Word Praize

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

A note from Camy:

Well, it’s been fun for the two years I’ve been doing this column, but life (in the form of a debut novel releasing in September) has a habit of getting in the way of things. This will be my last column. Thanks for joining me these past couple years. Write on!

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Learning to get into the writing zone

I talked about left and right brain roles for writing in a previous article.

Left brain is more analytical, right brain is more creative. It's often very difficult to switch between the two completely. Usually when you switch from analytical to creative, you're not 100% into your creative mode--there are vestiges of analytical thinking going on.

That's why it's often difficult to be as creative when writers switch between editing and writing, editing and writing. The analytical side--editing--doesn't fully relinquish brain energy to the creative side for writing.

However, switching quickly--and more importantly, more completely--between sides can be trained, to an extent. This is especially important for busy writers who juggle different duties and tasks.

Set an alarm clock (your watch alarm, phone alarm, PDA alarm) at odd hours during the day. When that alarm goes off, drop everything and write for 8 minutes. Grab whatever's handy--pen and paper, computer, word processor. Immerse yourself in some scene in your current WIP.

It will be really hard, at first. If you have to write nonsense or the same words over and over, then just do it. But eventually you'll shift into right-brain creativity. And the more often you do it, the faster you'll be able to automatically switch.

Keep writing!

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick lit novel, Sushi for One?, releases in September.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

How to keep learning when you're crazy-busy, part four:

These days, there are plenty of ways to keep learning your writing craft through classes on the web.

Writing articles

Usually, I don’t have a lot of time to read, but I do have a few minutes here and there. Online writing articles are great for those snatched minutes.

I will often go to large writing website like Writing-World.com and Charlotte Dillon’s resources for romance writers that have tons of links to different articles. I pick a couple and read them during a break at work or while the stew is simmering on the stove.

Other times I’ll bookmark an article I come across and save it to read later. I have a bunch of articles in my browser bookmarks.

Another good place to go for articles is the Writing Tips GoogleGroup. The group is a notice-only group that gives links to writing articles every day. You can either receive the emails or go no-mail and only check the articles when you have time.

Free online writing workshops

If you belong to any organization like American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) or Romance Writers of America (RWA) and any of the RWA chapters, there are usually lots of online writing workshops given by members and available to other members to read.

ACFW has all their online workshops saved in their website archives.

For RWA, if you belong to any of the chapters, they usually have a section of their website devoted to online articles their members may have given. Or they might have a YahooGroup or GoogleGroup that was used for an email workshop, and you can check the email archives or the file sections for the lessons.

Typically, online workshop lessons are short and sweet. Take advantage of their length to read one or two lessons while you have a quick moment here and there.

You can also read short discussions on writing or critiques at Barnes And Noble Book Clubs/Writing clubs and the at Writer’s Digest forums.

Fee-based online workshops

Sometimes, I enjoy committing and paying for an online workshop so that it’ll encourage me to keep up with the lessons. These workshops are typically only for a set number of weeks, so you know that if you can block off time during that time period, you can get back to your regular scheduled life afterwards.

Many RWA chapters host fee-based online workshops, although for some workshops you must be an RWA member, or chapter member, or both. Here are a few chapters who give monthly workshops:

Kiss of Death chapter COFFIN workshops (College of Felony and Intrigue), which offers both murder/suspense related classes and general writing informational classes.

Hearts Through History (click on HHRW Mall, then Campus)

Low Country Romance Writers

RWA Online chapter From the Heart Romance Writers chapter

Orange County Romance Writers chapter

There are several other chapters who give workshops. Check the Online Workshops section of the Romance Writers Report.

There are also pricier options like WritersOnlineWorkshops.com put on by Writer's Digest.

Whichever option you like best, utilize the web to keep learning and perfecting your craft!

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick lit novel, Sushi for One?, releases in September.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

How to keep learning when you're crazy-busy, part three:

As writers, we need to constantly keep up with marketing industry, as well as constantly improving our craft. But the day only has 24 hours!

Blogs are like short online articles. If you're selective about the blogs you read, you can be very efficient about keeping up with the writing market and learning more about craft and marketing.

Most blogs have an RSS feed, or you can use a service like Feedblitz and have the blog's new posts e-mailed to your Inbox. They only take a few minutes a day to read and they can help keep a busy writer informed.

There are TONS of blogs out there, entertaining, informative, or both. Here are a few writing blogs:

Brandilyn Collins delves into various aspects of writing craft and business in her Forensics and Faith blog.

Terry Whalin writes blog posts from the perspective of an industry professional.

J.A. Konrath talks about self-promotion and marketing on his blog, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing.

ChiLibris, a group of Christian novelists, has a group blog called Charis Connection where they discuss all aspects of the writing life.

Bethany House editor Dave Long discusses fiction on his popular blog, Faith In Fiction.

Novel Journey is a fabulous blog run by Gina Holmes, Ane Mulligan, and Jessica Dotta where they post interviews with other authors and marketing tips.

CAN (Christian Authors Network) has a marketing blog for writers.

The Barbour Publishing editors have a blog called The Edit Café which is a fun read as well as insight into the day-to-day workings of a publishing house.

Lynne Scanlon, a consultant in marketing and special sales to Barnes and Noble, blogs about the publishing industry at The Publishing Contrarian.

Jana Reiss, the Religion Book Review editor for Publishers Weekly, blogs at The Review Revolution.

Agent Chip MacGregor, who used to be publisher for FaithWords/Warner Faith, and who was an agent even before doing that, talks the bare truth about writing and publishing in his new blog at ChipMacGregor.com.

There are lots of other blogs, as well. Surf around the blogosphere—especially writers’ blogs, where they often list the blogs they visit the most.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick lit novel, Sushi for One?, releases in September.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

How to keep learning when you're crazy-busy, part two:

Invest in workshop CDs and tapes. These can get very pricey, but if money isn't as much of an object to you, this is a perfect way to learn oodles of information. Also, the prices of workshops are going down. Many conferences offer all the workshops on MP3 for about $100-$150, which is a deal.

I have bought recordings of workshops I've both attended and not attended at writers conferences, so that I can review what I had sat in on, and learn something new from the workshops I couldn't make it to. Listening to a workshop several times can take the place of writing down notes.

