One of the first things I thought when I got a full-time job was how am I going to fit writing in? It was something I really struggled with. But now I understand myself as a writer, it is easier to organise my writing time. Notice I didn’t say fit in? The most important thing I have learnt is not to "fit in" writing. "I’m tired this morning so I’ll fit writing in later" or "I’m going out now so I’ll fit writing in after." "After" never comes for me because I’m not a night-time writer. I struggle, even when I’m not tired, because the process of going through my day and making decisions and such makes writing seem like too big a task. So although I will write freely and this can be at night, my morning writing session is non-negotiable. This is where I get the majority of my words down. Night sessions for me are great for brainstorming, editing and so on but morning is when the words come, the real writing.
How to fit writing in is one of the questions people always agonise over so here is a post about how I do it. I hope it helps!
The Morning Sessions
I work full-time as a Library Manager in a secondary school so my hours are always fixed which makes it a lot easier to organise my writing time. I start at 8am so I will usually set my alarm for 5am. Coming around and making a brew takes me to about 5:15am and then I start my morning writing session. This will run until 6:30am if I’m getting the bus to work, or 7am if my partner takes me.
Like I said, these sessions are the most productive for me in terms of words written. This is because the house is quiet and there’s no distractions, but also because my mind feels fresh in the morning. The problem solving area of my brain just works better when nothing else has already bothered it that day. On a good day I can usually hit 1000 words in this session, and on a slow one usually around 500 words. Although my body is used to this routine, I still find that I get worn out towards the end of the week so Friday’s are usually a 500 word day.
The After-School Sessions
My writing sessions after work are a little bit more malleable. This is because the session in the morning is strict and all my goals are based off of this; as long as the morning session has happened, I’m happy.
So my writing in the evening is usually dependent on what my partner is working. This is because her shifts are very changeable and she also works two weekends a month so we try to spend as much time together when she’s off as we can. So first thing to say is if she’s off, there’s no writing session. The other nights are usually split between two types of session.
The first is if she is on a day shift where she usually finishes between 6-7pm (though she does sometimes run over, especially the last year or so as she works for the ambulance service which has had quite the battering.) On these days, I usually opt for a Costa Coffee writing session. I do write more at home, but I find that if I’ve only just finished work the bus can be really temperamental around that time and once I get home I want a break. Whereas if I go to a coffee shop, I stay in a productive mindset. I usually stay up to 2 hours and get around 500-700 words written. This gives me, usually between 1000-1700 words for the day which is perfect for me.
The second type of session is when she’s on a night shift. For this, she will usually pick me up from work, we’ll have tea and then she goes to work. She leaves the house between 5-5:30pm so I have the evening to myself. I’ll clear up after tea, chill a little bit, and then usually get in a two hour writing session, around 6-8pm. For this, I have to be sat at the desk because night-time writing is so difficult for me. In terms of words, this can come in anywhere between 300-1000 words depending usually on what I’m working on. It helps for this session if I’ve spent some concentrated time thinking about the scene/poem I’m writing that day, whether that was while getting ready in the morning or while washing up. This just gives my mind a little bit of something to go on. For a day like this one, I usually end up with a word count from 800-2000 words.
One thing to note, is that I know this is my worst time in terms of writing and productivity. This means I put no pressure on this session or on what I need to get done-this would be futile. So if this session isn’t going well or I’m tired or my mind’s elsewhere, I won’t make myself continue with it.
A Brief Note on the Weekend
This post is all about my typical writing day, which weekends are not. Especially at the moment, we are very busy with wedding planning and decorating our dining room so weekends can be quite unpredictable. But, when my partner does work weekends, usually 2 a month, there is a little bit more structure.
One day I will make plans with friends/family to catch up, usually the Saturday. The other day, I will try to reserve as a writing day. It really helps that if she’s on nights, I can’t just laze in bed because I’ll wake her so I have to get up. This usually gives me a good early start to the day. This writing day is often less rigid because I have the whole day to myself. I will write a bit before getting dressed with my breakfast, try and go for a walk where I can focus on what I want/need to write that day, and try to fit in some writing sprints as well. This day can really range as to words and productivity but I do usually hit 1000 words for the day.
And that’s my writing routine! This wouldn’t work for everyone. The getting up early and lack of rigidity isn't everyone's cup of tea; but that’s the point, it works for me. The best advice I would give anyone who wants to write more is to experiment with morning/night writing, with writing at home vs in a coffee shop/library etc. Find the best ways you work first and build your routine around it. If possible, allow for some rigidity and some flexibility so you don’t get mad at yourself for not writing, but you also have space for when writing just isn’t possible for your brain.
If you got to the end, thanks for reading! Check out my last blog post to learn about my early writing journey and how I became a writer. Subscribe to the newsletter to receive more writing tips and updates. And most of all, I hope your day is going well.
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