How to Find Time to Write this Season

The holidays are upon us and I know what you’re thinking: “How on earth am I going to get any writing done between now and the end of the year?”

There’s shopping, holiday parties (hosting and attending) and events, and various distractions that seem to only happen in November and December. Here’s a secret. We have lots of pockets of time throughout the day when we could be writing. Use them.

 Here are five places to find time to write during the busy holiday season.

1. While Waiting. Whether you are waiting to meet someone, for an appointment. Or in line, take out a notebook or start writing down your thoughts on your mobile device. 
2. In Transit. Voice to text technology has gotten so much better (anyone reading remember when you had to train your voice recognition software?). Verbalize your ideas while en route, just make sure you don’t get over-enthusiastic or distracted. 
3. During Exercise. Why not also use record your thoughts while working out? Your mind is clear, so you’ll probably come up with some fantastic ideas. 
4. Get Up Early. Set your alarm to go off 15 to 30 minutes early, and get in some writing before you start your day. Yes, you can also stay up late.
5. Swap Time. We all need downtime, but just swap just one television episode or 15 minutes of social media time for writing time every other day. When you see your progress, it will be worth it. 

And here are five things to write when only you have a short period of time:

1. Journal.. Are you happy? Overwhelmed? Frustrated? Amused by something you just saw? Write it down. Gather your emotions and observations, and write them down as fuel for future projects. 
2. Ideas. Similar to journaling, keep a dedicated notebook or computer document for all ideas to use in future writing projects. They don’t even have to be complete thoughts, a list of ideas will serve the same purpose. This is the perfect distraction while waiting in long lines at checkout. 
3. Blog Post Draft. Perhaps you will not have a complete, ready to go blog post in 15 minutes, but you can certainly write a draft. And then rewrite it on your next 15 minute block of time.
4. A Pitch. Write a query for a book, article, story, screenplay. 
5. Your Work in Progress. A few minutes here and there on your work in progress will add up. Granted, more time is better. But even if you add words to your non-fiction book, novel, or screenplay for a few minutes a day, it will stay on top of mind and continue to progress.
6. Bonus: Edit. Anything. 

Don’t let the busy holiday season keep you  from writing. Use those pockets of time to move forward and keep you happily distracted from the craziness of the season.

* * *

Debra Eckerling is a writer, editor and project catalyst, as well as founder of Guided Goals and Write On Online, a live and online writers’ support group. 

She is the host of the Guided Goals Podcast and author of Purple Pencil Adventures: Writing Prompts for Kids of All Ages. 

She is an editor at Social Media Examiner and a speaker/moderator on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.

Spring Clean Your Writing and Your Space

Spring is just around the corner and it is time for the traditional spring cleaning. Consider spring cleaning both your writing and your writing space for a fresh outlook for 2015.


Spring cleaning your writing space can do several things for your writing. A clean desk and uncluttered writing space can actually be inspiring to your writing. It is healthy to de-clutter both the top of your desk and even your files. Pay attention to ideas or partial projects and sort them into two piles. Pile one might be projects that need little attention to finish and submit while pile two might be projects that you want to slush for now. Sorting this information will free you to work on productive projects and open your writing opportunities to those that should be pursued. Other labels to help you sort your files and projects might be:

• Active vs Dead
• Submit vs Revise
• Good vs Trash
• New ideas to pursue vs Current ideas to finish

Consider rearranging your writing space if you feel blocked. Turning your desk a different direction or changing the view from your current space with a new picture or new lighting can be inspirational and spark new writing for the season. Sometimes a new coat of paint, a new pillow, a bright light, or new file folders and pens are all it takes to brighten your writing space and inspire new ideas.


Other ideas for spring cleaning your space and your writing include evaluating your current progress and productivity. Is what you currently do with your writing getting you to where you want to be with your writing? For me personally the answer this spring is no it isn't... I have had an injury and can no longer work the long hours that nursing requires so my goal is to make my writing more financially lucrative. It requires some discipline on my part to evaluate what has worked the past years and what hasn't so I can take a new approach to my writing as a career.


