on full time jobs and passing out
i succeeded in my first attempt at nanowrimo. the year was 2011. i had just started high school, and series like the hunger games and collections like after were swirling around in my mind like agitated tuna. i heard about nanowrimo on social media and immediately rose to the challenge. after school, i sequestered myself to my room and wrote for hours. on the weekends, i barely ate. once, after a particularly long and involved writing session, i had a dizzy spell and fainted in the living room, much to my mom's and sister's horror. but i did it: i had a more-than-two-hundred page manuscript well before the november 30th deadline, and i was sure to let everyone know, too.
flash forward ten years, and i've yet to win at nanowrimo since.
life's different now. there's no high school chemistry class hanging over my head, no more finals weeks to dread, and the all-day-long event that is thanksgiving is now reduced to a couple-of-hours trip home to see the family. i've got a stable job, an undemanding home life, and nothing more than an animal crossing island calling for my attention. seems like the perfect recipe for nanowrimo, right? (if only.)
it's no secret that writers struggle to balance their passion projects with their day jobs. see claire hennessey's piece for the irish times, "the secret lives of writers (and their day jobs)" for a collection of thoughts from writers whose creative work doesn't pay the bills. also see writers like raymond chandler, who didn't launch his writing career until he was 44 and worked as an oil company executive before he began his impressive literary journey. i'll throw some personal examples into the ring, too: my most talented writer friends are working as salespeople, library managers, and marketing specialists, all while editing for literary magazines or pursuing masters degrees or just trying to get down five hundred words here and there. add families, social obligations, and housekeeping to the mix, and it's a miracle any of us ever get anything on paper.
i think that's where prompts like nanowrimo come in: it's for those of us who need an external push so we actually make time for writing in the middle of our busy (and sometimes boring) lives. i call it a prompt because that's all it is: nanowrimo (or national novel writing month, for those of you unfamiliar) is an online challenge that writers all over the world partake in every november. the traditional goal is to write an entire novel-length manuscript in thirty days, though that's not the only way a writer can participate. nanowrimo can be anything you make of it. want to write a collection of short stories? put together a poetry chapbook for submission? however you want to use nanowrimo, that's the right way to do it.
but still, how does anyone with a job or a family manage to write something that huge in such a short amount of time? there's no one-size-fits-all answer, unfortunately, but there are some things we can all practice to make the most of our writing, not only during november, but all year round. and it doesn't necessarily involve sleeping five hours a night, either.
be excited about what you're writing.
though it seems obvious, it needs to be said: if you don't like what you're writing, it's going to be much harder to dedicate your time to it. do you feel obligated to finish that incredibly complex house of leaves-inspired saga you started four years ago because you were sure it'd be the big one? or are you dragging your feet through a painstakingly-detailed description of your fantasy world that must be established before the characters embark on their journey?
if i've learned anything as a writer, it's this: sometimes you have to be willing to toss old ideas.
don't be afraid to drop the novel idea you once thought would be the one in a soon-to-be-forgotten folder on your desktop. life is hard enough without forcing yourself to give life to an idea that's been cold for months (maybe even years). be passionate about a new idea, and pursue it with all you've got. the story will be better, and so will your headspace.
don't compromise your sleep schedule.
i can't tell you how many alpha-mentality articles i've read that say things like, "sometimes, getting less sleep is fine. push yourself a little past midnight even if your eyelids are drooping. do everything you can to pound those words out."
this is absolutely not advice everyone (or anyone, in my opinion) should take. reduced sleep and/or quality of sleep is linked to negative health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, depression, and diabetes. and, even if you don't want to take your health into consideration, your writing will suffer if you're not taking care of yourself.
writing is important. for some of us, it's even a reason for living. but not even a consistent writing schedule should come at the expense of your health.
so don't be like kassie. don't push yourself so hard that you pass out in the living room. your body - and the people you live with - will be grateful if you don't.
get involved with friends.
