Dear members of CRWR 0170,
It’s often a struggle to find and/or make time for writing in our busy schedules. No matter how thoroughly I plan out my week and the assignments in it, I often find myself trying and failing to catch up with what I still have to write each weekend. As such, I would love to hear your perspectives on when and where you write as they relate to finding and making time for writing on a regular basis.
Thanks and all the best,
Izzy Linhares
Hi Izzy,
Honestly, I can’t give a definitive answer to this question. When and where is highly dependent on how my life is going and the environment I’m in. As such, I’ve never had a schedule for my writing.
I will say that I tend to think about my writing a lot before putting down onto a page. Because of this I like to keep a little pocket notebook with me to jot down ideas and when I’m inspired I can go back to it and refine it into stuff that I like.
Hi Izzy!
What’s worked for me is carving out 5 minutes of my day everyday to just sit my butt down in a chair and write. Even if I’m completely uninspired and all that comes out is gibberish, even if I’m way too swamped with other responsibilities and the 5 minutes end up being more like 2 minutes and 20 seconds, I found that having that small, indisputable space of time solely devoted to writing made it all that easier for the words to flow out during the longer, more concentrated sessions. For me, it’s about sticking that foot in the door, I think. Or maybe removing the mental block that tricks you into thinking the door’s closed.
Hi Izzy,
I completely agree with this sentiment and the frustration that goes along with it. I agree with Owen: I really love to be able to write when I haven’t had a long day of brain use weighing me down. Writing in the morning usually feels easier and more natural, especially when I don’t have much to do in the immediate future. Saturday or Sunday mornings can be particularly good for this reason. I wish that I was better about doing what other people recommend about writing things down when they pop into their head. Working on it!
Hi Izzy,
This is such a good question and my immediate thought is chastising myself for not being as disciplined to write as I hoped to be. Amid the hectic Middlebury life, I seize moments during meals, during breaks, and sometimes even during classes (but only when a very good word appears in front of me or when I feel the urge to say something aloud to myself). Normally, however, I sit down to write during the late hours of the evening after coming back from working.
I second a lot of what has been said and think there’s great value in writing however little (concretely), but allowing your mind to be writing even when you’re not. I look back at my notes and notebooks and always find a new starting point.
Hi Izzy,
I’ll echo much of what others have said about noticing the little lines and snippets of writing that pop into my head throughout the day. Even if my journal isn’t handy and it means typing it into the Notes section of my phone, I find taking a second to jot ideas down is very helpful. That way, I can come back later when I’ve got a bigger chunk of time to devote to writing.
My writing is pretty sporadic and my urges to write come at random times. I truthfully do not have a set formula for allocating writing time, rather, I will grab a piece of paper or open the notes app on my phone when I am inspired by something. For example, the other day I was sitting in Wilson Cafe doing my homework. I was staring out the window and was inspired by the trees outside, so I wrote down several lines that came to my head. Often, once I have a free moment, I will return to the lines that I previously wrote down and slowly start to build upon them.
I find that my writing is best in the morning when I haven’t had the weight of the day applied to my shoulders. I find that in the morning words are just words, they seem to lose all connotative meaning and flow much more easily. There’s something about writing early in the morning that to me feels the most natural and stripped down. When I write at night, like I am now, my sentences come out in spits and gurgles, like pieces that don’t seem to fit together as smoothly as in the morning. The pen seems to almost write itself without the pressure of my hand required. That being said, it is incredibly difficult to leave my mornings free and I usually find myself splitting that time between what I want to be doing, writing, and what I have to be doing, homework. College is a difficult time to set any good amount of time apart for a specific task. I like what Will said about being adaptable, I think that is a necessary skill to have as a student and especially a student writer.
Hey Izzy,
I usually like to write before going to bed at night, since it’s a time at which I’m usually pretty relaxed and don’t feel like doing academic work. I find myself to be more contemplative at night, and I’ve noticed that the work I produce is usually more free-flowing and interesting to read. It’s also a nice way to end the day for me since a lot of my writing is about stuff that is happening in my life and it helps me think through it in a productive way.
Izzy Linhares,
Finding time to write (or do anything creative for that matter) is tough, especially considering how busy and full the college load is. To maximize my creative time, I like to be adaptable. By this I mean being able to strap in and focus on what I want to do, no matter where I am. I don’t allow loud sounds, curious happenings, or anything of that sort distract me. I’ve also found it to be easier to write manually than to type when in distracting places.
William Thompson