It is also possible to order workshops from conferences you haven't attended: go to conference websites and check if the recording studio sells recordings after the conference ends. Most do.

For example, American Christian Fiction Writers 2006 conference in Dallas, TX has all their workshops still available for sale through the recording studio, Conference Media, at http://www.cmc-net.com/docs/conferences.html.

With the advent of iPods and other MP3 players, an audio recording of a workshop or an MP3 file of a workshop can be brought with you wherever you go. There are lots of inexpensive MP3 players and accessories to allow you to take your player with you no matter what you’re doing..

I’ve listened to workshops while standing in line at stores and the post office.

I have also hooked up my iPod to an FM transmitter so that my MP3s can be heard through my car radio and I can listen to workshops while I drive around. This is great for whether it’s a short trip to the grocery store or a long commute to and from work.

An MP3 player is small enough to be able to wear while doing housework or washing dishes.

On the rare occasions I actually exercise, I listen to workshops while I walk the dog.

If you’re into scrapbooking, knitting, or any other solitary crafting activities, workshops on MP3 are terrific to listen to without distracting you from the task at hand. I listen to workshops while I make cards.

Be creative! You could probably think of many places and situations where you could listen to a workshop on an MP3 player.

Next month: Learning from blog articles.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick lit novel, Sushi for One?, releases in September.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Sorry I’m a little late this month, but better late than never, right?

How to keep learning when you're crazy-busy, part one:

Best-selling suspense author Brandilyn Collins once said that she is constantly learning the writing craft. This made an impression in my heart like a seal in a glob of wax. This kind of attitude from a successful writer reminds me that there's always more for me to learn.

Writing books. Everyone has a stack that people have recommended to them. Dig in.

However, if you find a book isn't doing it for you, don't waste time. Chuck it and start another one. Life is too short to waste on a non-useful book.

Research books. I also read books related to my brand and my genre. Since I write chick lit, I read other chick lit books, both Christian and mainstream. Since I write Asian American characters, I’ve picked up a few Asian American studies books.

If you’re targeting a certain genre such as contemporary romance, then read those books, if only to figure out what the editors are looking for.

It’s also possible to see how far the editor or publishing house will push by reading their books and studying the issues dealt with, the level of violence or sexuality, the language allowed.

Writing magazines. Short articles are gems because you can usually finish in about 5-10 minutes.

Writing workshops on CD or MP3. More about this in part two next month.

How to find time to read?

Sometimes you have to just carry the book or magazine around all day with you and read in five-minute spurts--while waiting to pick up the kids from school, during commercials, etc.

I keep a writing magazine in the car so that anytime I'm surprised by a random segment of time, I have something productive to read.

I am not ashamed to admit it, I keep a writing magazine and a writing book next to each toilet in each bathroom in my house, so that no matter where I’m sitting, I have something to peruse. I also stick a magazine next to the couch in the TV room so that I can sift through the articles during commercial breaks.

These scenarios are where the short articles in a magazine come in handiest. Often a chapter in a writing craft book is just too long.

You can also set aside one hour a week (actually schedule it in your planner so you don't skip it or do something else) for reading a writing book or magazine.

One option is that if you have a lunch break, read a writing magazine or book while you eat. Sure, it’s not very sociable, but not eating lunch with your coworkers a few times a week isn’t going to make you a pariah.

If your kids have a nap time or a quiet time, or even during a time out, read an article or a chapter in a book. Or if they have a program they’re engrossed in, snatch a few minutes to catch up on your magazine articles.

Look for times during your day that you can sneak in a few minutes to read. Sometimes those few minutes aren’t really long enough to zip to your computer and churn out a paragraph, but they’re long enough to skim an article.

Next month: Workshop CDs and tapes.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick lit novel releases in September from Zondervan.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Working with kids and distractions, part two:

Writers around the world deal with either kids, distractions in the home, distractions at the office, or a combination of all three. These tips won’t all work for you, but they might help reduce your stress levels from “crazy” down to “only slightly deranged.”

Run away! Run away!

If you have kids, dependents or spouse who won't stop pestering you, sometimes you just have to take 15 and go somewhere else: garage, backyard, bathroom (don't laugh, many writers retreat to the porcelain throne for a few minutes of quiet).

Try to find SOMEWHERE people can't find you, or a place too tedious to get to so they won't chase after you with minor issues.

Don't spend too long if you're a caregiver--set a timer for 15-20 minutes--but find that place of retreat for your sanity and your writing productivity.

Also, prepare in advance--place your pen and notebook in your retreat space, or your laptop computer, or a few writing books you intend to read. That way you can just jump into whatever you intend to do for those few minutes.

Keep pens and notebooks everywhere.

If you get a magnificent idea while changing the baby, you'll be glad you tucked that pen and notepad on the changing table. When you have a free moment, you can transpose it into the computer (and even expand on it).

Many writers tuck those notepads absolutely everywhere--purse, bathroom, car, living room, kitchen, bedroom (even the kids' bedroom, sometimes), porch, laundry room. They're very inexpensive and will make you feel profoundly grateful the next time an idea hits at an inconvenient moment.

Be sure to have a pen attached or nearby. Some writers get the small spiral-bound pads and slip a pencil into the spirals. You can also tape a pen by it's cap onto the notepad cover or backside.

The one place I have a hard time keeping a notebook is the shower, which is ironically where I get my best ideas. I’ve solved that problem with those bathtime soap-crayons they sell for children. When an idea hits, I grab one of those and write on the bath tile walls—I make sure I write on the tile or someplace washable, and I make sure I write above the shower line or water line so it doesn’t get rinsed away. Later, I can transpose and wash the soap off the tile.

I also hate fumbling for the light when that infamous 2 a.m. idea hits. I’ve solved that problem with lighted pens. Sometimes they’re just novelty pens that have fiber optics, other times I’ve seen them referred to as night time golf pens or the pens used by traffic cops at night. Regardless, they light up when you click them on and illuminate the page. I keep them near my bedside with a pad of paper.

Just write.

Who cares if you got only 50 words today? It’s 50 more than nothing. Just keep at it.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Working with kids and distractions, part one:

Writers around the world deal with either kids, distractions in the home, distractions at the office, or a combination of all three. These tips won’t all work for you, but they might help reduce your stress levels from “crazy” down to “only slightly deranged.”

Try a timer.

