One of the first things I learned when I sat down to write my first novel was, scheduling is a bitch.

Finding time to write in, even when you’re ‘unemployed’ isn’t as easy as it sounds. You really think you’ll just casually roll up to the computer at some point in the day and start furiously typing away? Yeah, well something will come up, something always comes up. Even if you live alone with no one to interfere with your desire to roll out of bed and write at some point during the day, something will happen and it won’t get done.

Hell even with a concrete schedule and everyone you live with appraised of what you’re doing and when – something will still probably come up. Something will come up, possibly prompted by you wandering away from your manuscript for a moment while trying to coax your muse back for a few more paragraphs.

That’s why the schedule is so important. It gives you permission to turn off the phone, disconnect the internet and yell at loved ones, from a specific time to a specific time while you’re writing. Without the schedule, well, you’d just be an angry random bitch.

I think I’ve mastered the schedule pretty much… except for scheduling time off and a life. Basically I’ve scheduled all of my days right up to about 10pm with writing stuffs. I allow myself Sunday ‘off,’ except that’s never actually a day off, it’s a day I end up giving to my long suffering family who needs this and that and this done.

Spending most of my time telling the rest of the world to bugger off is fine with me – except sometimes it isn’t. It would be nice to really just relax for a day or so. It would kind of rock if I could schedule in enough time for people but they’re notorious unapologetic time hogs.

My hat is off to all the writers out there that manage to juggle full time office jobs, families, friends and writing time, as I have no idea how the hell you do it!