WORKING

            A lot of times, it can be hard for an author to find time, though most of us ultimately do or we wouldn’t be published. This applies, of course, to those that don’t make a living at this passion.

            Most of us, whether writers or authors actually work for a living. I’m not implying that writing isn’t work, per se, but that if you’re passionate about writing, it’s not work, but fun.

            That doesn’t mean that life can’t get in the way.

            The other day I was reminded of that when I had to work on a weekend.

MOST PRODUCTIVE WRITERS HAVE A TIME AND PLACE

            Many if not most writers and/or authors have a routine, otherwise they’d get nothing done.

            This can be any day, time, or frequency. Whatever it takes to get your stories out, there you go.

            When life gets in the way, this routine can be interrupted and for some, it may be hard to get back into the groove. This is especially true if the interruption is for an extended period of time.

WHAT FACTORS AFFECT YOUR INTERRUPTION?

            As the title suggests, work can be a big cause for interrupting your routine.

            It could be uneven work hours, overtime, or stress at work.

            Stress at work can be a real inspiration killer.

            Uneven work times can throw you off. Even occasional work changes can do the same.

HOW TO COPE

            For some, taking a break from writing during this stressful period is the way to go.

            The problem is that for some, once the break starts, it may not end even after the stress factors at work are long gone.

            For some, there’s no letup in stress at work. This doesn’t exactly inspire, does it?

            Lucky for me, I have a job I love. When a monkey wrench gets thrown into my routine, it’s a lot harder to resolve the interruption.

            Unfortunately, for many of you, these work interruptions may be chronic. How do you handle it?

            I have to regress a bit to when I worked for an industrial concern, and the stress level was through the roof. This caused significant personal interruptions in my writing schedule. However, it didn’t stop me.

            Since writing was a passion for me for about five years at the time, it was still very intense in my mind, regardless of stress at work.

            Despite all that was happening on the job, writing was a form of stress relief. True, I wasn’t nearly as productive as when I loved what I was doing at work, but I still kept at it.

            How?

            Besides looking for inspiration in everything, keeping ideas stuck in my head, or writing them down for future use, I still managed to put out some stuff during this two-year period.

            I completed a couple of short stories and joined a local writers group. I once got involved in a short short – 50-word short story contest. On a slight break from the stress due to a regular routine for a few weeks, I wrote about thirty 50-word short stories for this contest. I didn’t win, but it was a fun and stress-relieving exercise.

            In my most recent bout of working overtime, at a job I love, even concentrating all day and having my weekend routine interrupted, I still found time throughout the day to think of writing, think of something to add to my current WIP (work in progress). I wasn’t able to act on any of it at the time, but I still went over stuff in my mind so that the next time I sat down, I had a better idea of what I wanted to do.

EVEN IN TIMES OF STRESS FANTASIZING CAN BE GREAT

            It doesn’t matter how stressed out I am, or under what circumstances I’m not able to act on my writing, it’s never far from my mind. In fact, it helps me deal with things.

            How about you?

            I think a lot of people daydream, even under the most stressful circumstances. I don’t mean, forget what you’re doing and fail at your job, I mean we learn to cope during lulls and think of other things.

            Even when sick, fantasizing is an escape from the body for a time. While this may not result in any productivity, it may help devise a good plot, or add details to a WIP.

            Then again, when someone is severely sick, it may be hard to concentrate on anything.

            Certain jobs can create this same deal. One can become too focused in success at the job, rather than being physically quashed by harsh treatments.

SUMMARY

            Work can be a real inspiration killer, especially if one doesn’t like what they do.

            On the other hand, if fantasizing and inspiration are coping mechanisms, this can be to your advantage. It’s just a matter of either recalling or writing down these inspirations or daydreams when you can find time.

            Happy writing!