Some writers set a timer, and the kids and spouse know that until that puppy goes off, DON'T BOTHER THE WRITER. This can give you a few minutes of uninterrupted time, while the kids don't feel neglected because they're just waiting for the timer to go off so they can bombard you.

Learn to write despite the ruckus.

Some writers have actively trained themselves how to tune out the noise and bustle and write in the midst of screaming kids. If you think you'd like to try this out, first go in small steps:

1) Take a timer and set it for 10 minutes. Plop yourself in the middle of whatever domestic chaos-field you own and try writing. Once the timer goes off, you're done. Don't try to go for longer.

2) Try this every day. Increase time increments each time, or each week, whichever you're most comfortable with.

This incremental method will allow your brain to slowly adjust to the noise levels, and learn how to focus and concentrate despite them. This is something I learned from my martial arts classes: the brain's ability to focus CAN be learned, but slowly.

You can't jump into a new concentration exercise and expect to immediately be able to narrow your focus--it takes more brainpower than you realize. However, slow training over several days or weeks can allow the brain to sharpen focus despite distractions.

Once you've learned to write despite the noise around you, still make an effort to take a break once a week and go to a coffee shop, or out onto the porch, or to the park. This will help your mind rest and refresh you for more focused writing.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Time-saving equipment

What to do when you're busy with work deadlines and a starving family?

For a pre-planner:

Spend a day cooking and freezing family meals. This can be even a month in advance of the deadline. There are tons of recipes online, or try Cyndy Salzmann's book The Occasional Cook.

This does require some freezer space, and if that's at a minimum, then select certain recipes. Choose meals where you can do some pre-cooking for parts of it, and then the rest only requires a quick zap in the microwave, or chopping some veggies, or opening a few cans.

Soups are great recipes to do ahead of time. Sometimes you can do a little pre-cooking or assembling of everything that needs to go into the soup. Then freeze the ingredients so that when you're ready to make it, you just dump in some water or canned broth and heat it on the stove.

Crockpot(s):

The crockpot is a wonderful, marvelous, life-saving invention. If you're a crazy-busy mom, you can skip some of the browning steps (gasp!) and just throw everything into the crockpot in the morning. By evening, dinner is done.

They're cheap little suckers, too. A 6-quart, which is more than enough for a main dish for a family of 4, is about $60. This is even the kind with a timer, two temperature settings, AND a removable insert (very important for cleanup).

Because they're so cheap, consider investing in several so you can make a main dish and a couple side dishes at the same time--the other crockpots can be smaller or the same sizes. You'll have a healthy meal and veggies on the table with minimal work.

Tape recorder:

If you're in the car for long stretches, invest in a small tape recorder and record your writing ideas while you drive. This is perfect for commute times once the kids have been dropped off, or even if they're in the car, if they're not too demanding of your attention.

Record anything and everything--plotting ideas, character traits, scenes (both narrative and dialogue). Later you can transpose onto the computer and even expand on your ideas as you do so.

This is also a great opportunity to record stream-of-consciousness brainstorming. Just start throwing out ideas or talking yourself through a sticky scene.

Portable word processors:

If you don't have or can't afford a laptop computer, Alphasmarts and Quickpads are neat little keyboards you can take with you and whip out a few pages. Most writers like them because they're smaller than a laptop, some don't like the fact the screen is so small.

Alphasmarts are made for schoolrooms so they're incredibly durable and can handle the banging around in a diaper bag. You can take them to workshops, on visits to the doctor, to sports games, to bed, anywhere (although I wouldn't recommend using them while driving).

They're very handy and not too expensive (about $200-400). They are especially cheap if you buy them used on eBay, because sometimes schools getting rid of a bunch of Alphasmarts will put them on sale. Because they're so durable, the odds are good that even a used model will work fine.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Take care of your body

Sleep:

Sometimes the pace of working and writing gets to be too much and I feel too exhausted to write. That's when I make some time to get extra sleep.

Now, that might seem like a Well, duh! suggestion, but I'm serious here--Make a few extra hours of sleep a priority, especially if you've been getting less than normal because of writing.

You're working two jobs, here. You need to keep your body in top shape or else you'll have a few days, a few weeks, a few months of horrendously inefficient writing time, when a few days of 10 hours a night can get you back on track.

Comfortable workstation:

There's nothing like an uncomfortable workstation to reduce efficiency. If you're too cold, or your back/wrist/neck hurts, or it's too noisy or too quiet, you can't really use your writing time to its maximum potential.

Invest money in an ergonomic, comfortable workplace--new keyboard and/or mouse, backrest for your chair, footrest, space heater, music to listen to, earplugs or those special headphones that completely deaden sound.

Find a place to write, or maybe several places. Go out to a coffeeshop or bookstore or library to work.

Make sure your body is happy, and your mind will be able to write well.

Manipulate your body

Walk at lunch--exercise pumps blood to the brain and can act as a stimulant for creativity.

Shower--heat improves blood circulation also. Extended time of relaxation, conducive toward right-brain free flow brainstorming.

Focus on efficiency.

Try Susan Meier's 10-minute solution to increase efficiency in housework, chores, social obligations, etc.

Pray for productivity

There are hours, days, weeks when I don't feel motivated to write during my designated writing time. Often I know this is spiritual warfare. Your time is precious and Satan knows it.

I have a group of writer friends and we all pray for each other. And when I feel the lethargy or un-motivated-ness hit, I sit and pray for God to motivate me, I pray against Satan's lies and attacks, I pray for God to use me for His glory.

God may have given me this talent, but I need to make sure I use it for Him and not myself. When I'm feeling unmotivated, sometimes it's because I'm feeling myself and not God.

Fight that non-writing feeling and just do it.  Please Him and not yourself.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Some tips for fighting writer's block

Many times, a stressful work or family situation can sap creativity and motivation. That's okay. Everyone has seasons in their lives when it's too difficult to write.

These times don't have easy answers. Before you do anything, pray for guidance. Any action you take or solution you try won't mean anything unless it's God's hand guiding you. As for practical advice:

--You can take measures to improve the situation at work or in the home.

--Try to compartmentalize your life so that your work stress doesn't bleed into your private life, or your family stress doesn't bleed into your writing time.

