I feel like such an imposter. All the other bloggers here (and probably the readers, too) have hectic lives - they get up before the sun rises, they have children to raise, and full-time jobs to work and houses to clean.I used to think I was busy. I'm doing school by correspondence, so I can complete a whole bunch of subjects I couldn't do at school. I'm constantly snowed under by work. I have a lot of responsibilities in my household. I run errands occasionally, speak to people on the phone, always seem to have something to do right now and can't go out with friends.
I see now that I'm an imposter. I'm a lazy teenager. I'm not busy at all compared to you folks. Forgive me, please!
Now, for your edification, I present:
Making Time To Write - Tips For Lazy People (Yes, Me)
- Wake up an hour earlier, or stay up an hour later. If you're lazy like I am, this will be difficult. If you're extraordinarily busy, it will be pretty much impossible. But if you can do it, it's really worth dedicating an hour at the start or the end of your day to writing, and nothing else.
- Blogging about writing is not writing. Neither is Facebook, Twitter or anything else you use as an excuse by saying you're 'networking'. Writing comes before this.
- Stop watching TV. Really, apart from the news, it's a total waste of time. If you have favourite shows, watch them, but don't watch the shows that are on before and after, because you'll wind up sitting on the couch all evening when you could be writing.
- If writer's block is making you procrastinate instead of writing write something different. Write an essay or a short story. Then come back to your novel. Honestly, I think a lot of writer's block is just when there's an obstacle in your story you can't figure out. If you work on something else, you'll probably have a fresh perspective when you return to your work-in-progress and you won't have just avoided writing for a week (and said it was okay to yourself, because you were so busy).
- Do not play videogames at all. Okay, this is probably only a problem if you're fifteen. But, seriously, it accomplishes nothing.
- Don't write when hungry. If you're anything like me, you'll be thinking about food the entire time. And plot points will crop up that centralize about food. And you'll be going, perhaps I should hav something to eat? Then you'll leave and eat something and never return to your writing. Eat before you write. Sure, you can have all the time in the world to write, but it's important to be productive during that time, and actually write something.
- Have someone to answer to. Promise a friend or fellow writer that you'll email them a chapter a week, 10,000 words a month, etc. That way, they can email you and ask why you haven't written anything. Fear of this email will force you to write. Do the same for them. (This is important if you don't have any deadlines. If you have deadlines - like write article by this day, hand in rewrites by this day, then you should be writing anyway.) No more procrastination!
- Share your tips for making time to write! I actually have to go write something...
*I originally posted this at the We Love YA blog.
18 notes passed:
I love that you included "blogging about writing is not writing" in your blog post about writing :P
Yeah, I'm really lazy.
Especially now that year 12 is over and I'm like, "WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?" And then, I just stand there for about a few minutes and say, "Dunno. Twitter?"
:/.
(Well, there is nothing to do and I don't plan on writing a novel anytime soon).
When I wrote NaNoWriMo, I was always motivated. I wanted to write the 50,000 word story and NOTHING would stop me.
LOLL.
That's very true. I always think I am too busy, when in fact all I do is procrastinating and not writing. It's all about making the time to write. It doesn't come to you neatly wrapped with a tiny bow on top. :)
I have dead-lines. I've planned everything out on a calendar, and I have a certain amount of work I have to do on certain days.
But I like video games!!!!!!!!!
Great post, Steph! All true!!
Ah, it's not just 15-year-olds lured by video games. And TV is a great time waster - it's much smarter to tape the shows you want to watch to view later.
Great post and great advice. Me, I get started writing by blogging, and then it's easy to slide back into novel-writing, even if at a sticky point.
I finished the first draft of my novel simply because I had a writing partner with whom I exchanged chapters weekly - he assumed I would give him a chapter every week, so I did. I also had a neighbor eagerly awaiting each installment, and I'd run across the street and drop them off. Once she was on her way out of town and ended up reading my book's denouement on a plane, shrieking and greatly scaring the man sitting next to her.
And at some point you just have to commit to it and carve out a space for writing in your life. No matter what.
Very true post.
I am super lazy, and when I find an obstacle in my novel, I do a lot of procrastinating :D
i am the laziest of lazy people.
somedays, in school, i tell myself, "i'm going to go home and write!"
and then i don't.
i go to sleep really early, so staying up an hour or two later is probably a good idea.
i also wake up at five every morning, so i could write then...
it will be all your fault when i never get any sleep ever again. :D
So funny you see yourself as having less responsibilites than the rest of us. I am so impressed what you've done with your life in such a short time. In fact, I've given you the Honest Scrap award because of it.
Stop by to pick it up!
When you are in charge of a house, it's okay to let somethings wait until writing time is over.
My rule? As long as everyone can find what they need to make a sandwich and get dressed in clean clothes, it can wait until Mom is done writing.
I followed the link from Caroline's blog, and I'm so glad I did! Great (and dead-on insightful) list of tips. My favorite is "Blogging about writing is not writing".
LOVE your site! ;-)
I'm honored to have found you via a mutual award from Caroline. 15 and published? Unheard of. I won't tell you how old I am. Suffice it to say I have kids slightly older than you.
I love your tips, but I disagree on one point. I think blogging is writing. It's a writing exercise, which - like any writing exercise - helps in your novel writing.
Simply put, you're amazing. I'm glad I found you and I'm following you now. ;-)
I like all of these suggestions! Do I do them? Um, no. Unless you count staying up late and then being late for work.
I actually find value in a couple of them. Watching TV and playing video games, for example. When I'm stuck on my writing, when I do these activities, it's another way to escape. And what am I escaping from? Writing. And everyone needs to do that sometimes.
Otherwise, we're constantly beating ourselves up for watching TV, playing games, writing (and reading) blogs, instead of writing that we don't want to write anymore.
Or maybe that's just me.
With my part-time job and family of four, I manage to put my writing above all the other time-wasters. But they're valuable in their own right. At least for me.
Don't feel bad -- I feel like a lazy writer too, because all I have to compete with writing is a full-time job and sporadic freelance work. How do people do it when they have spouses and kids?! (Especially kids!) As long as I'm moving forward at a steady and decent pace, I don't get down on myself, though.
You said TV was a waste of time and I had to stop reading because my inside of my heart shriveled up and died.
THE END
I can personally say that playing video games is not just an issue that teens have. ^_^ I think you can always use TV or videogames as a rewards, provided you know how to limit yourself.
For me, when I really need to write, I disconnect from the internet. If I need to research something, I make note of it in the text and move on.
I love your suggestions! Except that I think watching some television shows is good for your writing. It helps with the plot, characters, and settings because you've seen how TV writers have completed that same thing with as much grace as youwant. Of course, some shows are a waste of time. ;)
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