Time Management with Creativity

22 Jan Time Management with Creativity

Mark Hamilton is a game designer living in Canberra, Australia. He’s currently working on Rasania Chronicles, a neo-apocalyptic sci-fi RPG, utilizing the Immersion RPG system. This is his first guest blog post.

One of the biggest hurdles all budding writers face I feel is the ability to find the time to sit and
write. Generally, life gets in the way, be it paid work, family or other commitments. There are some
strategies you can take on board that I find really work well, and that they will keep the motivation
high.

These are:

• With a diary, attempt to set aside 1 hour a day, in a quiet area that you are not likely to be
  interrupted to do your writing. Perhaps if you have set work hours, getting up an hour
  earlier to focus on writing allows your brain to be fresh and the ideas to flow. Wanting to do
  it when you finish work does not always help, as you would be tired from work.
• Drink plenty of water. Keeping hydrated while you are working allows your brain to really
  fire that creativity! Maybe just before writing have a large glass of water with a
  “Performance Berroca”, as that will help focus your mind and is good for you to boot!
• Set realistic goals. If you know you only have a certain amount of time per day or week to
  dedicate to writing, set a goal that is realistically achievable. Maybe something like “I’m
  going to write 500 words a day”, and if that is successful, you have just written almost 5000
  words in a week. With an average novel totalling 60,000 words, you could do that in 12
  weeks at that rate (3 months) which is not bad!
• When motivation gets low, look to things that inspire you, such as music or a certain
  television show. You will find that after having a short break and rekindling that motivation,
  you will come back writing stronger and longer.
• Ward off negativity – taking constructive criticism is one thing, as generally that is only given
  to help you improve, but if people are being overly negative towards your writing, attempt
  to turn that into a positive. If they say you should just give up, and that you will never
  amount to anything, that your writing is a waste of time – tell them you are not a quitter.

Some of the above points may be applicable to you and I hope that you are able to stay motivated
with your writing. If you have young children, maybe see if you can find the time to write when they
are asleep – or if you work long hours or shift work (I know that feeling), perhaps even writing in the
early hours of the morning might be a good, uninterrupted time to do it if you’re not too tired.

The biggest thing to remember is this – “You have a story in your head, that deserves to be shared, the
trick is getting it out of your head and onto paper where everyone can enjoy it. Never settle for
mediocrity and reach for the stars. Cause if you don’t, nobody else could make you”.

~Mark Hamilton

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