Maybe it is time to again ask yourself what it is you want to do this year with your writing? Is your writing a hobby or a business? What do you enjoy writing and how can that work into your writing goals?  Do you write as a career or to relieve stress? Do you journal or create characters and plots?


You get the idea. The main thing is to let winter be gone and instill the freshness of spring into your space and into your writing. Giving your writing space and your files a good spring cleaning can be both freeing and inspirational. It can also give your writing new purpose and help you be your best for 2015. How will you spring clean your writing and your space? I would love to hear your ideas.


Terri Forehand writes from her home in Nashville Indiana writing for children, health, and her love of fabrics. Her most recent experience in hand dying wool for rug hooking is leading to another set of writing ideas.

Increase Your Writing Productivity

As a life coach, when working with writers who are looking to be more productive one of the first areas, I focus on is their writing routine and structure.  During this process one question that often receives a lot of surprise and resistance is the following:

“When you sit down to write, what is the first thing you do?”

Can you guess the number one answer I receive?  If you said, ‘check emails and facebook’, you are right.  Many writers sit down at their computer to work on a manuscript, but the first program they open is their email or facebook.  Maybe it’s a quick 5 minutes, but often 20+ minutes have passed before they begin writing.  

If you are someone who has the luxury to write full-time, it’s not a big deal.  But for many writers who are trying to squeeze their writing into their already full life, they just gave away twenty valuable writing minutes.

What I encourage writers to do is protect their writing time.  That means when they you are ready to write, focus only on writing. Once your writing session is over, then you can check emails or facebook, if you have time. 

This simple change in how you approach your writing will help you keep your attention on your intent to write.  Try this and you might just have your most productive writing year yet. 

Mary Jo Guglielmo is writer and intuitive life strategist who has helped writers move their writing careers forward. Combining intuitive insights with practical know-how, Mary Jo has helped clients discover how to chart their course of action and live their authentic path—their True North.   Mary Jo offers Artist Breakthrough Sessions at reduced rates. (Gift certificates are available.)

For more information check out  www.donorth.biz
or folllow her at:http://theadvantagepoint.wordpress.comhttp://www.helpingchidrencope.blogspot.comhttp://twitter.com/do_northhttp://facebook.com/DoNorth.biz  

Use Freewriting to Find Peace & Balance in Your Writing -- and in Your Life!

by Dallas Woodburn

Where did the summer go?? I just can’t believe it’s already August. The fall semester of teaching starts up for me again in just two weeks. It seems like I can close my eyes and it is the beginning of summer again, when the fireflies were just starting to appear and a long path of sunny days stretched out before me. What happened?? Where did it all go?

Do you ever get those same feelings? It floors me how quickly time passes! Sometimes it feels like time is a river rushing past me so fast and I’m sitting there in a little boat, struggling to get a grip on the oars, not even enjoying the beautiful scenery flowing past. It makes me feel overwhelmed and frustrated, like I’m wasting or not appreciating enough the most precious commodity we all are gifted with: time.

I am also guilty of something I’ve come to think of in myself as productivititus: trying to fit waaaaaay to much into my daily to-do list, and then feeling like a failure when I don’t accomplish everything I’ve set out to do. This is not a good habit because I don’t want my summer, or my life, to be nothing but a giant to-do list of tasks I’m checking off. As my idol John Wooden often said, the most important words in the English language are love and balance. Work is important, but so is time for play! Balance, balance, balance is so crucial.

Something that is helpful to me when I am feeling off-balance, especially by the incredibly fast-flowing river of time, is to go to a  quiet corner of the room and spend a few minutes freewriting.

I always use freewriting in the creative writing courses I teach to help students break through writer’s block. However, I think freewriting is something that can benefit everyone! It is such a great tool for not just writing, but also your mental health, sense of empowerment, and overall happiness.

Here’s how freewriting works: set a timer for a certain amount of time — I’ve found 8 minutes works well because it’s not too long or too short — and start writing. The only rule is that you cannot stop until the timer dings! It is a tool to keep you from self-editing or second-guessing or worrying that what you are writing is not “good” enough. Instead, just let the writing pour out of you. You will find yourself tapping into your subconscious, which can help you unlock all sorts of dreams and ideas and even solve problems that are nagging you. For me, freewriting is a way to re-find my center of balance. It unclutters my mind and makes me feel at peace.

