Did you know that around 95% (maybe more) of writers support their writing habit with a day job? Here’s how you handle writing on top of a full-time job.
It’s tough finding time to write when you work 40+ hours a week. However, if you’re going to write, you need to take it seriously. And that means treating your writing as a second career instead of as a part-time hobby.
You need to write as often as possible. I try to get something written every day, even if it’s a blog post or newsletter. Those count towards your platform, which is supporting your writing career. The trick is to schedule that time, just as if it was your job (which, if you’re serious about writing, it is). Actually put it into your calendar: “My Writing Time!” And when that time comes around, don’t waste it on Facebook or Instagram–plant your butt in your seat and start writing. There’s a lovely saying: the water doesn’t flow if the faucet isn’t turned on. If you’re not trying to write, the muse isn’t going to show up. If you write every day (or as often as you possibly can), that muse will get the idea and start appearing during your scheduled writing time.
It doesn’t matter what sort of quality you’re writing at this point, anyway. Your first draft is going to be horrible–that’s the definition of one. You can always edit once you’re finished with the manuscript. But you can’t edit a blank page (another fine saying). Get the words down, even if you have to set your alarm half an hour earlier every day or stay up half an hour later. Sacrifices must be made if you want to make a career of writing. You can’t save everything up until the weekend because that’s when you need to catch up on everything else you’ve been putting off, like the cleaning, mowing the lawn, or getting that afternoon nap.
The thing is, most of us don’t support themselves just on their writing, so you need to go into this with that realization. It’s rare that a writer doesn’t have a day job (unless they’re retired), and we all just have to learn how to carve out the time we need for our writing. Get out your calendar and start scheduling!