Those TV shows where writers always have a fancy office and no distractions totally lied to us.
I was working full time at a job doing programming and computer support when I wrote my first novel, The Element of Fire. I wrote at work during slow periods, waiting for programs to run or for someone to call for help. I didn’t have a home computer at that point. I printed out what I’d written during the day and took it home to read over and edit, and then hand wrote new material on the weekends.
My boss knew what I was doing — he was a big SF/F fan, too. But the office was also so small, it would have been impossible to conceal it. We were crammed into a space slightly larger than a walk-in closet with two mainframes plus workstations, a server, and other equipment. It was also cold and noisy, due to the intense air conditioning and air cleaners needed for the mainframes. The large HP printer was an important source of warmth essential for fighting off hypothermia. I wrote The Element of Fire, City of Bones, and half of The Death of the Necromancer in that room. My hearing and my sinuses never quite recovered, but it gave me the ability to write under just about any conditions and ignore distractions. Even now, when I write at home, I need some kind of noise in the room and often write with the TV on.
But many people write novels and pursue writing careers under much worse conditions. They can’t afford to write full time, and have demanding jobs where they have no spare time at work to sneak in some writing, and they have kids at home to take care of, and other responsibilities. They do their writing late at night when no one else is awake, or get up early in the mornings and just learn to live with less sleep. If it sounds easy, I’m describing it badly.
Finding time for writing when circumstances aren’t ideal is a problem for aspiring professionals, for current professionals, and for people who write as a hobby. But another problem writers face is resistance from family or friends.
Every time I’ve done a panel that gets into the topic of finding time for writing, there’s always one or more audience members who ask what to do about someone they live with who actively discourages their writing, and/or goes out of the way to interrupt or stop them while they’re doing it. Everyone’s situation is different, so it’s hard to give an answer to that. Hopefully it helps to know that they aren’t alone and that this is apparently a common problem among writers. Once when I was at home working on The Element of Fire, an ex-friend/roommate saw what I was doing and said, “Oh, you’ll never finish that.”
Well, I did. And in the end, that’s all you can do.
Danny Adams on February 13, 2011
>>Once when I was at home working on The Element of Fire, an ex-friend/roommate saw what I was doing and said, “Oh, you’ll never finish that.”<<
I do always wonder where these sorts of comments come from, though I can think of a whole range of possibilities–jealousy being one, or that somewhere the person deep down feels inadequate or is self-loathing, and think the only balm is to tear someone else down.
I've also heard "You'll never make any money doing that" a lot. Ignoring the fact that their comment comes too late, my standard reply to that these days is something along the lines of "How much money do you make parked in front of the TV?"
Martha on February 13, 2011
>>”How much money do you make parked in front of the TV?”<<
That's a great answer, Danny!
Pip Hunn on February 13, 2011
When I lived in a shared house filled with non-writers and cynical failed writers, I kept a handy watergun filled with lemon juice by my desk.
Interruptions? Squirt in the eye.
Disparaging remarks? Squirt in the eye.
My housemates learnt quickly.
link salad (client edition) | Et in arcaedia, ego. on February 16, 2011
[...] Over on Night Bazaar, Martha Wells talks about stealing time, how to wedge time for writing into your life any way you can, and how people will occasionally try [...]
Dolly on February 16, 2011
I work in a day job, where I rarely have time to sneak in writing anymore, because I am just so swamped with work I can barely keep up with that. That results in being so tired in the evenings. It’s hard, very hard, but I am bumbling through. At home, while I don’t get active support (no one in family into reading/writing and can’t grasp much appeal of living in characters’ heads), I do get left alone to get on with it. So fair enough. They do wish me success, and they certainly don’t hinder me. So I am grateful for that.