If Only I Had All Day to Write

This is every writer's lament.

We're convinced our writing lives would be perfection if only we had hour upon hour to indulge our creativity, free from the draining jobs that keep us out of debtors' prison.

This goal buoyed me through many jobs that seemed intent on breaking my spirit, if I didn't break somebody's head first.  I would gaze wistfully into the distance, fantasizing of that day when I could tap away at the keyboard, writing at least one manuscript a day while whistling a happy tune. 

Unfortunately, all of us have a tendency to glamorize jobs that we only see from the outside.

I used to be a Tasting Room Manager at a winery, and I can't even count how many times I heard, "It must be nice to drink wine all day".  I nodded and agreed, because that really does sound delightful.  However, it wasn't part of MY job, even though my customers thought so.  My staff and I worked our butts off to give every customer a pleasant experience while THEY drank wine.  (Okay, we might have had a sip at the end of the day, but hey, by then we really deserved it.)

So it's likely we've glamorized the job of full-time writer, and we should examine exactly WHY we want that occupation.

1.       It proves we're a writer

If we're spending all day being a writer, then we must be a writer.  Right?  

Wrong. 

You're a writer because you write.  You have ideas that swirl through your brain twenty-four hours a day, not just when your muse blows into town.  You create plots and characters and you write them down, form them into exciting stories, and edit and revise until they are irresistible page-turners.

If you need to prove to anyone that you're a writer, just whip out your manuscripts, and your rejection letters, and your battered heart that keeps on beating hopefully even when the goal of publication seems as far away as Mars.

So what's another reason we want to write full-time?

2.       More time to write

After an exhausting workday, it's daunting to keep the energy level up high enough to pour our heart and soul into a masterpiece.  It's like coming home to another full-time job.  

But let's face it.  Having more time to write is no guarantee that it'll actually get used for writing. 

Avoiding, procrastinating, and "getting ready to write" take up a lot more of a writer's day than whipping out a couple thousand words.  Anyone who's done NaNo knows that the daily 1667 word count takes at most a couple of hours of sitting at the keyboard.  However, dragging ourselves to the computer can take at least four times that, not to mention eighteen times the energy.

We accomplish more writing in short bursts of time.  Most of us have had to write at least some of our stories that way, stealing lunch hours, or squeezing in a few sentences here and there.  It actually keeps us focused on what we need to write.  We don't have time to let our attention, or our muse, wander.

Also, the prospect of several uninterrupted hours of writing frightens many people when they finally get it.  For some, it can be even more restricting than too little time, and they freeze up.  They can't write a single word.   

Haven't you heard the best way to get something done is to give it to someone who has too much to do?  It's the same way with writing. 

So what is it, really, that is so appealing about writing full-time?

3.       Freedom

This is what it really boils down to.  Writing full-time is like an endless supply of snow days.  We can stay home in our jammies, drink coffee, and write bestsellers day after day.

It's not that we want more time.  We just want the freedom to decide how we spend those unfettered hours each and every day. 

We get to be our own bosses.  Nobody is breathing down our neck, telling us what to do, or the best way to do it.  Ahhh.  Now that is the definition of bliss.

But there's a down side to all this freedom. 

It's tempting to stay in your jammies too long, and then family members pinch their nose while asking when you last showered, and you have to study your calendar before giving an accurate answer.  It's been so long since you left the house, the neighbor kids have nicknamed you Boo Radley, but as a cautionary tale, not a literary homage.

At some point you're going to run out of coffee, and as far as I know, Starbucks hasn't started room service for residences.  Even though they totally should. 

Even worse, discipline can desert you.  If you think your muse is fickle, discipline has commitment issues that requires prolonged therapy.

So if you can't write full-time yet, don't despair.  It may be on the horizon, and until that moment arrives, your writing efforts now are preparing you for it. 

You don't need the validation that you're a writer, and you already know how to make use of short bursts of writing time.  Best of all, you have the freedom to write stories that help others escape the tedium of their daily work life. 

Only a writer who has lived that existence can appreciate what a gift that is.

What appeals to you about writing full-time?  Have you been a full-time writer?  If so, what words of wisdom can you share? 

Comments

[Maureen]

I have the freedom to be a full-time writer. I'm not sure I call myself that, though. If full-time is 40 hours a week...nope. Not full-time. I could, if I had the discipline and when I'm on a deadline, of sorts...when my agent is waiting for something or I have to get an edit to my editor... I do. I just do.

What do I like the most about it? When I do those do's that I need to do and make my deadline, or beat it.

There's something about getting assignments done... I was always THAT student.

[Melissa]

Wow. This sounds exactly like my experience of being a writer. I've had various periods of full time writing and during those gifted hours, my warm ups grew longer and didn't necessarily end in writing. I'd tell myself I was warming up for the *next* day. :) I could do that since I was the boss.

But I don't think I ever figured out that it was the freedom more than the time I wanted. It makes sense! No wonder why I didn't get things done -- I'm rebelling against bossing myself around. LOL

[Donna Cummings]

Maureen, I think "full-time" can be defined many ways. When I'm editing, I do 14-15 hours/day, so it's definitely 40+. Other days I can put 40 hours in, but a lot of it is not going to show up on the page, since it's research or pondering or taking notes, etc.

LOL about you being THAT student. I wouldn't have guessed that. :)

[Donna Cummings]

Melissa, it took me a while to figure it out. LOL I have a goal of about 2k words a day, and it doesn't really take that long to do. So that leaves a lot of other time in the day for other things, writing-related and not-writing-related. As you said, a lot more "warming up" going on.

