Setting Up and Sticking to a Writing Schedule
I’m writing this piece in an attic room, early in the morning, with one eye on the clock so that I can stop writing in time to get to my day job.
Before the pandemic, that was a full-time job in an office that took me a half-hour to drive there. Since our pandemic, I’ve downsized to part time in a work-from-home office. Yippee! No commuting hours means more writing time.
So I balance writing with a day job and teaching and my other, non-writing work and commitments. For many of us, those commitments extend beyond a day job to also include parenting, family caregiving, pet care, healthcare appointments and … well … just managing our daily lives.
At first glance, it may seem daunting to set up and sustain a writing schedule. You may not be able to write every single day. But you can find ways to create and keep a regular writing practice that works for you and your current life situation.
My Top Four Tips for Setting Up and Sticking to a Writing Schedule
Find the best place and time slot: Somewhere in your living space, find a corner or room where you can write. All the better if it’s a contemplative space where you feel extra at home. Or, if you have time, visit a café where you feel comfortable.
Some of us are contemplative at night. Others are more creative first thing in the morning or on the way home from work. Or one friend of mine always brought a writing notebook to her son’s after-school sports activities. Once you find the place and time slot that works, carve out a regular calendar slot. Except for emergencies, keep that calendar spot open for writing only.
Set expectations: There’s that old story about the jogger who left their sneakers next to the bed to motivate them for next morning’s jog. You can do the same for your writing. When you finish Tuesday’s writing session, leave everything placed and ready for your Wednesday writing session—including your laptop, pen, notebook and a cup for your tea or coffee!
Practice pre-writing rituals: Personal and daily rituals provide an easy way to transition from your other life roles or personae into your writing self. Try a short meditation. Or a yoga pose. Or sign up to get a daily gratitude prompt in your email inbox. Or register to receive a poem per day from the Academy of American Poets. Find what works and practice that pre-writing ritual until it becomes you daily door into the writing world.
Adjust your expectations and word counts, as needed: Most of the clinical studies that support the health benefits of journaling and expressive writing recommend at least 20 minutes per day, four times per week. If you can manage that, great! But we have to do what works for us and our individual or current life situation. Remember: A half-page of a journal or a quick free-write or recording on your phone is better—much better--than not writing at all.
To support and sustain these practical strategies, we often need to check in with ourselves about our writing and its place and influence in our daily lives. American poet Mary Ruefle says it best: “Writing is who you are, not what you do.”
So we all deserve to take the time to be who we are and to become the very best version of ourselves.
Áine Greaney's
WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR
OF
Trespassers and Other Stories
Tour Begins March 24
Book Summary
From coastal Massachusetts to rural Ireland, the characters in Trespassers struggle to reconcile past and present, place and displacement, loss and hope.
A woman travels from her Massachusetts home to her native Irish village to care for her estranged and sick father. Back in her childhood home, she comes face-to-face with previously unspoken losses.
A wealthy couple travels to Cape Cod to spend their 52nd summer on the wife's ancestral estate. On their private beach above Nantucket Sound, the husband must confront the realities of their long marriage and its social-class tensions.
An Irish immigrant takes her American-born teen to a raucous Boston house party. At that party, the teenager discovers that her mother had lied about her child's birth father—a lie that will permanently divide the mother and daughter.
PUBLISHER: Sea Crow Press
ISBN-10: 1961864207
ISBN-13 978-1961864207
Print Length: 130 pages
Purchase a copy of Trespassers and Other Stories on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author
An Irish native, Áine Greaney now lives and writes in the Boston area. In addition to her five published books, her short works have appeared in Creative Nonfiction, Salon, Another Chicago Magazine, The Boston Globe Magazine, The New York Times, Books Ireland, NPR/WBUR and other publications.
As well as being an author, Greaney is a trained teacher who has designed and led fiction and non-fiction workshops, presentations and keynotes for regional, national and international organizations.
Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, cited in Best American Essays and named a ‘Great Group Read’ by the Women’s National Book Association.
