The Part-Time Novelist — Advice for Writers Who Have a Day Job

If you’re looking to become a full-time author, you’ll find plenty of advice out there. How I Became a Full-Time Writer. How I Make a Living as a Writer (and You Can Too). How To Make a Living as an Author. Articles like these abound. It’s unusual to find someone who loves to write, but who would NOT want to do it full-time. I mean, if we had our choice (and the stars, the budget, and the bank account aligned), most writers would happily abandon their day job for a full-time gig. However, reality typically prevails and we’re left to wedge writing in between our day jobs, family, and other assorted responsibilities. Which creates its own unique set of problems.

One is that much advice given to writers assumes they are full-time (or headed that way). I recently listened to a podcast that queried half a dozen indie authors about their careers and general advice for writers. All of the authors were full-time. And they talked like it. For example, one discussed her average daily schedule. Because her creative juices flowed best in the morning, she devoted the first half of her day to writing. After lunch, the remainder of her day was devoted to marketing and networking. So her average eight-hour workday involved roughly five hours of writing and three hours of marketing. Five days a week. Then there was the author who spoke to the importance of writing quickly and publishing two to three novels a year (which is the current conventional wisdom among many indie authors). As much as this kind of advice is inspiring and informative, it can also be frustrating for the part-time writer.

Part-time writing has its own set of challenges that full-timers occasionally forget.

I currently have a forty-hour a week job outside the home. It’s a fairly stable job, with a regular schedule (I work four ten-hour days, Tuesday thru Friday, from 6 a.m. to 4:30), and close to home. Our four kids are all grown, married, and out of the house. So dealing with a hectic homefront is no longer a big part of the equation. But with eight grandkids, and their families all nearby, we still manage to get visitors, babysitting opportunities, and impromptu dinner engagements. I’m also a hybrid author with two trad and four independently published books. Over the last decade, I’ve managed to squeeze these books out while working my day job. This has involved significant stress, lots of second guessing, sacrifices, and creative time management. And lots of missed opportunities and dropped balls. By today’s standards, six books in ten years isn’t much. Especially since none of them have reached the mythical “Breakout Novel” status. Only recently have I been able to show actual writing-related income at the end of the year. But typically, my writing expenses still exceed my writing income (which has been the source of not a few hard discussions between my wife and I). As it stands, my day job is pretty much supporting my part-time writing job. I’m hoping that will change some day, but I’m not holding my breath.

My guess is that there’s far more part-time writers, like me, than there are full-time writers. Which makes me wonder why most of the “professional” advice given by full-time writers doesn’t seem to take that into consideration. So as a part-time writer, I wanted to speak to other part-time writers and offer some tips about navigating a writing career while working a day job — whether it’s kids, homeschooling, going to school, or working 9-5 — and maintaining your sanity in the process.