You don’t need a fancy journal or expensive pen to freewrite. All you need is a blank piece of paper — even scrap paper works! Some people like to freewrite on the computer, which is certainly all right. I personally enjoy using a pen and paper because it makes the writing feel more open and less intimidating somehow — more unharnessed. Something that is just for me.

Here are some freewriting topics I’ve been using lately as jumping-off points:
- My favorite memory I made this summer was …
- Three things I am grateful for in this moment are …
- I will wring out every last drop of fun from my last couple weeks of summer by …

What are your plans for these final weeks of summer? Does anyone else use freewriting as a way to alleviate stress and find balance? Any other tips or suggestions for slowing down the pace of life and savoring the time we are blessed with?

Dallas Woodburn is the author of two award-winning collections of short stories and editor of Dancing With The Pen: a collection of today's best youth writing. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize three years in a row and her nonfiction has appeared in a variety of national publications including Family Circle, Writer's Digest, The Writer, and The Los Angeles Times. She is the founder of Write On! For Literacy and Write On! Books Youth Publishing Company and is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Fiction Writing at Purdue University, where she teaches undergraduate writing courses and serves as Fiction Editor of Sycamore Review. Many of her short stories are compiled online here.

“Writing Down Goals and Objectives Can Keep You Focused,” by Mayra Calvani

I have kids, a husband, pets, a house, and many errands to run on a weekly basis. So how do I find the time to write? Well, first of all, I don’t find it. I make it. You know why? Because if you wait for the perfect time to write, it’ll never come: there never is a perfect time to write.

One method that has worked for me is to, first of all, 1) be clear about my goals and objectives and 2) write down my goals and objectives each day before I start working. I learned this powerful trick from Suzanne Lieurance, founder of The Working Writer’s Club.

After my kids are off to school and my hubby off to work, I go to my office with Amigo, my adorable golden retriever, and I sit down at the computer. Before I start working, however, I open my spiral notebook and write my schedule for the day. I use Google calendar for all my weekly and monthly goals and objectives, but I also like to keep this spiral notebook for my daily schedule. There is something extremely powerful about writing your goals and objectives each day before you sit down to write.

First, I write my 3 major yearly goals at the top of the page. Then I write down the objectives that I can take today in order to bring me closer to those 3 major goals. My goals are usually very broad, and my objectives very specific.

For example, if one of my 3 major goals is “to establish myself as an author,” then one of my objectives is:

9:00-11:00 AM – work on my novel.

Unless something unexpected comes up, I’ll usually keep this objective from Monday to Friday month after month until I have a complete manuscript that is ready to be submitted. If, for whatever reason, I can’t write that morning, I’ll try to allocate those two hours in the afternoon or at night—though not often, as my mind is fresher in the mornings.

A typical writing day will include one objective for each major goal, for a total of 3 objectives. Each objective must be related to its goal. If it isn’t, then I discard it. This is extremely helpful to help keep you focused and prevent ‘bright shiny objects’ to stir you away from what’s really important.

Of course I already know what my goals and objectives are, but the secret lies in writingthem down each day before I start working. This really helps keep me focused and productive. I love to tick items off as I complete them, so at the end of the day I usually feel like I’ve really accomplish something and that all my projects are progressing and getting somewhere. I started using this system this January and the results have been excellent.

If you’re feeling unfocused, unproductive and unmotivated, I encourage you to try this method!

About the Author:  Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer,Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, andBloomsbury Review, among many others. A reviewer for over a decade, she now offers online reviewing workshops. When she’s not writing, reading, editing or reviewing, she enjoys walking her dog, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Visit her website at www.MayraCalvani.com, join her mailing list, and automatically receive the free ebooks, Reviewers Talk about Their Craft and the first lesson from my Slippery Art of Book Reviewing Workshop.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/mcalvani

Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mayra-Calvanis-Fan-Page/162383023775888

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/272703.Mayra_Calvani