Ah, you thought I’d abandoned you completely, didn’t you? Thanks to a few of my closest cyber chums, I’ve left vapor trails and enough incredible content from these fine writers to keep you discussing/debating until I get back. Today’s post by Anne Wayman speaks directly to that awesome Craving Balance workshop Lisa Gates has going. For those of you who don’t know Anne, she’s got an amazing site called About Freelance Writing, one of my haunts. Her blog and her writers’ forum are terrific resources, as is her entire site. Please visit her. Regularly.
Putting Your Own Writing First
by Anne Wayman
If you’re like me, the bulk of your freelance writing income comes from clients of one sort or another. If you’re like me you’ve got a book or two you want to write, or a blog you want to develop or some other writing project that’s yours alone. And if you’re like me you have a great deal of trouble getting your own writing done because you tend to focus on your clients first.
Not too long ago I read an article, maybe in Prevention Magazine, that said something like “it takes about 75 minutes a day to do what’s necessary to lose weight and get fit.”
My first thought was “that’s way too much!.” But I’m involved in both and as I thought about what I actually do each day around getting healthier, I realized that’s about the amount of time I’m actually spending on the project. That’s workout time, tracking time, food prep time, etc. What surprised me is that I hadn’t missed that time at all – it’s simply what I do for myself.
If I’m willing and able to spend 75 or so minutes a day on my health, why do I feel guilty when I spend an hour a day on my own writing projects? Why do I think 60 minutes on my own writing is somehow taking time away from my clients?
There’s no reason for my negative feelings. I’ve found I can meet deadlines for clients and carve out that hour for my writing. In fact, I’ve discovered I can schedule that hour early in my work day when I’m fresh and still have time and energy for my clients. I’m learning to ignore the guilty feelings and just get on with it. It’s working for me.
It turns out it’s not the amount of time that’s important. It’s the commitment to self. It’s the recognition that it’s important I find a way to pursue my dreams, my vision.
For example, I have a friend who has a fulltime writing job who is developing the book she’s been putting off for ages two paragraphs at a time. That’s what she’s discovered she can schedule and get done. She told me the other day she’s gotten two chapters written that way.
Another writer I know gets great satisfaction from working with clay two hours a week and has gotten good enough that some of his work sells.
Many people have gotten college degrees they wanted one class at a time.
How much time do you, or will you devote to your personal dream writing projects?
Anne Wayman is a freelance ghostwriter who blogs about writing at www.aboutfreelancewriting.com
I completely agree. That's why I do 1K of fiction a day first thing in the morning. The quality is better then, and, no matter what obstacles come up in the day, I know I've got 1K more on my own projects than I had the day before.
How timely this is! It reinforces my recent decision to devote two hours, on at least three days a week, to developing my blog – not the technical side, not for promotion – but in following up on the ideas I've wanted to develop. I'll definitely look at your blog, Anne – in two hours! Thanks!
Perfect timing for me too! I've been working on increasing my productivity so that I can get more client work done every day, and finding that it works I've been wondering how I can also be sure to make time for my own writing — besides blogging, I mean. I like the idea of allowing myself an hour to work on my fiction every day. Thanks for the encouragement!
Like Devon I'm also a big fan of working on my fiction first thing in the morning. If I open that document before anything else (before emails, blogs, twitter, and client projects), I find it's usually some of my best writing fiction-wise. It's also a good way to kick-start my productivity for the rest of the day.
catching up lori… thanks for the link
I just blogged about this very same thing: writing in small chunks. As a new mother I'm finding it challenging to structure my day period, but especially with writing. It's a daily struggle, but I am committed to finding time. Thanks writing for the article.