• Develop a realistic goal for your writing  — I say realistic because there’s a lot of advice out there pushing writers towards goals that may only frustrate them. As I mentioned above, the current conventional wisdom says that indie authors should crank out books at a rapid pace. This keeps your audience engaged and your canon expanding. The result is more and more how-to books on Writing Your Novel in 30 Days. I don’t dispute that it’s possible for someone, somewhere, to crank out a decent novel in thirty days. However, I’ve learned that that someone is not me. In fact, the only way I could even come close to realizing such a goal would be to quit my day job, find an isolated cabin in the woods (without the internet), write thirty straight days with minimal sleep, keep those novels around the 50K word range in length, and not worry too much about depth or quality. That’s what I mean about goal setting. There’s lots of factors to be considered. Don’t get me wrong, writers should have goals and those goals should push us. We should also be developing routines that help us write more quickly and efficiently. The problem is that each of us has a different station in life, different relationships and responsibilities, and a different temperament. Which means our goals should look different. A realistic goal for my writing is to aim for one book a year. I haven’t yet reached that goal consistently. But it’s realistic for me and something worth aiming at. Your writing goals should not look the same as mine. And while they should push you, your goals should not constantly drive you towards exhaustion and frustration. If your circumstances only allow you to crank out one book every couple of years, then rest in that.
• Find a writing rhythm that works with YOUR schedule and YOUR temperament — Sometimes rhythm is the exact thing part-timers struggle with. Because our schedules are different, sometimes constantly changing (see: children), developing a regular routine can often be a problem. I find my creative juices are active in the mornings. Evenings I’m pretty much good for nothing. Therefore, the smartest thing for me is to devote writing time to mornings. Being that I start work at 6 a.m., I’ve gotten in the habit of waking early (between 3-4 am) and devoting that time for writing. I’m not saying this to brag, as if I’m making some huge sacrifice. I used to work construction which often involved commuting into L.A. or Orange County before rush hour. Which typically meant being on the freeway around 4:00 am. So for me, the most obvious writing routine is one that fits my schedule and my temperament. Meaning mornings. Of course, this will be different for everyone. And, depending on your daily schedule, this can be an incredible challenge. I remember talking to a homeschooling mother who wrote her first novel mainly during her children’s nap times. I interviewed another part-time author who, among other things, dedicated his lunch breaks to writing (and finished several novels with such a routine). Point is, the part-time writer does not always have the luxury of large chunks of distraction-free time. This will mean changing “free time” into “writing time,” and shoe-horning writing in between other things. Which leads me to my next point.
• Remain flexible — This was one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn. I’m a creature of habit, very routine-oriented. But being a part-time writer has forced me to learn to change gears, readjust goals, and be satisfied with scraps of time. For example, I wrote a good third of my first novel on a palm pilot (pictured here) during breaks at work over a year. My co-workers would often make fun of me sitting there pecking away at the screen with my stylus. It was incredibly tedious. But I had to deal with the fact of either writing just at home or finding ways to do it on the fly. I chose the latter. (Thankfully, I’ve since graduated to a tablet.) As a part-timer, most of us discover that flexibility is a necessity. Sometimes you need to readjust your weekends. Sometimes you need to readjust your TV habits or video-gaming. Sometimes you need to readjust your overall goals. I recently began writing an urban fantasy series. I self-published it in November 2014 with the goal of having Book Two out in one year (which is this month). Well, by summer I had to come to grips with the fact that it wasn’t going to happen I was too hot to think about it anyways, and I even had to get an air conditioner company called Morehart Air to install one at my place. Tentatively, my next novel is now slated for Spring 2016. And I’m okay with that. For the part-time writer, remaining flexible is a huge part of coping, staying sane, and still getting stuff done.
• Let things “fall off the table” — During the writing of my second novel, I was so stressed out I had to start taking stress medication from UK Meds online pharmacy. I recounted the sordid detail in a post entitled Write. Pray. Medicate. This was incredibly embarrassing, but it made me come to grips with the fact that I could not sacrifice my health for the sake of writing books. As a result, I’ve since developed a “hierarchy of importance.” For example, when I get too stressed or too busy, I simply start letting things fall off the table. Email is one of the first things I push to the side. As a result, I’ll answer someone a week late. But so what? Then I’ll let blogging fall off the table. Of course, this has a downside in that my blog is my central social media hub (although Facebook has quickly become an invaluable tool). I used to blog  2-3 times a week. But my schedule has just not permitted it. So I’ve decided to elevate fiction writing over blogging. The good thing about blogging is that I can pick it up whenever I want and, most likely, increase my traffic just as quick. But, again, if it comes down to health and blogging, blogging goes. Marketing is also one of those things I’ve had to sacrifice. This is anathema to most professionals. And rightfully so! But this is also one of the huge advantages of full-time versus part-time writing — you simply have more time to market your books. Listen, if your decision is between writing your novel and marketing it, write the damned novel. Of course, both would be ideal. But if forced to choose between one or the other, let the marketing fall off the table in favor of just getting your story finished. And the ultimate break would be taking a break from writing. Again, probably anathema for most indie authors. Nevertheless, taking a break from your writing can sometimes be the best thing for your writing.
• Stay with it — I’m not sure that there’s a clearer way to prove your mettle and build a framework for a possible full-time career in writing than simply being persistent. There are so, so many reasons (excuses?) for the part-timer to bail. Watching other indie novelists crank out novel after novel is one of them. But you’re not them. Your schedule, your temperament, your station in life are all unique. The one constant is your ability to keep your eye on the prize and keep plugging away. It’s true — slow and steady will sometimes win the race. And in the publishing race, often your toughest opponent will be yourself. Yes, some will arrive well before you. So what? Have then send a postcard when they arrive.

I don’t have plans any time soon of becoming a full-time writer. I also don’t have any plans about bailing on my writing. Which obviously means living in the tension between what I aspire to and where I really am. If you’re in a similar situation, I’d love to hear some of the practical ways you’ve learned to live with the dream of being a full-time writer, while coping with the reality of “real life.”