Pebblepup's Writing Den

Every writer has a writing schedule, whether they schedule time to write or not. They know when they can write. They know how long they have to write. I write every morning between five and nine. It’s not a long, unbroken, length of time for writing, it’s the time I have set aside to do it. But, life happens and sometimes I can’t write in that time. I need to be flexible with my writing time. I’m not alone. Every writer needs to be flexible when it comes to having time to write.

Having flexibility is not an exercise in agility of body. It’s in the mind, in this instance. You have set aside a block of time to write something. That’s wonderful. You anticipate the time, if you are passionate about your writing. Then, your kid falls out of a tree and breaks their arm. So rather than using that block of time to write, you are taking the child to the emergency room for x-rays and a cast. Life fell on your writing time.

That is where flexibility comes in. In that scenario, you may not have lost out on your writing time. You may be able to snatch some writing time while waiting in the emergency room waiting room. Chances are, you’ll be spending that time comforting the kid. When you get home from that, you have lost your time for writing. That’s where being flexible comes in.

Can you find little snippets of time to make up for the lost block? Scribble a few words while making dinner? Skipping that TV show you like so much so you can write works as well. I often write while the TV is on.
That’s part of building a flexible writing schedule. Life happens. You may need to adjust or outright abandon your plan. You can still write at some point in your day. In the above scenario, you could sit down and write while the TV is on, or you coul do it before bed. Stay up an extra twenty to thirty minutes and get that writing done.
That’s where a formal writing schedule comes in handy. When you schedule your time for writing, make sure to put in alternatives. If I can’t write now for whatever reason, I’ll do it at that time.

Writing around life isn’t easy, but it is doable, if you maintain a flexible mind set. Have a routine by all means, but also have a plan B in case you need one. A flexible plan is a good plan. Rigidity often breaks in a crisis. Your schedule should be like a tree in a windstorm, able to twit and bend enough to survive. It might lose a branch, but it survives to face another day.

So if you find your life interrupts your schedule, don’t worry about it. Make up the time later. Let’s say the disruption is something that comes up, like a visit or doctor appointment. Try to see where you can insert some time to write. You may surprise yourself.