A non-writer recently told me that you basically have to be rich or retired to have the time to write books, and I was slightly confused because I’m not yet either of those things. And here I am, writing novels anyway. Weird, right?
I have to be honest, though: I don’t have a day job outside my home. You’re looking at my work now. So although I have a life full of work and other responsibilities (mostly my kids, cats and volunteer work for Red Cross), I don’t need to waste my time on things like commuting or hanging out with my coworkers after hours, so in that way I’m privileged.
What I do have, though, is a life full of other things besides my novel writing, and I did once write a novel while studying full time, so I know what it’s like not being able to focus on writing 24/7. With my tips, you can also write your novel even if you’re working full-time.
Let’s see how to make that happen!
Most writers these days have to do this
If you think everyone who writes books has 12 hours per day to do it, you clearly don’t know that many writers! Yeah I’m sure Stephen King can afford to not do much else, but not everyone is an international bestseller.
The reality is, I know a lot of writers and only two of them don’t have regular jobs at the moment. If you think you can’t write a book while working a full-time job, you clearly don’t understand how most books are written these days. We can’t all be classic authors retreating into our country houses.
Not to be all “we all have the same 24 hours in a day” because that’s blatantly not true, but just because something is difficult, doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Do you really think the perfect time to write a book will EVER arrive?
You might have to make sacrifices to write a book
Most people who say they want to write a book but never do usually lack the right priorities to be writing anything extensive. It’s your business what your priorities are, I’m not judging at all, but if you do want to write, it’s you who needs to make it happen.
How many things in your daily life are actually crucial and non-negotiable? Make a list. Things like going to work, making dinner, getting some exercise, looking after your kids, etc. When you’re NOT doing one of those things, ask yourself if you could be writing instead.
You don’t have to sacrifice all your hobbies and downtime to write, but you do have to sacrifice SOMETHING if you’re actually serious about this. Maybe don’t make that long phone call to your bestie this week and maybe you could watch just one episode of Gilmore Girls instead of six.
And when it comes to the non-negotiable stuff, you might be able to pinch some time from them as well. Maybe once a week you get takeout instead of cooking dinner so you have more time for writing. Maybe you can jot down some interesting plot points during your lunch break. (I understand that can be hard to do, I used to be a nurse so it’s a bit like “What is a lunch break?”)
I have a wonderfully prolific writer friend who has two kids, and she records herself voice memos while doing chores and then types them out later. Don’t be afraid to use any possible tool for getting your ideas on paper if it makes things easier for you and lets you multitask.
The most important thing you need to write a book while working full time
Some writers out there are going to say Ew! when I say this, but it’s just the truth: Having an outline saves you time in the long run.
Your novel’s outline can be anything you like. It could be a list of bullet points, it could be a one-page summary of your story or it could be a collection of character arcs. If you think outlining your story won’t work for you, it could be that you just haven’t found the right method for you. Maybe The Troublemaker Method is right for you.
I know it can be tempting to just start writing when you’re already short on time, but I promise it’s worth it in the long run. When you know exactly where your story needs to go, you won’t waste time on random tangents that you’ll need to edit out later and you won’t end up staring at an empty page or the blinking cursor for the whole 30 minutes you could devote to your writing that day.
Planning your story in advance also gives you the advantage of learning whether you really want to write that story after all. Nothing is more frustrating than writing dozens and dozens of pages just to realise your heart is not in it. When you get a bird’s eye view of your story, you can also avoid most plot holes, and that will make your editing much easier.
Here are some more tips for writing efficiently.
Plan when you’re going to write
As well as planning what you’re going to write, you need to plan WHEN you’re going to write.
Sometimes, you can’t plan for it. Maybe you can’t be sure whether you’re stuck in traffic for fifteen or fifty minutes or when your baby is going to fall asleep. You can still decide that you’ll grab any extra time you have without wasting time wondering if you should. The “thinking about it” will waste a lot more time than you realise.
So let’s think about those more predictable times. Can you work on your story for fifteen minutes before bed? Can you take a shower more quickly and spend ten minutes drafting your characters? Make a list of all the times you know you can use, and then use them.
Sometimes, your life is just chaotic. Here’s a post about why you might not need a daily writing routine.
Stick to your plans
You’ve made your plans, now stick to them.
Like I said earlier, trying to decide something takes up way too much time and energy. That’s why you make the decisions beforehand, and when it’s time to write, you actually write. Don’t try to negotiate with yourself, just do it.
Yes, like is unpredictable sometimes. If you need to do overtime or you accidentally fall asleep on the sofa at seven in the evening, tough. Just pick up where you left the next time. No need to make it mean something.
Use any writing tools that work for you
Sitting at your desk in front of your computer is not the only way to write. You should use any method that works for you if it helps you get more words on the page.
I already mentioned dictating voice notes to yourself, so that’s one option. You can also write regular notes on your phone on the go, like when you’re in a waiting room or in line at the grocery store. If you don’t like the notes app on your phone, there are many other apps you could use, like Milanote or Notion, both of which I really like.
When my kids were smaller, I wrote my first drafts by hand. Getting to the desktop or getting my laptop out was never a simple job and it seemed like there was yet another new Windows update that took five minutes whenever I had the chance to get to the computer. That’s why I aways had a notebook and a pen by me so that I could start working on my writing straight away as soon as I got a chance.
It’s true, writing by hand is slower than on the computer, but you know what is even slower? Not writing.
