written a great guest post for The Book Corner on her five top tips for find the time to write, lets face it finding any time for ourselves these days is tricky, so when you are trying to write a book it must be even harder!
If you’re an aspiring author trying to write your first novel, it can often be difficult to free up some time to write. With day jobs, childcare, chores and a social life, modern times are busier than ever before – something has to give to make that first draft happen. Here are my top five tips for making the time to write:
1. Are you a morning person?
Use that time before your day job to work on your novel. Even if you’re not a morning person, the lighter mornings in summer make it easier to trick your brain into thinking that it’s later than it actually is. Getting up an hour earlier each day could equate to adding a few thousand words to your book each week.
2. How long is your commute?
Years ago, when I first started writing, I had a twenty-five minute train journey into Leeds, which was the perfect amount of time to edit some chapters before work. Do that twice a day and that’s a few hours there that you’d usually spend reading other people’s books or listening to music.
3. Most day jobs offer an hour lunch break. A lot of us don’t take this, instead choosing to eat a sandwich whilst continuing with our work. Stop this right now! That’s five hours there that you could be spending researching your novel or writing it. If you find that people are still disturbing you at your desk, see what’s in the local area. Do you work near a library, for example? Or, take refuge in a coffee shop for an hour with your notebook or laptop. Don’t waste this time!
4. Sure, it’s nice to go for after work drinks every week with your colleagues. Do this every other week though and you free up an evening to work on your book. Oh, and you won’t have an hangover the next day. Result!
5. Book a Monday or Friday off work to give yourself a long weekend to write. The more consecutive days you have off to write, the more the book flows out of you. If you can spare any of your holiday allowance, take off as much time as you can and dedicate it your writing.
What’s the best advice you’ve heard for making time to write?
About Lost
"I'm starting to realise that age is just a number, but Tabitha pointed out I'm only saying that because I'm twenty-five, engaged, and have my life together. (Touch wood things stay that way.)"
Arielle is back! OK, she's not on her way to becoming the next Coco Chanel, her childhood dream, but she is one way step closer to running her very own shop with her business partner, Felicity.
She's also planning her perfect romantic wedding to fiancé, Piers, and Arielle is starting to believe that she's finally found her place in the world... Of course life is never that straightforward.
With a new-found foe interfering with her shop decisions, not to mention haughty wedding planners and loved ones facing personal struggles, will Arielle figure out what's important before all is lost?
Out in Kindle and in paperback formats now:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Arielle-Lockley-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00U2X7E4A
If you’ve not yet read Kept, the first book in the Arielle Lockley series, buy it here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kept-ebook/dp/B00CHCOO7E/
About Elle
Elle Field lives in London with her boyfriend and their cat. She enjoys exploring new places, watching musicals on the West End, and eating her way around London’s culinary delights.
Her first novel Kept was released in April 2013; Geli Voyante’s Hot or Not followed in October 2013. Lost, the sequel to Kept, is out now. Look out for the final book in the Arielle Lockley series, Found, towards the end of the year.
Links
Kept: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kept-Elle-Field-ebook/dp/B00CHCOO7E/
Geli Voyante’s Hot or Not: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Geli-Voyantes-Hot-Not-ebook/dp/B00FY12QUM/
Lost:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Arielle-Lockley-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00U2X7E4A/
Blog:http://www.ellefield.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ellefie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellefieldauthor
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Thank you for having me on the blog today and taking part in the blog tour for Lost. :) x
ReplyDeleteLovely post Elle. I realised I was watching endless Friends repeats so I pulled the plug on the TV! No TV means plenty of writing time :-)
ReplyDeleteIndeed it does, Shelley! If there's a TV series I'm watching - especially when it's one I can binge-watch on Netflix - I treat myself to an episode at lunchtime *if* I've had a productive morning... otherwise hours can easily fly by watching TV! :)
DeleteThat's a great idea! I might adopt that in my house :-)
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