Are you easily distracted, unmotivated? Can't initiate or complete a project? Can't prioritize or pace yourself? While there's no one answer for these types of psychological roadblocks, there are several suggestions:

--Look at your expectations, write them down. They might need to be revised to something more manageable.

--Break your project into smaller chunks, smaller goals, such as: finish this scene today, or write for ten minutes without checking at email. Setting a timer can also help with this.

--Remember to reward yourself for goals accomplished, even small goals like 10 M&Ms for every page completed. Another option is the punishment system, like no bathroom break until you finish the chapter.

--Is your workplace cluttered and distracting you? Clear it.

--Do you feel unprepared information-wise? A bit of time spent in research might make you feel more confident in writing.

--Try creative exercises such as those found in writing books. Also "freewrites" often work very well: write for a specified amount of time, such as 8 or 10 minutes. Don't stop, just write gibberish if you have to, but let your mind go wherever it wanders. Take a short break and try it again. It may not work right away, but most writers discover their stalled creativity reawakens after a few freewrite sessions.

--Find a support group to talk about your problems and your writing. Sometimes all we need is a sympathetic ear, someone who understands your writing problems. There are several good online writers groups such as American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Writers (for both fiction and nonfiction), and the Faith, Hope and Love chapter of Romance Writers of America. You can also participate in writing communities like Faithwriters.com and Writing.com to find a kindred writer-friend.

--Take a break from writing. Make it a limited duration, such as a week or a month, and use it to just relax, do the things you enjoy most, read, take the stress of writing off of you.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

by Camy Tang

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Some tips on self-discipline

I still struggle quite a bit with self-discipline. I'm better when it's closer to a deadline, but I know I need to be more consistent in general and more efficient with my time.

This is like an exercise regimen--start slow and grow in increments.

Set goals.

Write out your goals as reminders. Post them near your workstation, on the refrigerator, anywhere you can see them often. This will help to motivate you during the day, during the week.

Deny yourself.

Determine to SACRIFICE something in order to reach your writing goal for the week. Maybe it's watching a particular TV show (you would tape record it, obviously), or reducing the number of web discussion boards you participate in for that week.

Then once you reach your goal, you're free to indulge! If you treat yourself to a reward (below) as well, that's a double prize!

What works for me is if I have a particular book I've been wanting to read. I'll rubber-band it closed with my goal written on a post-it note on the cover, and I'll set it right in front of me at the computer. Once I reach my goal, I'm free to read it. It's my proverbial carrot.

Variety is the spice of writing.

Switch sacrifices. If you sacrifice a web discussion boards one week, sacrifice something else the next week. Keep things moving, insert variety, and those sacrifices won't seem so bad since it's only for one week.

Don't forget the chocolate!

In addition to being free to indulge in something you've sacrificed you can also opt to reward yourself. The sacrifice isn't worth it if you don't perceive something good coming out of it. You'll lose motivation quickly.

Determine beforehand what your prize will be. Chocolate works for me, or maybe a book I've been wanting to buy. How about a massage at a day spa? A manicure? A magazine?

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

by Camy Tang

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Little moments

Be efficient with the little time you have.

No, I’m not talking about when we all get caught up with Him in the clouds. I’m talking about little things like minutes. Do you know how many spare ones you’ve got in a day? You might be surprised. And you can utilize them for your writing.

First, record the time you start and end writing.

Write down on a piece of paper or a spreadsheet the time you start working on your manuscript, NOT the time you sit down at the computer. Don't count the time you spend surfing the web, checking emails, or paying bills. Just record actual writing time. It can be enlightening and either encouraging or motivating. You don't realize how much time you spend emailing, IM-ing or blogging until it's in black and white.

Find your moments.

Related to this exercise, take a pen and paper and list all the spare moments of time you had during the day. You'd be surprised at the random minutes you'll notice while waiting for something to simmer, in doctors' offices, during commercial breaks, 30 seconds at a red light.

Even if you can't write during those periods, can you do something else that you would otherwise have done during your writing time? Could you vacuum one room during a commercial break so you don't have to vacuum it later? Could you wash a couple glasses or spoons while the soup comes to a boil? Can you edit a paragraph or two of your manuscript at the red light?

In writing down the spare moments you have, it'll help you be more aware of those times so you can be efficient.

Small steps

Take it one paragraph at a time. Don't try to write a full page in half an hour, although if you do--congratulations! Aim small, and get it accomplished. You'll feel better than if you aim high and don't get it done.

Write a little every day

This doesn't work for everyone, but it does work for most people. Even if it's only 5 minutes, one paragraph, or 100 words, just do it.

Sometimes if you force yourself to write everyday like this for a few days in a row, you get used to it and it starts to become a habit. Your mind and your body get used to the routine and it becomes easier and faster to jump into the mood and mindset of writing

Anticipate

Another thing to think about is if you're ANTICIPATING a pocket of time for writing, use the busy time leading up to it to THINK about what you're going to write about. This mental preparation will help you sit down and take off when it's writing time.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

by Camy Tang

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

For those who write later in the day or after work

STRESS

Stress is a total creativity-sucker. I can't string coherent words together after a particularly trying day. Don't tell yourself that you need to dive right into your project as soon as you get home, and don't feel guilty when you can't--sometimes we just need time to recharge or unwind. Writing saps more energy than you realize, and starting it as a tired lump won't allow you to write efficiently.

There are two similar options: cave time and deliberate relaxation.

CAVE TIME

I usually feel exhausted when I get home from work. I try to have some "cave time," or a period to relax by myself and rejuvenate. Sometimes all I need is some time doing mindless tasks like walking the dog, washing dishes, going through the mail. Other times I need a few minutes napping, or in front of the TV, or reading for pleasure. After some "cave time," I'm more open to working on my manuscript.

On the flip side, don't spend so much time relaxing that you never make it to your computer to start writing. If you find that you do that, then skip the "cave time" and force yourself to write for a little while--10, 15, 30 minutes, whatever you can do.

DELIBERATE RELAXATION

I call this "deliberate relaxation" because I totally suck at titles and couldn't think of anything else.

Sometimes "cave time" doesn't cut it, especially if the day has been stressful to the extreme. That's when it's time to bring out the big guns and delve into some deliberate pampering.

Think about what activities really relax you, what really allows your body and mind to let go. Bath/shower? Aromatherapy? Music? Outdoors with nature? Indoors? A shopping spree? Food? (although be careful about these last two options--don't break your bank and be wary of stress-eating.)

