Read a Good Book Lately? : How do you find the time? by Peter Wood

Expand that "odd half hour/hour" to a set one hour every day. A set routine can help the creative mind establish when to unleash. and a set routine can help your family understand the importance of your need to write, undisturbed. It's not easy. You know as well as anyone that doing that is extremely difficult, but it's also extremely important. For those who do not yet make their living as a writer it seems that self sacrifice is the only solution.

You're right Rik - am struggling to do that but making some headway - 2013 to be the year. That's the intention anyway. P

For a writer its just a matter of persistance. I wrote the first draft of my first novel before my twins entered junior kinderguarden. You simply have to have at least a little time every day add to yoru project and keep going. Acting directing and producing take time juggling and if you have kids energetic child care. The pioint I"m trying to make is look at what you have disguard what you absolutly need as a sacrivice to the end game and dont give up.

Carry a notebook with you. Write at lunch. If you commute by train, write there. If you can, add time in the morning or at night. A bit of sacrifice is the name of the game.

Long days, weekends, holidays. I'll be working all day today for example. I worked until after 9pm last night.

i don't know about anyone else.. but I do this for a living, 24 x7 365...

I wish that I started earlier in life Georgia. I'm a late bloomer I guess.

I'm in production full time. Those are the tricks I use to get writing done. Being on set most of the time leaves very few opportunities for other things, as you might imagine.

Wayne better late than never

i started in 1990 - after a 20+ career in a technology day gig. decided to quit and do something I wanted to do... haven't looked back.

Oh my I deal with this question everyday, I have three kids, 5, 4, 2 years old. I usually stay up late when my wife and kids are all sleeping or when everyone is watching tv I sneak out and try and get something done. It is tough recording music when everyone is asleep though. lol Just remember that ditch will get dug one shovel full at a time, if you rush it you just end up breaking your back. :)

A word about writing with kids (mine are all grown up by the way) its amazing how much you can get done durring sessamie street. Also my house is a mess but I get a lot of writing done.

When you have a true passion for something you have to focus and manage your time accordingly. I use my free time in a room with music and snacks so that I'm not bothered while manifesting. If that means sending the kids to a movie with the sitter, somehow, someway find time.

I like Lyse Beck's approach: ditch what is not completely essential.

Wow, it sounds like either my question was an obvious one or a perrenial one - probably both ;) but thank you all for your comments. I am trying to do some of the methods that you all suggest, but I will take on board some of the others too. I really appreciate all your comments and yes you are right, essentially if it's a passion then it's not really a sacrifice. Hopefully in a little while I'll be bugging you all again with other queries about promoting and ''selling' my work to the masses ;) Happy new year and a wonderful 2013 to all those that responded (and those that didn't) - Thank you once again. Comments truly appreciated. Peter

I find that having an allocated time for writing works, it may only end up being an hour or two but it is one way I can work undisturbed. Like others have suggested, take advantage of spare moments such as lunch breaks or when the kids are occupied. When I'm at the computer, my daughter likes to help so I get her involved.

Such a great question. I never watch TV and write at night when most my friends are watching TV. I'm learning not to feel guilty if my 9 year old is playing by himself. I'm a very active mom, so he's definitely not lacking for love or attention. So letting him be more independent is a good thing! I rarely see friends at all any more. I know they know how important my writing is to me. The most important things in my life are my hubby and my son. Other than that, it doesn't need to get handled. I'm also learning that wearing sweats instead of looking put together 24/7 is just going to have to do. Oh and I also forgot to mention, I've stopped going onto Facebook. That was such a time killer! My writing has to come first!

I'm lucky where I sometimes get a chance to work on my work at my day job. I'm single and only have a dog to take car of so I try to write after work before bed (I work until 2300 every night). I also set aside one day of my weekend to try to get work done on it.

It's about priorities. If you need the time to write you'll find it. If you never seem to find the time then it may be, as Mark Twain said, you should probably take up chopping wood! :-) (There's more money in it.)

My window is between 10pm to about 11:30pm when the family has gone to bed. On weekends I get up before anyone else does, about 6a.m., and write another couples hours.

Try to write 5 pages a day. After weeks of what I call "writer's meandering", I finally wrote and submitted the first 20 pages of a new spec to my co-writer. Writing starts after 9pm or before 8am. 5 pages a day!

I don't sleep. well. I don't sleep 8 hours. Or even 6. I usually sleep around 4 hours, and then - about once a month - sleep all day to catch up. :-) I also rarely watch TV. Sometimes I sit in front of the TV while my family watches ... but I have my laptop on my lap, and - if necessary - my noise canceling earphones on . . .

I cannot write on demand either. I know some writers can write "blah blah blah" until something sparks but for me if I don't force the writing it flows.

I can write on demand. I'm an ad writer, 15 years. Best training ever! That's why so many ad writers go into screenwriting. We can just turn it on when we need to. And thank goodness for that ability because finding the time for me isn't always easy. So I better be able to write on demand!

Hey if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I can write on deadline if needed no problem. Writing on deadline at least gives me a time frame to prepare. Writing on demand however means having the ability to sit at the keyboard at anytime and the creativity just flows. Hats off to any creative person who can work that way.

I made a decision early on that having a family was not in my future, so that has helped me. I'm afraid it renders most of what I might contribute not appropriate to the question. What I would say is this... Write notes. Think about your stories (whenever you can). You obviously had the time to write a novella. If you can, take a 'mental heath day' periodically if you are feeling inspiration coming on hard and heavy (and yes, I do believe in inspiration, and not perspiration -- at least not in the writing phase). I have been self employed most of my life, so I would take a period of time off just to write. I finished most of my scripts and have written much of my several novels-in-progress that way. Good luck (or as I say, 'Break a Key' since you're a writer and not an actor). Hope your children are growing into their self-reliant (read: teen aged) years.

yeah, good question. I honestly don't know. Myself in a 9 to 5 non related job (actually 9 to 6) I think, and think, and think, think, think, think any spare minute / second about film, how to shoot something, develop ideas, write, write, oh yeah, and write every thought that is related to a project down ... and so on. I don't understand how anyone can honestly dig up even 60 mins on a regular basis to write in one constant stretch, except for the weekends. A friend of mine had the ultimate response to my complaints: you have to do what you have to do. And that's my answer: if you are really into it, you do it constantly.

Have something important and novel to say and the time will find you. Writing just to write is bullshit and horse-pucky. Although, Walter Scott, to keep his farm and family together, awoke before the crow of the cock and wrote furiously as the bill collectors banged on his castle door... and he was also a damned good poet. The key to writing is writing poetry, for without a lyrical sense your up shit creek with out a metaphor. One must love to write, to write about love and life.

This is how it works for me: Idea→logline→back to work, life, etc→finally sit down and write brain dump outline with beginning, middle, end→back to work, life, etc→finally start writing painful 1st draft→rethink story→ SPARK→Writing no longer painful I can now "see it"→The writing FLOWS!!! →complete 1st draft→rewrite→rewrite→rewrite→rewrite→rewrite...

For me as an actor, it's work (in my business) all day (checking on Stage 32 during breaks/lunch, rehearse/perform nightly and weekends/holidays. Maybe one day, acting will be my full time profession. In the meantime, I work to pay the bills, act to feed the soul (and build experience).