Hey everyone! I’m sorry that this post is just a tad bit late. I normally write the post before the Saturday it goes up so it can go up at the same time but this week, I have caught the horrendous disease of COVID-19 and have had a bit of a rough week. But I did manage to actually write this post which I am proud of! I’m also excited for today’s topic so I felt the need to actually write it. So, without further ado…
Develop As A Writer: Making Space and Time for Writing
After the previous two skills we talked about to develop as a writer, those being creating goals and making an organizational system, we’ve finally reached the third stage of developing as a writer. That is making space and time for writing. I am notoriously bad at this goal. When I was in High School, I was much better at keeping track of my schedule and it was much more consistent. I usually had time to write even when I was relatively busy with other things. However, now that I have been a free adult for several years now (as free as a University student can get) I have come to realize that I am actually really bad at making time and space for writing when my schedule is my own.
So, finding information and learning about this topic for this post was very interesting for me. One of the things that I noticed while doing research is that although making time and space for writing are usually clumped together when speaking creating those two things are very different processes. So, I’ve decided to break my post up into two sections: Making Time and Making Space.
Making Space for Writing
Making a writing space is first before making time for writing. You can’t really set aside time to write if you don’t have a place to do the writing. There are a lot of different things you can do to make a good writing space but many of them are very personalized. I’m not going to try and cover them all in this post so all the ones listed here will be just general ideas.
First thing I’d like to mention is that you should have a dedicated workspace. Even if you don’t necessarily always sit down and write in this workspace you should still have the space set aside to hold your writing things as well such as notebooks, writing utensils, writing laptop, etc. Make sure that it has good lighting. Can you imagine trying to write a really tense scene in your novel (rather on paper or digitally) and then realize that you’re either squinting or blinking because the lighting is either not enough or too intense? Having the best lighting in your writing space is good for helping you maintain your focus on what you are writing.
On that same note of maintaining your focus you should make sure your space is comfortable. Its too easy to sit down to do some writing in a chair that is only slightly uncomfortable and then realize after sitting in the chair for several hours that maybe its harder to sit in than you thought. This can be just as distracting as having the wrong lighting. Also keeping sound distractions to a minimum can help. Making sure that your space is your own and that it is quiet (or as quiet as you want it to be for your writing) and that you are in control of you own noise levels. Some people prefer to listen to classical or themed instrumental music when they write. Others need complete silence. Either way make sure that you have the right noise level that you need.
Another thing is keeping it organized. This does not mean clean. Let me say that again. THIS DOES NOT HAVE TO MEAN CLEAN! I know plenty of writers who’s writing space is not clean, but it is organized. Organize based on whatever works for you. Like we discussed in the last post organization is left up to the writer and their own personality.
One thing that was mentioned in every single article I read about writing spaces was to display your inspiration. Whether this is plants to help you bring fresh air and inspiration into your space, bookshelves for reference books and journals, pillows, shawls, a bed, blankets, music, noise cancelling headphones, or a wall full of quotes, writing prompts and art. Decorate your space in a way that will inspire you. I personally am a beanbag, wall of quotes/art, and bookshelves inspiration decorator. How do you decorate to inspire yourself?
I also saw one post mention how to create a writing space for yourself when you are outside your home. This was something I’ve never considered before so I don’t have much of my own advice on the topic but the article I read mentioned that you should pick only a few places that you use as writing spaces outside your home and stick with those few choices. These can be a café (or 2 or 3) a library, a favorite park or other locations. Try to pick places that cover as many of the other sections as possible (clean, quiet, bring inspiration). I personally find graveyards very peaceful and inspiring. That’s where I tend to walk when I am in need to writing inspiration.
Making Time for Writing
Now that we’ve talked about making space for writing lets talk about making time. Making time for writing is not always easier but, in my opinion, has less steps than making a writing space. One of the articles that I read said, “Prioritizing writing often means making at least one other activity in your life less of a priority.” The first step to making time for writing is by making space in a schedule. Find a time that you are doing something less important than writing and make space for it. Making time for writing is a lot harder when you have too many things that you place as more important than writing.
After you plan time for writing in you schedule make sure that you’re writing time is SACRED. You need to fight for that time. You need to work as hard as possible to keep that time you have made as writing time only for writing. You are your own worst enemy in this case. Don’t tell yourself that something you need to do that could be done at a different time is important enough to cut into your special writing time.
The last two things you need to do to make time for writing are really similar. You need to plan your process into your writing time, and you need to find a balance between writing to achieve a goal or make a habit and writing to write. Planning your process is easy. You just need to know what your process is. Are you the type of person who needs 20 minutes of writing before you really get started? Are you the type of person who can jump into writing right from where you left off? Whatever kind of writer you are just note what kind of process you have and make sure to plan enough time for it. But you also need to make sure that you are writing for fun or writing simply for the process of writing. Make sure that not having a muse doesn’t stop you from writing but that you write for fun during those scheduled times sometimes.
That’s all I have for you guys on making time and space for writing. I’m sorry again that this post was about 3 days late. I’m trying really hard to catch up on all the homework and blogging that I missed because of COVID. I hope you all stay safe out there and find time and a place to write. Please like, subscribe, become a blog page member, share, and follow me on social media at the links below. And remember,
Get Up, Get Writing, and Get Published. See you next week!
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