Then go do it. Take an hour to soak in a scented tub. Spend time sipping a mocha in Barnes and Noble. Indulge in a DVD. You'll find that once an activity has drained the stress from your mind and body, you'll be much more motivated to write.

Again, don't spend too much time relaxing--allow yourself time to write, too.

WRITER'S VACATION

Rarely can anyone work without vacations or days off. Companies these days give vacation days, sick days, floating holidays, discretionary days, you name it--they allow for time off. Even with their employees working five days a week with weekends free, companies know their people need the occasional extra time away from work. Writing--your "second job"--is no exception.

Why? Stress-buster. Also, a break in the usual routine can renew creativity.

At least once a month, take a vacation day from writing. Say you work full time, and you write after work with a midweek "rest day." Take a day off from writing IN ADDITION TO your writing "rest day."

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

by Camy Tang

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

ADJUST your mindset and PRIORITIZE your time

Your writing time is important. If you were working a second job (assuming you already have a first job or you're a stay-at-home-mom), you wouldn't be able to do a host of other things while on the clock.

You couldn't gab with your friend while flipping burgers at McDonalds. You couldn't check email while mowing a lawn. You couldn't cook dinner while programming code.

Your writing is that second job. The time you've set aside for it is precious, and you need to guard it against intrusion when possible.

Limit your e-mail time.

Some people find that it's better for them to put off checking their e-mail until they've finished their daily word count or writing time. It forces them to be productive and use e-mail time as a "reward."

It's also an option to limit your e-mail to a certain amount of time each day--and I'm serious, break out those kitchen timers! One hour, 30 minutes, 90 minutes--you choose.

A third possible way to limit e-mail is to only check it once or twice a day, at set times during the day. If you make a commitment to only check e-mail once in the morning and/or once at night, then you don't waste time opening your e-mail every 5 minutes during the day, or in the middle of your designated writing time.

Limit your critiquing time.

This is harder to coordinate, because most writers need their peers to give them feedback and vice-versa. It's kind of selfish to limit your time spent returning the favor, no?

Not if you schedule a limited amount of time each day for critiquing, like an hour. Again, kitchen timers are needed here. Once that hour is up, get cracking on your own writing. You'll be surprised how much critiquing you'll get done when you have to focus and finish as much as you can in a set amount of time.

Limit your socialization.

It's never good for writers to remain isolated, but don't let social obligations steal your precious writing time. You wouldn't be able to duck out of your day job for 2 hours whenever you felt like it to have lunch with a friend, would you?

Lunches with friends--While you need to connect with others, schedule it judiciously. Limit yourself to once a week, or once a month. Let your friends realize it's not personal, but your writing is important.

Limit your time on the phone--If you can afford it, there's the option of using a cell phone. People can always get you, but you have voice mail and can turn it off while you're writing. Turn the ringer off your home or office phone entirely so you're not distracted by the ringing line.

Record your writing time.

Record your start and stop time on a piece of paper. You might be surprised at how little or how much time you spend writing. This will also help schedule you and organize your time.

Know your season/days.

Some seasons are naturally more difficult for some writers to write. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Don’t beat yourself up for not being able to write during a certain season each year, just work around it.

Some writers are more creative during certain days of the week. Again, don’t beat yourself up over it, just adjust and work with your natural biorhythm.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked biology research and is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick-lit novel has just been contracted by Zondervan.

Write Time

Write Time
By Camy Tang

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Mining for ideas when you’re busier than Martha

When the ideas won’t flow, you can go looking for them, but it doesn’t have to take a lot of time. You can go searching for ideas in the places you hit everyday. Sometimes it just means a subtle shift in attitude and perception on your part.

Eavesdrop on conversations at work, in the grocery store, at school, at church, at soccer practice.

Scan obituaries and weddings, the local news and events—it doesn’t have to take long, just a few minutes more of the time you usually spend in the paper. Be on the look out for intriguing or unusual ideas you can write about.

When you take the kids to the library, browse book titles for anything that sparks a story or character. Scan the nonfiction section for a topic, issue, occupation that might be integrated into a story.

Listen to music and see if a song, lyrics, or a song title sparks something.

Watch TV—We all need to relax, and sometimes dramas, sports shows and commercials can give you ideas for stories. Even the really bad commercials or shows can be useful—I start thinking, “I can write something better than that!”

My Buddhist family visits the cemetery several times a year to pay respects. I’m required to come along, so I look at headstones and names, making up stories about these people.

Encourage older people to reminisce about the past, and encourage younger people to complain about the present. At family get-togethers, or at the dinner table, or driving your kids and their friends around town—make the most of your time with other people to mine them for stories. It won’t take much to get coworkers or church members to chat with you.

Anyplace you have to be, keep your eyes open, especially at places you don’t normally visit—like the zoo, or a courtroom. Observe people in other occupations from what you know. Observe normal people doing something unusual for them, or unusual people doing something normal.

When you need to take your kids shopping for clothes or whatever, people-watch as you head through the mall. You have to be there anyway—slow down a little and mine for ideas.

At the beauty shop, pay closer attention to the gossip and stories.

Go for a walk. When you’re stressed, find a way to leave the house—dump the kids with your spouse or a babysitter—and walk around the park. The fresh air and act of relaxing might let the creative juices flow. At work, go walking at lunch and away from the job atmosphere.

If you have time at the computer, skim through blogs—what everyday people are talking about might give you something to talk about, too. Check out online auctions (ebay.com or Amazon auctions) or Craigslist.com—the odd things people are selling and buying can really give you wild ideas. Craigslist also has listings of things people are giving away free—you’d be surprised at what’s advertised.

Remember, as a writer, you’re not a one-hit wonder. You might not have a lot of time, but you can still work on something new!

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked biology research and is a staff worker for her church youth group. She writes Asian Christian fiction, and runs the Story Sensei critique service.

Write Time

Write Time
By Camy Tang

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Ideas

Ideas can come at any time, because often they're triggered by random real life events. They also inevitably come when you’re changing the baby’s diaper, in the shower, weeding the garden, or anyplace else away from your computer.

Catching the ideas

Keep with you a small notebook in your pocket or purse so you can get those ideas down. The ideas may not even be applicable to your current story, but you can always save them for the next piece you write. It's too easy to forget, and I find that the cooler the idea, the more likely I am to forget it.