i'm lucky enough to come from a university writing program where i established long-lasting friendships with some amazing people. even now, years after graduation, we still send our work back and forth, leaving helpful comments on how the piece is great and how it could be even greater. i have one amazing friend who even sends me memes related to the stories i've sent him. this comradery is indispensable for writers, despite the reputation that writing is a solitary profession.
there's nothing more motivating in writing than knowing people want to read your work.
if you don't come from a writing background, this might seem difficult - especially if you've never shared your work before. if you aren't already, i highly recommend getting involved in online spaces like twitter, instagram, facebook, and even discord. there, you can easily find other writers with situations and stories similar to yours. use hashtags, search for writing groups, and...do whatever they do in discord (i don't understand it, i just know people love it, i'm so sorry). the official nanowrimo website even has some resources for connecting with other writers. who knows? - maybe you'll even make some lasting friendships.
set boundaries with your family/roommates.
thankftully, i live with a very wonderful and understanding partner who has stuff he can do while i'm camped out on the couch with a laptop and a cold cup of coffee. for others in shared spaces, it might not be that easy.
if you've got a spouse, roommates, or kids old enough to understand, you might want to have a conversation with them about what your writing means to you, and your need for a quiet, uninterrupted time and place to write - especially after work. this requires careful balancing, as you probably shouldn't make a habit of compromising valuable time with your family. but part of living in a shared space means you have to work harder to maintain your individuality. this applies to writing, too.
if you love me, let me go...write in the other room for an hour.
think about other places you can go to write, too. nearby coffee shop open late? patio with a comfortable lawn chair? if you can't make a quiet place at home to write after work, don't be afraid to look elsewhere.
got pto?
at my last job, my supervisor introduced me to the concept of a mental health day. she was very open about what these days were: days to do nothing at all, to sit at home in your pajamas and watch television, relax in the sunshine, or sleep in till noon. (yes, that was an excellent, once-in-a-lifetime work environment. the one that got away, really. if you find a job like this, cherish it. i'm going to listen to some sad music now.)
for those of you who have sick/vacation days available, and your boss isn't a stickler about it, why not take advantage of that time for writing? i'll leave my more...spicy thoughts about pto for another time, but i will say this: you're entitled to your days off, and by golly, if you want to spend a day sitting in bed with your laptop and some greasy snacks, you've earned it.
maintaining a healthy work-life balance benefits your mental health, and having good mental health leads to better writing.
whether you use your pto for a mental health day or a sit-at-home-and-write day (or both), you'll undoubtedly feel reinvigorated and happier to write.
skip writing entirely (but not creating).
no article about nanowrimo is complete without mentioning writer's block. sometimes, stress at work, family demands, and life in general can block your writing ability and make everything feel hopeless. in "on writing (with a day job)", richard mirabella fabulously says:
"be nice to yourself: you're toiling under capitalism, and you're tired. you care about art in a society that doesn't. it's okay to skip fiction writing sometimes, but not too much."
richard goes on to describe how important it is to continue writing even when you don't feel like it, and other sentiments i've echoed in this article. continuing to write is important, yes, but i think the main thing you should never stop doing is creating.
for example, i'm learning pixel art in my spare time. i also crochet stuffed animals and blankets. when i don't feel like writing, i turn to my other outlets to get my creative energies flowing again. and it works. after i've had enough of drawing or crocheting, i'm ready to get back to the structure of the page.
if you're doing something that fulfills you creatively, you're writing. everything can count as writing.
final thoughts
like i said, it's been ten years since i managed to do nanowrimo. take my advice with a grain of salt, and all that. but the important thing to remember, as a writer with a job, is you're still a writer. whether you manage fifty thousand words in thirty days or you only get a hundred every couple of weeks. whether you write every day or you haven't put pen to paper in months. whether you have a fancy website with a list of publications to your name or you just have aspiring writer in your twitter bio. if you love writing, and you've ever written a single thing, you're always going to be a writer. so get some sleep, get something good to eat, and if you can, think about your story after work. the world would still love to hear it.
Comments