characters? Perhaps editing is the most challenging part of the process? Many fellow authors argue that marketing their books takes up the majority of their time and, admittedly, marketing a book is much more difficult than writing and editing.
For me, though, the most difficult part of being a writer is finding the time to write. I commute to my office job every day, getting stuck in traffic in at least one direction. While at work I try to concentrate on my job. By the time I return home in the evening hours I am physically exhausted and my mind is drained of all creativity. Weekends, unfortunately, offer less of an opportunity to write than I would like. I prefer to spend my free time with my wife and family. Also, I like to read, travel, watch entertaining television shows, and take long walks.
So, when is there time to write? I finally found a solution.
Coffee Shop
I have added an extra hour to my day. Each morning I leave the house at the ungodly hour of 6 a.m. and drive to Tel Aviv while there is little traffic on the road. I park my car at my office and walk ten minutes to a nearby coffee shop. I am one of the first customers there, so I have my choice of one of the two small tables situated by the lone electricity socket.
Disappearing
I plug in my laptop, sit down with my cappuccino and begin to write. For some, the grinding of coffee beans; the hiss of steam escaping as milk is heated; and the swish of credit cards as orders are recorded; can be very distracting, but I manage to disappear into my own world.
Time
I only have one hour of creative writing before I need to report to my office, but I make the most of it. Day by day, I make steady, page-by-page progress on my writing.
Coffee
The coffee I drink stimulates me, and the ideas that have popped into my mind during the previous 24 hours find their way into my work in progress.
In Between
I finish my coffee and it’s time to leave. I pack up my laptop and leave the coffee shop. I will continue thinking about my manuscript throughout the day but I won’t have time to work on it again until the next morning’s steaming cup of cappuccino.
Originally published on Hubitus
See also:
How I Found Time to Write in My Busy Schedule
Thank you for being a new GoodReads friend. I was absolutely spellbound by this blog. Having recently retired from a 45 year career as a full time professor and psychotherapist, I'm enjoying writing and marketing my recent book. However I haven't settled on any kind of schedule, and may soon begin seeing a few psychotherapy clients. Your writing schedule is wonderful and admirable! Keep going. You have given me much hope that I too, can find a rhythm that suites my new writer's life.
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm really impressed by this (and struggling with the same problem right now). Currently I usually write in the evenings after work, but I have noticed that I tend to be most productive and creatively charged between the hours of 9am and 1pm - which of course belong to my day job! At least I'm getting words on the page!
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate. That's my biggest hurdle to writing as well. I find Starbucks to a good place to get work done but it's often too busy to get a seat these days.
ReplyDelete