You can find her online at:
Website: https://www.ainegreaney.com
Instagram: ainegreaney
Bluesky: ainegreaney.bsky
Facebook: Aine Greaney, Writer
Threads: ainegreaney
Blog Tour Calendar
March 24 @ The Muffin
Join us at The Muffin as we celebrate the launch of Áine Greaney's blog tour for her short story collection, Trespassers and Other Stories. Read an interview with the author and enter a giveaway for the book.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
March 27 @ Bookroom Reviews
Visit Dick's blog for a guest post by about the origins of stories: where fictional ideas and inspirations come from.
http://www.bookroomreviews.com/
April 1 @ Just Katherine
Visit Katherine's blog again for her review of Áine Greaney's short story collection, Trespassers and Other Stories.
https://justkatherineblog.wordpress.com/
April 2 @ Create Write Now
Join Mari for a blog post by Áine Greaney about how to set up and stick to a writing schedule.
https://www.createwritenow.com/journal-writing-blog
April 2 @ The Mommies Reviews
Join Glenda for a guest post by Áine Greaney about Willie Nelson's three rules and how they apply to writing.
https://www.themommiesreviews.com/
April 5 @ Renee Roberson's blog
Visit Renee's blog for her response to the author's prompt about when she was in an uncomfortable, misfit place or setting or a place or setting where she could never be her true self.
April 8 @ Words by Webb
Visit Jodi's blog for a guest post by Áine Greaney about how she got started as a writer.
https://www.jodiwebbwriter.com/blog
April 9 @ Beverley A. Baird's blog
Stop by Beverley's blog for a guest post by Áine Greaney about being a dual-genre writer.
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/
April 10 @ Frugal Freelancer
Visit Sara's blog for her interview with author, Áine Greaney.
https://saratrimble.wordpress.com/
April 11 @ Renee Roberson's blog
Join Renee for her review of Áine Greaney's short story collection, Trespassers and Other Stories.
April 12 @ Boys' Moms Reads!
Visit Karen's blog today for her review of Áine Greaney's short story collection, Trespassers and Other Stories.
https://karensiddall.wordpress.com
April 13 @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
Visit Joan's blog for her review of Áine Greaney's short story collection, Trespassers and Other Stories.
https://bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/
April 14 @ A Wonderful World of Books
Visit Joy's blog for an excerpt from Áine Greaney's short story collection, Trespassers and Other Stories.
https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/
April 16 @ Beverley A. Baird's blog
Visit Beverley for her review of Áine Greaney's short story collection, Trespassers and Other Stories.
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/
April 16 @ The Mommies Reviews
Visit Glenda's blog again for her review of Áine Greaney's short story collection, Trespassers and Other Stories.
https://www.themommiesreviews.com/
April 17 @ A Storybook World
Visit Deirdra's blog for a spotlight of Áine Greaney's short story collection, Trespassers and Other Stories.
April 19 @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion
Join Linda's blog for an in-depth interview with Áine Greaney about her short story collection, Trespassers and Other Stories.
https://bootsshoesandfashion.com/
April 20 @ Chapter Break
Visit Julie's blog for a guest post by Áine Greaney about being a writer with a day job.
April 21 @ StoreyBook Reviews
Visit Leslie's blog for an excerpt from Áine Greaney's short story collection, Trespassers and Other Stories.
https://www.storeybookreviews.com/
April 22 @ Frugal Freelancer
Sara joins in the tour by responding to our tour-themed prompt of a time when she was in an uncomfortable, misfit place or setting or a place or setting where she could never be her true self.
https://saratrimble.wordpress.com/
April 23 @ World of My Imagination
Join Nicole when she shares her response to a tour-themed prompt of a time when she was a misfit. Plus, she shares her thoughts of Áine Greaney's short story collection, Trespassers and Other Stories.
https://worldofmyimagination.com
April 25 @ Choices
Visit Madeline's blog for a guest post from Áine Greaney on finding and keeping the joy in writing.
https://www.madelinesharples.com/
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