Writer self-care ,
Five top tips for finding time to write
By Emma Cooper
When I knew I wanted to write a book, it wasn’t the idea, or the vocabulary, or the fact that I didn’t think I was good enough that was stopping me; it was the question of how I would ever find the time. Back then, I was working full-time and had four children. I barely had a chance to have a relaxing bath at the end of a long day, so what chance did I have of writing a whole novel?
What I eventually realised was that I was waiting for a perfect pocket of time: a clear desk, an empty house, candles burning… but that version of ‘writing time’ was a myth. It was never going to happen. Instead, I wrote for half an hour in my lunchtime, and another half an hour when I got home.
Most writers don’t struggle with ideas. They struggle with finding the time – or rather, the belief that writing needs more time than they have.
I didn’t magically find more hours in the day; I just stopped waiting for those perfect writing circumstances that would never come.
These are my top tips for making writing achievable, even when it has to compete with work, health, caring responsibilities, or Peppa Pig in the background…
1. Set realistic targets
Realistic being the keyword here. If you say to yourself, ‘Right, come hell or high water, I’m going to write 2000 words today’, great! Go you! Look at you setting the bar high.
But let’s say you have a meeting that runs over, or one of your kids pukes all over your laptop. Come the end of the day, you haven’t even opened the thing, let alone written a word.
That pressure you’re putting on yourself? That sense of failure? It’s the enemy of creativity. Writing a book thrives on momentum, not punishment.
Smaller, achievable goals will keep you coming back. That’s how your book will get written.
2. One line is better than nothing
Let’s be honest, if you write one line a day, and only one line a day, it will take you a long time to write a book. But momentum beats volume. Every. Single. Time.
That one line? That might be the line that hooks an agent. It might spark an idea for a twist. It might simply remind you that your book exists. Either way, that’s progress; you can’t edit a blank page.
Does that one line need to be written on your laptop in tranquil surroundings? No. It could be on the back of a receipt, a napkin, a takeaway carton. It still counts. You’re still writing a book.
3. Decide in advance when you’ll write
Now, this might sound contradictory given what I’ve just said… but there will be moments when you can carve out a block of time. Even if that means getting up an hour earlier than usual, or going to bed an hour later. Beth O’Leary wrote The Flatshare during her commute to and from work.
The key isn’t to say ‘I’m going to write a whole chapter at half past five in the morning’. It’s committing to getting up a bit earlier and opening the document. What you want to do once that document is open is up to you. You might want to research, or tweak what you’ve already written. You might stay in bed and think. It all counts.
Protecting this time in advance will take away the daily battle with yourself – the question of ‘Will I/won’t I work on my novel today?’. This is your writing time. Be all L’Oréal about it. You’re worth it.
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If you’d like more invaluable insights and supportive advice from Emma, you can join her on the next intake for the Ultimate Novel Writing Programme or the Novel Writing Course. Fancy meeting her or another tutor before you commit to taking the course? You can book a 20-minute Meet Your Tutor session for just £20, which is fully refundable against the cost of the course if you go on to study with us.
By Emma Cooper
About the author
Emma is a Jericho Writers editor, as well as the author of highly acclaimed book club fiction novels including The Songs of Us, The First Time I Saw You and If I Could Say Goodbye. Emma is known for mixing humour with darker emotional themes and is a passionate advocate for working-class writers. Her debut, The Songs of Us, was snapped up in multiple pre-empts and auctions and was short-listed for the RNA contemporary novel of the year award. Her work has since been translated into seven different languages. Emma is currently working on her fourth book contracted with Headline Review which is due to be published in the summer of 2022. For more information, see Emma's author website, Twitter, or Amazon author page.