We all have ideal scenarios for when we will do our best writing. But for many of us, our ideal writing schedule simply isn’t possible. So what do we do? In this video, I’ll show you that ANY writing schedule can be ideal with the four Cs: commitment, clarity, consistency, and compassion.
Transcript:
Stephanie: (00:06)
Hello writers. I have long said that the best time of day for me to write is about 9:00 AM. This is when I’m the most awake, but my brain isn’t yet cluttered with all of the garbage of the day. I love to sit on my couch windows open, listening to the birds chirping while I sip my coffee, journal and laptop at the ready, and spend a couple of hours chipping away at my work in progress before the day actually starts. The ideal situation is that we’re able to schedule a writing session where we typically have the perfect energy level, the perfect workspace, the perfect amount of time, the perfect lighting, the perfect everything right, but we all know that ideal situations are not always possible for me. By 9:00 AM, my day has long since started. The kids are off to school, the dog has been walked, and my workday has started.
Stephanie: (01:06)
Most of the time, writing is not an option for me at 9:00 AM. We all have jobs, offspring, partners, aging parents, pets, housekeeping, meals to prepare, all of which are higher priorities than our writing, and it’s okay to admit that they are, but still, your story is longing to come out, and you are fighting a battle between the busyness of your life and the creative spirit that wants time and space to play. But what if I told you that you can write your novel with a schedule that fits your life, that instead of constantly longing for something different, you can own the time you do have with confidence? Because you can with the four Cs. The first C is commitment. Commitment to a relationship of any kind means that you choose in advance to work on strengthening and growing the relationship, to be faithful to it, to find the good in it, whether you’re in an easy phase or a challenging one to get it done, you have to commit to your relationship with your novel.
Stephanie: (02:15)
The second C is clarity. Clarity about your end goal, yes, but also about the steps along the way. Going into writing a novel is like setting off on a road trip without a plan or Google maps. You might get lucky, but you also might end up on a dead end road. Knowing where you’re actually going saves time. The third C is consistency. I am not someone who preaches that you should write every day. If you can, great. If you can’t, the next best thing is to create a schedule that does work and stick to it. Start small. Once a week for 30 minutes will get you further than not writing at all. The final C is compassion. If you can’t write as much as you’d like because your days are too full, that’s okay. Do what you can and please, please be kind to yourself about it.
Stephanie: (03:09)
Creating guilt, disappointment, or shame around this only increases the chances that you’ll never write your book. My friend, you can write your novel with a schedule that fits your life. This I know for sure because I wrote my novel while I was teaching full-time with two young children at home. I want this for you because your story matters. If you’re struggling with any of the four Cs, let’s have an introductory call and get you some clarity so that you can move forward. The link is below in the description. That’s why I’m here. If you like this content and know someone else who might also enjoy it, please subscribe and share. Thanks. Happy writing.