When you’re writing on your computer, you don’t have to settle for Microsoft Word. If you find it easy to learn new software, you could use Scrivener, but my personal favourite is yWriter which is a lot easier to use. You could also use Google Docs or Notion, and I happen to have this Google Docs outline template (or this one for romance novels specifically) and this Notion novel writing hub that will get you started the easy way.
This isn’t nearly all the tools you can use to write that novel of yours, just an invitation to use your imagination and anything you have at your disposal. You could even get a Kindle Scribe and use that for your planning and writing.
Think about your story when you’re busy (if you can)
Thinking about writing does not, in fact, count as writing, but that doesn’t mean thinking about your story is useless.
So you can’t write in the car because you need your hands on the wheel. What do you do? Think about your characters. Think about what might be the worst things that could happen to them and how you could make these things happen. If you want a specific plot event in your story, think about the events that need to lead up to it. Here are some plot questions for you to mull over.
Think about how you can make what you’ve already written even better. Solve problems. Come up with fun pieces of dialogue. Then, when you do get a chance, get your ideas down somewhere so you don’t lose them.
Maybe you can’t do this at every single job – I certainly wouldn’t want my surgeon to think about writing smut while removing my gall bladder. But if your brain isn’t acutely needed at the tasks at hand, do give some consideration to your story, too.
Have boundaries around your writing time
When you haven’t been focusing on your writing before, it can be difficult to get people in your life respect your writing time. Don’t let this become a problem.
When you’re going to be writing, tell the people you live with that you can’t be disturbed. Don’t let anyone walk over you just because they think what you’re doing isn’t important. Tell them it’s important. So what if it might not ever bring you any money and fame? Your creative process is valuable anyway and you deserve to spend time on your own things. And besides, you never know. You could become the next big thing.
You also need to be strict with yourself. Write when you should be writing, don’t faff around with any other stuff. And in the name of everything that is holy, put away your phone. Sharing Pride and Prejudice memes does NOT count as writing!!
If you work from home, try writing somewhere else
I work on my business and my writing at home, and I admit it can get tedious when everything is your workplace. Someone keeps leaving dirty dishes here and the litterboxes always need cleaning. It’s not necessarily a conductive space for creativity.
If you get tired having to always be at home and if your home computer only reminds you of work, try working on your story somewhere else. Getting a $7 latte every day just to be able to work in your favourite coffeeshop might not get cheap, but it’s not the only option there is. You could go to the library or to the park, or you could have a coworking session with your friend.
Writing a novel when you’re a student
Being a student is a little different from working full-time because you’re hardly studying only when you’re at school. You’ve got essays, presentations and studying for tests. In addition to that, you might also be working to support yourself.
Most of the same principles in this post apply to you, too, but I understand if you just don’t want to do it! This isn’t a post about why everyone absolutely must write, it’s a post of tips and solutions for people who do want to write.
That said, if you want to write a book even though you need to read and write a lot for school as well, it can be done. You could try working on your story in a completely different environment, only at home or only during the holidays. You could have specific writing music or you could use your fanciest notebook for your first draft. Use any trick you can think of to make your novel writing different from your studies.
Romanticizing writing is also a fun way to make it very different from your school work. Make it aesthetic, make your notes and outlines cute, find the nicest places to work on your writing. If you enjoy it and it gets you writing, go for it. Takes some pics and then do some actual writing.
Remember that writing is not a speed race
Let’s imagine it’s going to take you seven years to write a novel. Does that thought make you go “um, no thanks, I’d rather not write then”? Fast forward to seven years – would you rather have a finished book in your hands or not? As I always remind my people, the time will pass anyway. If you want it, it doesn’t matter how much time it’s going to take.
The only thing that writing fast means is that you’re writing fast. It doesn’t mean it’s good writing and it doesn’t necessarily mean the book will be finished any quicker. After all, editing your novel will take a lion’s share of the whole process.
That said, writing a quick first draft can be a good think if you enjoy editing more than writing. You can commit to spitting out the worst first draft in the world and then really start honing it if that feels more efficient to you. I always like revisions much more than the actual creation – the empty page makes my ADHD brain a little panicked. I like seeing what I’m working on.
Don’t edit your story blindly
The best way to get discouraged while editing your story is to try to fix all the problems at once. You shouldn’t even go from the first page all the way to the last page for every round of edits (or “draft”) because that’s the least efficient way to work.
What you need to do instead is to have a focus for each round of editing you do. First you start from the big-picture stuff like making sure all your scenes are in the right order and that nothing is missing, and you move on to smaller things like characters, settings and dialogue before you dare even think about grammar or proofreading.
You can find an easy-to-follow editing process in this blog post. It really makes it easier to make progress even in smaller increments when you know exactly what you’re looking for and what pages you’re working on.
You’ve got this
I wouldn’t be writing this post if I didn’t think it was possible to write a book while working full-time. There are plenty of people who do it, all without servants and maids. Parenting doesn’t have to stop you either.
Since you read all this way, I assume writing a novel is something you actually want to do. If you really think you can’t do it, it’s none of my business and I’m not here to convince you otherwise. I just wish you luck on whatever else you decide to do with your life – I’m sure it’s gonna be great!
Here’s how you write your novel even if you’re working full time
If you don’t know HOW you should write that novel you’ve dreamt about writing, I want to save you some time. You don’t need to keep looking for more articles on Pinterest or wade through countless craft books before you can even think about starting your novel.
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Protagonist Crafts is a blog about writing fiction, written by a published author and creative writing teacher. You can find more writing tips and inspiration in the blog and you can get the best author tools at Writer Lifestyle on Etsy.
