Family responsibilities and a rough pandemic forced me to sideline writing novels in recent years, but this doesn’t mean I didn’t write a novel!
I have indeed written a novel by sneaking in moments to myself here and there and revisiting the pleasure that I take in composing a story.
Now I’m pecking away at editing the story and pondering how to fine tune some of the rough patches in the manuscript.
I’m hoping to publish this novel at the end of 2024. It’s a slight genre shift for me in that the story is a sci fi space setting instead of my beloved medieval-style fantasies that I’ve squandered years of my life writing.
I’m not offering any teasers about the novel today or even it’s working title. That will come later. This is just an update meant to encourage people to keep writing and editing even if they feel like they don’t have time. I did it and you can too.
Editing Process
So far, I’ve read through the novel on the computer and made adjustments.
My next step was to print the manuscript, read it again, and write my edits with ink. I love pen and paper editing.
At this point, I am entering the written edits into the digital manuscript.
Once that is done, I’ll go through and edit the novel again, applying my final decisions and correcting any other issues that I encounter.
How to Keep Writing When You Don’t Have Time
If you really wish that you had time to write, then you need to make time to write.
I’m here to tell you that you can sneak some time into your schedule.
Pick out a time of day when you will feel the least exhausted. For many people this means waking up early and writing before the demands of life and family prevent it.
However, for me, I use time in the evening to write and edit. I’m a night owl, and, even if I am exhausted, I’ll get a second wind in the evening. Writing for 30 to 60 minutes will refresh me and give me a pleasing sense of satisfaction.
How to make time to write:
- Push back on watching television shows. That can wait an hour or even be delayed a day or more.
- Write before you do basic household chores. Many people feel like they can’t relax into writing with things left undone around the house. I’m telling you to write and then do chores.
- Cut down on wasting time on your phone. I’m just as susceptible to scrolling on my phone as the next person. I have a Reddit addiction to prove it, but I still push back on the urge to scroll. Yes, it’s relaxing, but so is writing!
Good luck!
