Many aspiring and published authors struggle with finding time to write and working a day job. Very few are blessed to be able to commit to becoming authors without having to worry about how they are going to pay the bills. It’s a dilemma that many face without knowing how they can do both.
Writing and working full-time is not a breeze, but it can be achieved with planning and focused dedication. Click To TweetWell, you are not alone. In this blogpost I will share some tips from 3 published authors that have travelled this path and succeeded. Exactly how do you get this done and stay sane? Use their practical tips to get clear on how you can achieve this goal.
As the co-author of an Amazon Bestseller, I know firsthand the challenges you face. I wrote my contribution for the book as a single parent of 3 teenagers, working fulltime at a high pressured corporate job. My responsibility as part of this team was also to format and edit the book to get it ready for publishing.
In the first paragraph below I will share with you my personal tips on how I managed to fit it into my busy schedule. Believe me when I tell you, that every sacrifice and challenge is worth the end result.
Make a Choice and find the time – My Tips
Whether you are co-authoring with others or going solo, you need to commit to doing this no matter what. It’s all in or nothing.
Once you have made that commitment to yourself you need to sit down and analyze the time you have to get this book written. Being single in this scenario is a blessing in one sense but also a curse. You don’t really have a partner to consider but you also cannot shift your responsibilities to somebody else – its only you. You need to get creative.
- Look at your daily routine and see where you can best fit in your writing time.
- That time becomes an absolute non-negotiable time to write, so stick to it like glue.
- Involve your children and/or significant other in the process. Make them understand what is needed from them.
- Then just get it done – no excuses … only death or major disasters can prevent you from doing your writing.
It’s not easy. However, the satisfaction and joy you get in return more than make up for what you have sacrificed.
It’s all about developing a Plan
Ron Vitale reveals how he is managing the transition from working full time to writing each day in his article on The Creative Penn. In ” How to Become a Successful Writer and Work Full-Time at a Day Job”. His in-depth view into his daily routine will give you some excellent tips on what to do. One can see that he has a definite plan that he follows and sticks to to achieve his goal.
Maximise your time
In his article “How to Write While Managing a Full-Time Job: 5 Ways to Maximize Your Time” on WritersDigest, Chuck Sambuchino shares 5 excellent tips on how to make the most of your time. These short but vital tips are easy to keep in mind. They will also become the cornerstone in effectively managing your time.
Commit to your writing no matter what
The following article “How to Write a Book While Working Full-Time” from Jeff Elkins on The Write Practice where he describes what I believe most authors working a fulltime job go through in committing to their craft, is an eye-opener. It describes in depth exactly what he does and feels. His passion for what he is doing shines through and we can only learn from what he shares.
So in Closing…
Writing and working full-time is not a breeze, but it can be achieved. With careful planning, a commitment to getting it done and support from loved ones – it’s definitely achievable.
Develop the strength to stick to your goals and it will become easier as time moves along. Here’s to seeing your book published and available for others to enjoy.
Have any extra tips you’d like to share? Please add them in the comments – I’d love to hear what works for others.
Till next time,
