On Writing : Writing & Work - how do you fit it in? by D.E. White

Hey Daisy. I've got a lot of jobs and projects taking over most of my time too. You'll know when its time to write. Don't force it to happen. Otherwise, you won't get as much done cause you'll be worrying about something unrelated. Now, if you have a deadline, I would suggest writing between breaks and setting a side hustle work hours.

Thanks Corey Idleburg that is exactly what was happening - the worrying I mean!

Well, that is the name of the game, isn't it? I need a deadline to create pressure, I need a tribe to keep me accountable by way of events (write-ins or writing cafes), and I need a space that is either clean and calm or bustling with social interaction. The space has been the latest discovery. I revamped our bedroom so that I can sit there with the bed made and feel like I can still focus on creating. How to fit it in? Weekly writing cafes (Sundays - to start the week off with traction), writing sprints on Mondays, M-F writing blocks with an online group (that I met through Stage 32) - and any combination therein.

At the end of the day, it's not a program you punch into your mind. You have to make allowances for life, as you're human and are living one. But giving yourself plenty of tools gives you a better shot of making the time. Although, the trick of it all may be your ability to choose the right combination at the right time.

Oh, and also, classes are THE BEST way to stay on track. You know what time you have to set aside. You receive feedback every week, which means you're working every week, AND you know there is a guaranteed human/social interaction as part of the pursuit. The biggest discovery I had here in LA is that EVERYONE is taking classes, and pretty much perpetually to stay sharp.

This is great advice. I had enrolled myself in a class for this year feeling like a numpty, (after all shouldn’t I be able to do it on my own?) but it’s good to know it’s a valid pathway to completing stages of a project.

For years I juggled my commercial (paid) writing with my creative writing. I kept journals when I travelled and focused on my stories when I was on leave. I often worked part time so I could do both things at once.

After working almost full time in 2020 I quit my contract in 2021 to concentrate on my screenplay which had been shelved for two years due to "life, the universe and everything". Life still gets in the way sometimes but I try to maintain discipline around it in the same way as my contract work, setting deadlines for myself and working to a plan.

All I can say is persist, and work out what kind of schedule works best for you. Best of luck!

D.E. White well Daisy, I’m in the fortunate position of my wife supporting this writer. When I was made redundant from a good job and then spent the next 3 years working a couple of part-time jobs, it became clear that my earning potential was declining and no one wanted to employ an ageing man.

So, my wife said ‘what do you want to do’, and I said ‘write’. She said, ‘as long as you are happy, okay, go for it. 3 short films, 4 non-fiction books and 1 novel later, I’m still looking for a breakthrough, but I love what I do.

I’m looking for a Producer to help pull a string of projects to the market-place, but as yet have to find a mutual creative who ‘gets’ what I do with genres and stories of a social nature along with other adult-themed, Fincher-esque projects.

I’ve decided that this year my aim is to pitch to a Netflix Exec and need, like Alan Pakula, to surround myself with excellence, to make it happen. And sure, life gets in the way, but I’m happy with the balance I have between writing and developing projects with family stuff.

Maybe that’s the trick; to be content with both the creative gift and the life that you have?