I can see where I'm rebelling against myself. LOL Neither the boss nor the employee are gonna be happy!

[Kari Marie]

I'm one of those writers who squeaks it out whenever I have time. I get up at 6 a.m. So I can have an hour to myself. If i'm lucky I'll get 1000 words, but it never feels like enough. Then I wish for more time to write, but I know that more time doesn't guarantee more words. In the end, I suppose I get exactly the number of words in me for the day down on paper. If there were more, I wouldn't be sleeping.

[Donna Cummings]

Kari Marie, I know what you mean about it never feeling like it's enough. The other day I managed 3000 words and I was thinking, "I could probably do another 500." LOL

You're right, you have the amount of words you have, and more time doesn't mean you'll have more words. :) Hopefully that's a comforting thought. (It is to me!)

Thanks for stopping by!

[Terri Osburn]

I'm not sure I could do the "nothing but write" thing. I can be motivated, especially by seeing myself actually accomplish things. But without defined boundaries? I'd be the biggest goof off around. LOL!

And even when I have a whole weekend to do nothing but write, I don't always open the file. The last thing I need is that much freedom. :)

[Donna Cummings]

LOL, Terri -- those "defined boundaries" are an important tool in the writer's toolbox, aren't they? The good thing is that I can choose which portion of the day or night to write. I have nightowl tendencies, so I like being able to write then, when the muse finally wakes her ass up. LOL

[Aine Greaney]

A friend sent me this, and I absolutely *love* it. I wish I had found it earlier. I just finished an instructional book, "Writer with a Day Job," (Writers Digest Press, 2011). Among the authors and poets I interviewed for the book, few of them actually got more writing done as retirees or "full-time" writers. Though as many here have pointed out, there's no such thing as a full-time writer anyway. Personally, I find my current job satisfactory and a way to give my day structure and ... oh, yes ... there's that pesky little mortgage issue ... Very nice post and site.

[Donna Cummings]

Aine, I'm so thrilled to hear you enjoyed it! And too bad inspiration hit me too late. LOL

I'm glad to know there are other writers who operate the same way. Your book sounds delightful, and I can't wait to read it.

I agree that structure is necessary, even though I've spent my entire working life trying to stretch that structure into a less-confining configuration. LOL

Thanks again for stopping, as well as your kind words!

[Leigh Michaels]

Great post, Donna. I've been a full-time writer for years, with sideline activities -- but I find that the more time I have, the more time I waste. When my to-do list and my calendar are full, I'm actually more productive than when I have no particular deadline and nothing pressing to finish.

Sometimes when all the other demands of life are heavy, I actually get more writing done -- I think it's because I'm escaping the deadly stuff by writing in my head, and then the story flows faster and more easily because it's waiting to be transcribed.

That's on the good days, of course. ;-)

[Donna Cummings]

Leigh, it's so true how deadlines and pressure keep us motivated. I wish it wasn't true, but there ya go! LOL

I agree how the "writing in the head" keeps the yucky stuff at bay. I remember last year when life was particularly stressful, and I kept thinking, "I wonder what my characters are up to?", as if they were on a cool vacation and I couldn't wait to hear all about it. LOL

[Liz Lipperman]

Terrific insight into a stay at home writer, Donna. I also set a goal because I'm so undisciplined and a major procrastinator. I try to write 25 new pages a week,especially if I'm under the gun because of my procrastinating.

I hear writers fuss all the time about not meeting their goals bbutut they fail to take into consideration how much time goes into plotting and researching, not to mention editing. And if you belong to a critique group, there's more time. So although I would be the first one to tell you how much I don't get done, I suspect I get more than I thought accomplished.

As I mentioned, you hit it on the head. Thanks for the reminder.

[Donna Cummings]

Thanks, Liz. I agree that more gets done than it seems. You can't just look at the word count. I spend a lot of time making notes and thinking and pondering. It may LOOK like I'm just staring out the window. LOL But it really is essential "brain stirring" so I can sit down and start typing.

I think it's important to set the goals, though, because time can be such a slippery devil. LOL It slips through my fingers all the time, so I like to see the word count total go up, giving me that sense of accomplishment that staring out the window doesn't. :)

[Jan O'Hara]

You've really hit the nail on the head for #2 for me, Donna. At least lately. I used to do my best writing when I had several hours at a time to dig deep, but lately, unless I have a deadline to push me - and I don't for my fiction - that can induce panic. A strategy that's helping me focus and improve my word count MORE consistently than large blocks of time is word sprints. I'm meeting other writers online at set periods in a chatroom. We write in 2 half-hour bursts. Works for me!

[Donna Cummings]

Jan, word sprints are a great idea. I've done something similar when I *only* had 15 minutes to write, and wow, I stunned myself at how much I got done!

When I'm revising, I need long blocks of time, but I think it's because of the continuity. It's hard to come back and get restarted. But with drafting, shorter bursts are productive AND confidence boosting. :)

[Liz Fichera]

I've been writing full-time for a few years now but I've got to tell you that sometimes I think I was better with managing my time when I wrote AND had a full-time job too. How I did both back then I'll never know, but I did.

[Donna Cummings]

Liz, I know exactly what you mean. The "full-time writing" hours don't seem to have as many minutes in them. LOL They go by way too fast.