How to Write a Novel With a Full-Time Job

Person writing on a train while commuting to their full-time job

According to a recent survey, 81% of those surveyed said they want to write a book someday. That’s a lot of people who dream of writing a book! But the reality is many of those who want to write a book never start, and even fewer ever finish a manuscript. That’s not because they’re lazy—most likely, it comes down to the realities of life. We need money to live, and writing a novel is not financially lucrative. Even if you end up being one of those few novelists who breakout huge and manage to make good money from your writing, there’s no guarantee of that, and there’s no compensation whatsoever during the actual process of writing the novel. The reality is that most people cannot afford to take time away from work or raising families to focus entirely on writing a book. And given how challenging writing a book can be, many individuals defer on following through on that dream until they “have more time.” (Find out why this is likely an excuse preventing you from writing here.)

Most of my book coaching clients start out sharing with me that they’d always dreamed of writing a book, but their need or desire to pursue a “stable” career path forced their ambition to write a book to the back burner. This resonates with my own path and what I hear from so many others in the writing community as well. But while we’re sidetracked on other paths, that calling to write a book still nags. And while that magical moment when you’ll “have more time” may never appear, the truth is that you can write a book even with a day job, even as you raise your children, even as you juggle other responsibilities. Writing a book does not have to look like locking yourself in a room five days a week and churning out a manuscript. Writing a book can look like fitting it in around everything else you need and want to do and still finding ways to make progress.

You Deserve the Time to Write

So, how can you write a book while juggling everything else? First, you need to give yourself permission to spend some of your limited free time on this pursuit.

This is where I see so many women writers get hung up. The time is there if they look for it but claiming that time for themselves as writing time feels wrong somehow. Moms, in particular, tend to struggle with this. Asking their parenting partner to take over parenting responsibilities so they can focus on writing feels like they’re saying they value their writing over their children. But if writing is important to you, then you absolutely deserve the time to invest in making your dream of writing a book come true. Think of it as a form of self-care: the time you spend working towards such a big dream makes you a more complete and whole individual. Spending time on your writing is no different than training for a marathon, learning a new language, learning to cook, etc. It’s a life goal you’ve decided you want to achieve. And that makes the time spent in pursuit of that goal worthy.

Feeling like we deserve the time to write or like our time spent on writing is useful can be a huge mental hurdle many individuals need to overcome before they move on to the actual mechanics of writing and scheduling writing time, and if this is something you struggle with, I highly suggest you seek the assistance of a book coach or counselor to help you work through this. No matter how much time you might be able to carve out for writing, if you still feel like your dream of writing a book doesn’t matter or isn’t worthwhile, you’ll struggle to stick to the writing routine you create for yourself.

Finding the Time

Once you get on board with the idea that you deserve the time to invest in your writing, sit down with your schedule and see where you might be able to fit in some writing time. I find that being very intentional with your schedule and physically blocking off the time you plan to write as you would for an appointment or meeting is the best way to ensure you follow through on your writing time. And the busier you are, the more this becomes a necessity.

Many writers, especially newer ones, think they’ll just write when “inspiration strikes” and therefore find the idea of scheduling their writing time counterintuitive. But the truth is, inspiration follows discipline. Finding some sort of rhythm and routine for your writing time will allow the inspiration to appear. For example, if you decide that waking up early to write before work is your best bet, then getting into the habit of waking up early and sitting at your writing desk will become a signal for your writing inspiration to show up. Eventually, even on days you struggle to get out of bed, the routine will lend itself to inspiration. So, find a schedule that works for you, write it down, and then stick to it even on the days you’re not feeling particularly inspired.

To find the time to write, I suggest sitting down with your schedule and brainstorming all the possible times you might be able to dedicate to writing. You don’t need a long stretch of three hours to accomplish any writing—even chunks of twenty minutes can be useful so long as you focus your efforts. To get you started, here’s a list of possible times you might reserve for writing:

· Wake up early before the kids/work

· Spend a chunk of time at your writing desk in the evening after dinner

· Write for a chunk of time after the kids go to bed

· Use your lunch hour to write

· Write during nap time for little kiddos or initiate a “quiet time” for older kiddos who have outgrown naps

· Reserve weekend mornings for writing

· Write while you’re making dinner (keep your computer nearby in the kitchen so you can work in between steps) or dictate while you wash the dishes

· Dictate your story in the car on your drive to and from work or school drop-off/pick-ups

· Write on public transportation to and from work

· Go to a coffee shop for a chunk of time on the weekends

· Write while the kids play in the bathtub

· Write during the kids’ soccer practice/piano lesson/etc.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list but simply meant to give you some examples and spark more ideas. The truth is that what works for one writer may or may not work for you, and you may need to try different possibilities before finding a good rhythm. Don’t get discouraged if you try something and it doesn’t work. Just keep trying new options and see what feels good for you.

Connect with a Writing Community

My final tip for writing with a day job is to find a community of other writers you feel comfortable with and connect with to help you. Writing can feel incredibly lonely and isolating at times, but having others in your life who understand the highs and lows of the writing life and can help direct you towards resources to improve your writing can help you feel more connected and also give you access to resources you may not find on your own. This also allows you to spend more time actually writing, knowing that you have a support system who can help guide you, rather than wasting time feeling uncertain of your next step.

Just like finding a writing schedule that works for you might require some trial and error, finding a writing community that feels like a good fit can also take some time. There are a multitude of writing groups online and on Facebook, so check out several to see where you feel most comfortable and supported. You might also check to see what local writing communities are in your area and connect with them as well.

While writing a novel when you have a day job or are raising a family can feel challenging and might take longer than if you had an uninterrupted amount of time to dedicate to the task, it’s absolutely doable! The key is believing that writing a novel is a worthy goal and then prioritizing it in your life. While I won’t trick you into believing it will be easy, I truly believe it’s worth the effort. After all, if your life dream has been to write a novel, you owe it to yourself to invest the time into making that happen.