Monthly Archives: October 2018

Working Dad’s Tricks to Writing a Novel in Your Free Time

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Pondering when to write your novel. You can’t decide when to actually sit, ponder, and let the writing flow. Below are suggestions of when to pocket snips of “bright ideas” that will eventually be in your novel.

Salesman—

You’re a salesmen and work with a companion. So if he or she drives you can jot down ideas or thoughts on your notebook, or laptop or smartphone. Later you can write or edit these great ideas in WORD.

Lunch Break—

You have a 1 hour lunch break at work. So eat for 30-minutes and then relax. Well relax as you write down ideas, maybe an outline or may an introduction for your book.

The 1 Hour Commute—

You commute 1 hour to work everyday. The car has 2 other people. You usually talk and ask about your friends day or what they did the night before…you know small talk. Well you have an opportunity to write some thoughts down – again on your notebook, or laptop or smartphone.

Basketball Game—

You are driving to a professional basketball with a group of friends. It will take atleast 30-minutes to get to the stadium. This is another opportunity to create parts of your book. You may think backwords. You may be thinking of 2 different endings for your book. You may ponder how the book should start. Write something down. Take advantage of the time you have. You will be rewarded for writing down these thoughts. You can always go back and edit later.

Shopping—

You are shopping for plants and flowers for your yard with your wife. Again, this is a golden opportunity to write down some ideas for your book. Develop each character. Develop the thesis and maybe an outline or title of your book.

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Working Mom’s Tricks to Writing a Novel in Your Free Time

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Trick #1: Write Longhand:

Even the most lightweight laptop is a tricky thing to take to the playground or gym. However, a notebook and pen fit easily into the most crowded diaper bag. (Always put an extra working pen in your purse, in case one does not work.)

“Write longhand while you’re sitting on a bench at the playground.”

Write longhand while you’re standing and rocking a stroller with your foot. Write longhand while waiting for your pasta to boil and while waiting outside of your first ballet class, for your 5 year old daughter. When entering your text onto the laptop later, will give you the chance to revaluate your work with a fresh eye, and fix the errors or edit what’s necessary. You’re that much closer now to a polished manuscript!

Trick #2: Get Your Kids Involved:

Experts say that reading to your children is the best thing any parent can do to bond, raise IQ and otherwise earn mommy or brownie points. Sure, toddlers and older children would probably rather hear “Winnie the Pooh” than “Mommy’s New Novel.” But, can an infant really tell the difference?

Nothing gives writers a better idea of whether a scene, especially one featuring lots of dialogue, is working, than reading it out loud. It can be an ego-crushing experience as you realize that the brilliance you heard in your head doesn’t quite match the nonsense you seemed to be articulating… but that which does not kill you, gets you ready for more editorial rejection later on. And that’s a good thing.

So grab that baby and that manuscript and read it out loud until the prose finally shines. Or your infant is old enough to start requesting a different title.

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