I never used to struggle with finding time to work on my creative writing. Or my pleasure reading, for that matter.
As a kid, it was always easy enough to fit that stuff in between my schoolwork, family and friends. And for about a decade of my post-college adult life, I was blessed to work at dead-end jobs.
At first, it was temp jobs that didn’t have enough for me to do, even when I asked. Then I graduated to a more permanent position that didn’t have enough for me to do, even when I asked.
So I gave up on asking and found other ways to fill up my time. I started paying attention to political news, and national and international economic information. And, since that could only take up so much time before I’d want to throw something out the window…
I also began to work on my creative writing. A lot.
While at my second temp job out of college, I finished writing one novel manuscript. Then I started (and finished) another one too.
Next up, while at my first and only traditionally employed job, I started and finished another 12. I also edited each one of them repeatedly until they were ready to be published.
As a result… no matter how corrupt my company was, how biased my CEO was, and how immature my colleagues were – and believe you me, that was all ridiculously true – I genuinely value the time I had there.
Please don’t get me wrong. I would never, ever want to go back. And, today, I’m exceptionally happy working for myself as owner and chief executive editor of Innovative Editing.
Even so, I do sometimes miss it being quite so easy to find time to work on my creative writing.
While I published a book just last month – Proving America, a soldier’s story about the War of 1812 – I haven’t actually written anything in a while. Not in that way.
I’m too busy juggling paid work, administrative work, family, friends (kind of), sleep (somewhat), and the everyday necessities of living. You know: grocery shopping, showering, brushing my teeth, exercising. That kind of stuff.
How in the world do I find time to work on my creative writing in the middle of all that?
That last question I posed? I’m about to find out.
I’ve long-since given the advice to fellow writers – both before I took up Innovative Editing and since – that if they really want to write, they have to make room for it.
“It doesn’t have to be for hours on end every day,” I tell them. “You have no idea how much 15 minutes a day can add up.”
I always meant that. And I still do. But I’m about to put it into action.
Truly, 15 minutes a day might be all I can manage for a while. Yet, like I stated above, 15 minutes is better than nothing when you’ve got a story stuck in your head that’s yelling to be let out.
So, here’s to taking my own medicine!
Stay tuned to hear all about how it tastes…