It would be far easier to bring books to life in the void. Making books would be a much simpler exercise if the self-publishing author could do nothing but write. Unfortunately, most writers can’t sit at their computers for endless hours each day, willing their world to be created. Here are five tips to help self-publishing authors bring their stories to fruition while managing busy lives.

1. Outline

Some self-publishing authors are not natural outliners, but having an outline can be invaluable when a writer has limited writing time. This prevents the self-publishing author from spending their time at the keyboard trying to come up with the next scene and allows a more effortless flow of words onto the page.

2. Write Notes

Adjacent to outlining, when a self-publishing author finishes a scene, it is often beneficial if they write themselves a note at the end of their document telling them what the next scene was supposed to be and anything they want their future self to know. Like an outline, this helps save time as the self-publishing author won’t spend valuable time at the keyboard re-orienting to their work.

3. Sprint

Any amount of writing is better than no writing. Busy self-publishing authors sometimes can’t carve out hours at the keyboard and instead must settle for short sprints of writing time. The good news is that five or fifteen minutes of spare time to write are accessible to almost anyone. Self-publishing authors can write on lunch breaks while kids are at soccer practice, waiting for meetings to start, bringing water to boil, or cooking food in the oven.

By writing in small segments, busy self-publishing authors can make progress in their stories in their spare moments without interfering with work and family life.

Productivity can be found in the margins of life!

4. Consider Giving Up Television (Sometimes)

Most self-publishing authors need time to unwind after a long day of working and parenting. It is easy to turn on the television or a video game to rest and relax; there is nothing wrong with that. However, if the self-publishing author can watch one episode instead of two or skip television one day a week, and still keep their mental health, giving up television and video games occasionally is a great way to squeeze in writing time.

5. Use Vacation Days

Vacation time is precious, and most self-publishing authors who have a day job would rather spend their vacation time on a cruise or lie on the beach than write. However, sometimes, the only way for a self-publishing author to finish their story is to take a day off from work and hole up in a room with their manuscript away from children and spouses.

InstantPublisher knows that juggling work, family, and writing is difficult, so we strive to make the publication process as easy as possible. Visit our website today and see how InstantPublisher can help you meet your self-publishing goals.