I am so bad at remembering that I’ve put notebooks and pens in every area of the house, including the spare bedroom and the bathroom. The bathroom was a must—I always seemed to get great snippets of dialogue while in the shower. My notes might be a little wet, but at least they’re there.

Many writers also keep paper and pens by their bed—another must for me. Why do the most brilliant ideas come in that weird moment between wake and sleep?

The car glove compartment has a pad of paper and pens there, too (although I’ve promised my husband I won’t write while driving at the same time—so what’s a minor fender-bender when I’m crafting my Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius?). You can also keep a small micro recorder so you don't risk life and limb scribbling while driving. (My PDA happens to have a digital recorder--see if yours does.)

I keep a few 3x5 cards in my PDA holder or wallet. John Olson (he wrote OXYGEN, THE FIFTH MAN, ADRENALINE) keeps a small wire-bound notepad in his back pocket, it fits in the palm of his hand. He got it at Target for a couple bucks.

I also found some great little notebooks sold through Levengers, the Matchbook Notebook and Swiftnotes Pad Holder. They're both very small, convenient sizes with a pen or pencil included.

Organization

When you have ten minutes, transpose your notes. But figure out what your organizational style is. This is really important to improve your efficiency. Do you like files? Notebooks? Binders? Envelopes? Boxes? Computer files?

I tend to throw things in separate Word documents. Research for a particular topic, ideas for a particular book, even a large file with all the ideas I have no place for yet. Everything I jot down gets transferred to an electronic file. Figure out what works best for you.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked biology research and is a staff worker for her church youth group. She writes Asian Christian fiction, and runs the Story Sensei critique service.

Write Time

Write Time
By Camy Tang

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

SEPARATE LEFT AND RIGHT BRAIN ACTIVITIES.

Ooooh, that's a nice description. Oh no no no, that's a terrible way to put it. Oops, you wrote a passive verb. Hey, you just laid down three adverbs in a row! The right word just isn't coming to me . . .

Sound familiar?

That pesky internal editor. Most writers say to lay down a bad first draft and edit later. There's actually scientific reasoning behind it.

Right brain is creative stuff like writing prose and brainstorming. Left brain is editing your prose and sifting through which brainstorm ideas you should keep or chuck. When you use both at once--like brainstorming and editing at the same time--the brain can't keep up with the switching back and forth. Your creativity can stall or your analysis can be way off.

This is why many writers recommend turning off your "internal editor" when writing the first draft. Don't correct, don't second-guess that word, don't fiddle with that phrase, don't decide that action is too bland, don't stop and do research--just make a note and move on. That editing is left-brain work, which would short-circuit your creative right-brain work if you stopped to indulge in it.

So only do creative stuff for one chunk of time--force yourself to be in that zen mode of writing or free association. Then switch to analysis of what you did. The times can be as short as five minutes each, but just make sure the activity times are clearly separated. This will improve efficiency when writing and developing a story.

One trick to try is closing your eyes. The senses of blind people sharpen to make up for loss of sight--your creativity might enhance when you remove your sense of sight. It can also remove the discouraging picture of the blank page. Block out distracting thoughts like work, housework, kids. If you can, type or write with your eyes closed, forget about misspelled words or the pen writing on the desk--oops, well, I guess you kind of have to watch out for that.

Another trick is to try writing as fast as you can. This forces you to just go with your gut and stall your analytical side. Plus this is often a necessity for busy writers with only fifteen minutes to write.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked biology research and is a staff worker for her church youth group. She writes Asian Christian fiction, and runs the Story Sensei critique service.

Write Time

Write Time
By Camy Tang

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Kids, kids, kids, kids, kids, kids, kids, kids, kids, kids

Don't sacrifice your precious time with your children, but you can also work the system to squeeze out some time to write.

--Take them outside and wear them out (don't wear yourself out too much, though). Then they'll be aching for a nap later. You've just earned yourself an hour or two of writing time.

--Arrange a rotating "play date" with other parents, where one parent watches several kids and the responsibility switches each time. This isn't for all parents, some have a hard time caring for more than their own, but if you can swing this, go for it.

--Hire a high school or college-aged babysitter (read: el-cheapo) for a few hours each week. However, be aware that if you remain at home with the kids, sometimes they won't leave you alone. You might need to actually leave the house in order to write. If you have a laptop or Alphasmart, that won't be too much of a problem, but if you don't, try the public library with your manuscript on a disk or flashdrive.

--Scout out places you can take your kids to play by themselves, like a park with a jungle gym and a bench nearby. Schedule to take the kids there once a week or so. They'll have fun while you can sit with a laptop or a pad and pen.

--While your kids are young enough to have nap times, utilize them for writing. When they outgrow nap time, you can still enforce 1-2 hours of "quiet time" when they have to play by themselves. You might need to prepare for this ahead of time by stocking up on games they can play, books to read, any type of solitary activity.

--Schedule a "movie hour" once a week. If you get them involved in the movie selection, they might be more apt to be happy watching by themselves. If they can't watch by themselves, sit with them with earplugs and a laptop or pen and paper.

--Put them to work! Sure, your twelve-year-old won't vacuum as thoroughly as you would, but a little is better than nothing. And it means YOU don't have to do it for that week. Plus if it takes her longer than it would take you, that's time you can spend with your laptop "supervising."

If you have to bribe the kids with a little extra spending money or privileges, that's ok. That's writing time you're buying.

It does require you to let some stuff go. Is your perfectly swept floor more important or your twenty minutes of writing? Plus if you do it yourself another week, it'll eventually get cleaned up, right?

If you have any other tips on how to manipulate--er, handle your children to enable writing time, I'd love to hear it. Email me at camy@camytang.com.

I found a terrific community and resource called MomsAtWork.org. They are a Christian ministry offering support, encouragement and articles for working mothers. Check them out!

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked biology research and is a staff worker for her church youth group. She writes Asian Christian fiction, and you can read more at her website or drop her an email for more information.

Write Time

Write Time
By Camy Tang

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Telephones, loops, and Desperate Housewives

You've tucked in your last toddler and kissed the last boo-boo of the day. Your husband is snoring to wake the dead, and the kitchen is finally cleared of the dirty supper dishes.

