How to Work and Write at the Same Time

Not possible you say?

If you're one of those authors who work part-time or especially full-time, you'll want to listen up. I was off during the summer so, as you would expect, I had a lot more time to write posts like these and to work on my writing and marketing.

Not so as of Monday.

Today I am sitting at my computer using the few minutes I have before I need to leave for work. Going to work at an elementary school is a must for me right now. Yes, I write. And yes, I publish. And yes, I sell my books, but what I sell and when I sell it, let's just say, varies. Working as a teacher's aide helps me to smooth things out in the financing department quite a bit.

If you're like me and work outside the home, but at the same time want to write and publish, you may find yourself never getting to what you love the most in favor of what pays you on a regular basis. To these writers in particular I would like to focus this blog post. 

Write when you're fresh. It is easy to say, "Well, when I get home from work, I'll write, or when the weekend comes," but it is hard to do. The best writing that gets done for me is in the mornings before work. Yes, that means I need to get up early. And yes, that means that I need to get in bed at a decent hour - for me, that's 9:30 p.m. But that's what it takes. 

I am looking at the clock right now. I need to leave at 7:50 and it's 7:48, so I will need to decide about finishing this post when I return home or waiting until tomorrow to finish it.

Gather ideas at work and when you're driving in the car. I can't even tell you how many times a great thought about a new book or the next scene will come into my mind when I am somewhere else. I think this is because your brain relaxes. You are focused on something else so your brain naturally gives

 Tom Wheatley on Unsplash

you the next greatest thing.

5:26 p.m. I am finally able to finish this post. It's been a long day but the creative juices never dry up for good!

Write in those spare moments whenever you have them! Small pieces of anything grow large the longer you are at it. When I began I Walked With Jesus, I was still working! My goal was to write a chapter a week! I did pretty well most of the time and now have a book almost ready to publish. Keep your eyes open for August 30!

Keep in mind that there are moments in life where we could be writing and don't. I have spoken about these distractions before. Still, sometimes a little distraction like television watching is just what the doctor ordered! Guess what I did first when I got home from work today?

Having a bit of time off to just lounge is okay, as long as you use it to juice up and get back to writing!

[I'm finally finishing at 6:02. I had a couple of things to do before finding the picture above].