It's midnight. You're exhausted.

Where did my writing time go?

You promised yourself you'd have time today to write. You were determined to knuckle down and just do it.

There are a multitude of reasons why we lose the time, and each person has different reasons, different scenarios. I want to give a few tips that might apply to your hectic household.

Get a telephone answering machine.

And use it. Don't answer your phone if you have a machine, let the machine pick up the message.

"But my spouse/parents/friends/telemarketers hate leaving messages!"

Well, this may be harsh, but they have to get over it. And if it's urgent enough, they WILL leave a message against their inclinations.

If it's not urgent, and they don't leave a message, then you've just avoided losing fifteen minutes they would have taken from your precious writing time.

Limit your TV and email time.

For some people, it helps to set a time limit, like only one hour of email every day, or one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. Or they allow themselves to check email only once or twice a day.

That sometimes means you have to keep your email program closed during your non-email times. "But what if I get an important message from an agent? Or an emergency from my husband at work? Or an emotional breakdown from my writing buddy?"

You have to trust that:
1) the important people in your life--your spouse, the kids' teachers, your parents, your friends, that agent you queried--have your telephone number,
2) they know to leave a message on the answering machine, and
3) God will take care of everything from phone tag to timing, so you don't have to freak out about the "what if?"s.

Create message folders for your email: Now, Later, Action Required, or make up your own. Move your emails into folders so you can prioritize what to take care of first.

For TV, use a VCR, Tivo, or digital recorder. That way, you can save time by skipping commercials. You can plan to watch your shows all on a specific day, or only on certain days. Or watch only a certain amount of time each day, like one hour. Same thing with magazines and books--read only on certain days, or limit your time reading each day to an hour or so.

In case you noticed, I changed the title for this article because the whole subject of Kids was enough to take up its own space--next month.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Bless This Mess

I am immersed in Joe Superhero and his beloved Sally Screamer. They pound on the locked door of the empty store room. Suddenly, they hear the crackle of flames! The sinister Dr. Devilment has set the old abandoned warehouse on fire!

An explosion rocks the dusty ceiling, raining spiderwebs on Sally's head. She screams.

Joe slams his bronzed body against the heavy oak door. "The long-forgotten tubs of decades-old toxic waste are exploding! We must escape!" He grabs the heavy iron door knob, but it breaks off from the door in his hand . . .

I hear the key rattling in the front door lock. My husband is home from work. My brain goes into panic mode:

Oh no! I forgot to take out the garbage for pickup day tomorrow.
Ack! I didn't wash the dishes in the sink.
Uh oh, do I smell something burning?
Yet another day I put off vacuuming up all the dog hairs! Oh well, the carpet already looks an interesting brownish-gray color . . .

Sound familiar? Add in the shrieks and giggles of toddlers shoving Cheerios up their noses and you'd have any writers' household.

Writing doesn't mean you have to give up your "other" job as maid and parent. All it takes is a little pre-planning and a short family meeting or two.

Delegate chores.

If you have a spouse, schedule to share chores. Figure out a way to trade off and work with each others' strengths. If he can't cook without burning something, arrange for him to take care of cleanup. If you can't cook to save your life, let him feed the kids and you can clean up. Or schedule the days he cooks for the family and the days you are the Kitchen Goddess. Have him clean the bathrooms while you tackle the laundry pile each week. Don't be afraid to ask him to dust or mop.

Rope the kids into washing dishes, doing laundry (their own and their siblings'), sweeping, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom. They won't be as good as a hired maid service (or yourself), but they'll be a lot cheaper, even if you have to pay them extra in their allowance.

Research for fast cookery.

The internet has tons of recipes for families on the go. Spend some time to find and print out quick meal ideas. Your crockpot will become your best friend. Take a day to make several full meals and freeze them for fast reheated dinners. One great book to invest in is Cyndy Salzmann's: "The Occasional Cook: Culinary Strategies for Over-Committed Families."

Be flexible.

A writing schedule that worked last month or last year may not be efficient when your social or work schedule changes. Be creative with your time juggling. Be aware that you may need to shift things around, don't be too set in your time slots.

Let it go.

If you want to commit to writing as more than a hobby, some things just won't be doable. The house won't always be spankin' clean, you won't always have wholesome home-cooked meals for your family, there just won't be time. Think and pray about your priorities, make a list if that helps you.

Next month: Kids, loops, and Desperate Housewives

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California and works in biology research and is a staff worker for her church youth group. She writes Asian Christian fiction, and you can read more at her website or drop her an email for more information.

Write Time:Working Full Time and Writing

Write Time
By Camy Tang

Working Full-Time and Writing
(or for any busy writer)

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Give yourself a rest day.

This gives you time to do other household chores, bills, read, etc. It's also a chance to recharge from a focused week of writing.

Think of your writing like a second job. You wouldn't work seven days a week without a break, it would become too tiring even if you only work a few hours a day. Therefore, a day of non-writing can often help rejuvenate your creativity and your motivation.

I have a day of rest on Sundays when I don't write at all. You can choose any day you prefer. During the week, I try to stop myself from doing non-writing things and put them off until Sunday.

Schedule your chores for your "rest" day, or a specific day.

This is a time when you should procrastinate! Don't be distracted by chores during your writing time. Put it off until your rest day. When I start lamenting on that the floors have dust bunnies the size of rabbits, I promise myself I'll sweep later on my "rest" day. That way I can go back to writing with less guilt over my messy house.

Alternately, schedule a specific day for each chore, like Thursday for vacuuming, Friday for laundry, etc. It's harder to be distracted by a dirty house when you know it'll get done in a few days on your designated chore day.

Increase your productivity when you're well-rested.

Sleep doctors tell you that if you don't sleep, you die. This is biological fact. For many people, tiredness blocks creativity. If you have to, schedule a day when you go to bed early and get a few extra hours of sleep. A little extra sleep may be all you need for the words to start flowing.

Schedule your writing like a trip to the dentist.

Many people who write and work another full-time job tend to do most of their writing on the weekends when their spouse is home to help out with kids, cooking and chores.

Take advantage of this time and don't let something else hijack it. When a friend wants to meet for lunch, plan it for another day or time. "I have an appointment on Saturday morning/afternoon/evening. How about . . . ?" That appointment is with your manuscript.

This is another reason I find using Sunday as a "rest day" works for me. Saturday is for writing except for unbreakable commitments, and everything else I schedule for Sunday when I'm not writing. It allows me to be more productive on Saturday but still keep an active social schedule.

Next month: your home.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing (or for any busy writer) By Camy Tang

As always, remember that these tips won't all work for everyone, so pick and choose what's right for you.

Utilize small increments of time.

Wherever you go, bring things with you to do so you can be efficient if you have a spare minute. Bring paper and pen, a PDA, a laptop, or an Alphasmart. Even if you only have a few minutes, work on your manuscript. Those two sentences you add are still two sentences.

Often, when you transfer the small snippets you write in these short amounts of time onto the computer, you end up expanding on what you've written. It acts as a springboard for more ideas, extended prose, longer dialogue. Nothing is wasted.

I'm usually not organized enough to remember the previous scene to add on to it, or to bring a few pages to edit. If you have a laptop computer that you write on, take that to work. I sometimes save my manuscript onto my PDA, because it has a keyboard attachment. What I also do is save my manuscript in Yahoo Briefcase (http://briefcase.yahoo.com/), an online service that enables you to save up to 30 MB of data in your personal online folder and then access it from any computer hooked up to the internet. It's completely FREE, you just need to register as a Yahoo! Member or get a Yahoo! email address. I can access my manuscript during the day from my work computer and edit a few pages, then save it back into my briefcase and resume working on it at home.

Stress
Sometimes when I have a few precious minutes to write, I'm stressed because of whatever task I've just finished, or I stress about using the time efficiently and end up getting nothing done. For when you are emotionally heightened and only have short periods of time, do writing-related things that are more relaxing and less creatively stressful than writing prose. Brainstorm new ideas, edit your manuscript, or read (see list at bottom for writing-related ideas).

Complex plots
Many times the manuscript is incredibly complex, which makes it difficult to write unless you have a huge chunk of time. If that's the case, then use the small increments of time to brainstorm, write dialogue or narration snippets, jot down questions about the plot, develop characters. Use the time to do what you can on the story, even if things are out of order in the plot. Many times I'll think up a short dialogue that I can use several chapters down the road, or I'll think up something to add to what I've already written.

Use dead time to imagine and plan the next scene.
Another way to utilize short periods of time efficiently and with less emotional stress is to use "dead" time before your "writing" time to mentally prepare. While washing dishes, or driving home from work, think about the next scene you have to write--where it will be set, how to set up the tension, how to create more conflict. Then, when you sit down in front of the computer you can just go for it, no wasted time sitting and thinking.

If you'd rather not use the short times to write, use it to read:
A Writer's Digest article can be completed in a few minutes.
A chapter in a writer's craft book
Writing articles on the web.
Research material for your next book or article.
A few pages of your manuscript to edit.
A few pages of your critique partner's manuscript to edit.
A non-writing magazine or newspaper--read them during your spare random times rather than at home when you could be writing.
A book to analyze--what made it good or bad, highlight the threads (spiritual, emotional/relationship, plot, suspense, etc.)

Next month: Rest days

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California and works in biology research. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She writes Asian Christian fiction, and you can read more at her website or drop her an email for more information.

Write Time

Working Full-Time and Writing by Camy Tang

Getting laid off from my job was the best and worst thing that ever happened to me.

Not in the way you'd think. It was great because God had given me the green light to take up my writing again after years of setting it aside. I now had tons of time to craft brilliant prose.

But I discovered the downfall of suddenly having enough time in the day to write and the freedom to write whenever I want.

"Downfall?" you ask. "What downfall? Honey, you have time to write!"

For some reason, my productivity plummeted. Not that it was a bad time, it was a great vacation and a chance to learn more about the writing craft. I wrote one manuscript, 85,000 words.

"Not bad," you reply. "Where's the downfall?"

When I had to return to the workforce, I realized I needed to change my writing style and habits if I didn't want to take ten years to chug out my next novel. After a few months collecting tips, hints, tricks, and everything I could to improve my output, I wrote my second novel in six months, while I was working full-time.

I learned how to make my writing time more efficient. I only have a limited amount of time and energy to spend on my favored pastime at the keyboard, and I learned how to up my productivity.

Every writer is different, and not all these tips will resonate with every writer. Pick and choose what seems like a good fit for your work, home and writing schedule.

Work for the Lord, not for men.

There are times when I feel like my true job is writing and my work is an evil necessity to pay the bills. While that might be true, God still calls us to do ALL our work for Him, in praise of Him. Working your day job with a stinky attitude isn't glorifying to God. Plus it could hinder you spiritually and damper your creativity.

"What?" you ask. "'Tude equals writer's block?"

It certainly happened for me. I felt far from God, and the only thing appearing on my computer monitor was garbage. I needed to do some serious praying to change my mind-set about my job. When I did, the writing got back on track.

Pray for a good attitude at work. God knows the desires of your heart and the right timing for everything.

Sometimes there's a definite purpose in His desiring you to work full-time rather than write full-time. God is using my time working to teach me tricks and tips to share with others. He's teaching me to be more responsible with my time now so that if I ever do write full-time, I'll be productive.

Writing does not mean oodles of money. Most writers are in the midlist of sales figures and cannot live on their income. Check out "Show Me the Money" by Brenda Hiatt, posted on Karen Fox's website. These are real-life figures from mostly midlist authors. Plus these authors spend much of their advances on promotion and marketing for their books.

Realistically, most authors must depend on his/her spouse's income to write full-time. Some writers save up money to enable a sabbatical from their job for a year or so.

My personal suggestion is to work and write at the same time, learning to write efficiently and saving money for that possible sabbatical. If/when you sell a manuscript, that might be a reasonable time to think about switching to writing for a living.

There are writers whom God chooses to step out in faith to write full-time, even though finances are tight. I applaud you. God hasn't spoken to me in that way, but I know when He does to other writers, He always provides for them.

I've memorized Colossians 3:23-24: Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ. (NLT)

This helps me to keep a Christ-like attitude at work, to be a good witness for Him, and to patiently wait for Him to allow me to write full-time. Not that it always works, but you get the picture.

Next month: Utilizing small increments of time

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California and works in biology research. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She writes Asian Christian fiction, and you can read more at her website or drop her an email for more information.