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Every writer’s dream is to be able to live off their writing. I daydream about it sometimes—how nice it would be to do my passion all day, every day. But the reality is that very few writers, even established ones, can survive purely off of their royalties. The vast majority of us have to have day jobs. I’m no exception.
People often comment, “I don’t know how you do it,” meaning how I write novels in addition to working my day job in academia. It’s funny because I don’t see writing as something I have to force myself to do. It’s something I’m compelled to do. I get restless and anxious if I go too long without writing. But yes, there is the question of, “No, literally how are you able to do it? Like how do you make time for it with everything else in life?” And that I can answer in the hopes that it helps others in a similar position or simply sheds light on a less-discussed aspect of the life of any creative.
My Typical Schedule
As I mentioned, I have a day job. My hours are somewhat flexible, but I typically have to go into the office five days a week and am there for eight hours each day during normal business hours. That takes up most of the day when you factor in getting ready and commuting. However, it does still leave nights and weekends. It doesn’t sound like ample time, especially if I have to share those hours with friends and my partner, but I do make it work. I’ve written four (unpublished) novels so far after all.
Let’s break down exactly how much time I can squeeze in for my writing.
Weekdays
On weekday nights, I typically get home, eat dinner, watch a TV show with my partner, and then get to writing. If I don’t drag my feet too much, I can squeeze in 2–3 hours of writing per night before I take time to read and unwind before sleep.
Monday–Friday = 2–3 hours per day
Weekends
Weekends can be highly variable. If I make plans with friends, they usually happen on the weekends. I also often have to leave any chores for the weekends as well. But if I’m not going on an outing or busy with house/yard tasks, I can write for the bulk of the day and night. This usually comes out to several hours each day for Saturday and Sunday. Not too shabby.
Saturday and Sunday = at least 4 hours per day
Weekly Totals
If we take my previous estimates for weekdays plus weekends, I’m spending 18–30 hours per week writing.
How Long to Write a Novel?
How does that translate to writing an actual typical-length novel?
I’m missing a key bit of data for that calculation. I’ve never timed myself to see what my average word count per hour is. I’m a pretty analytical person, but that level of tracking would only stress me out. I need to be immersed in the world I’m writing, and if I know I’m timing myself, it will only serve to distract me.
However, I can look back at the timestamps I used in my file names to see how many days it took me to write the first drafts of my novels. Here’s the breakdown.
| Novel | Word Count | Days to Complete First Draft | Average Word Count Per Day |
| delta t | 112,000 | 210 | 533 |
| Nytho | 100,000 | 90 | 1111 |
| Neuen | 84,000 | 300 | 280 |
| Rewilders | 87,000 | 180 | 483 |
| Blessed is the Rot | 56,500 | 120 (on-going) | 470 |
Based on my previous projects, including my work-in-progress, I average 575 words per day. For a typical science fiction novel of say 80,000 words, this has me completing a first draft every 140 days or 4.5 months.
Why Aren’t You Even More Prolific Then?
A novel every 4.5 months would mean at least two a year, but this calculation doesn’t factor in all the other aspects of writing. The first draft is just that—the first of many. Edits take lots of time. Waiting on feedback from beta readers and editors takes time. Querying literary agents is a huge time-sink. And now that I’ve moved into self-publishing, some of my time has to be devoted to the publishing and marketing side of things. I have my website to maintain, this lovely blog to post to, and my social media accounts to keep active and lively.
But I wouldn’t have it any other way. If, someday, I can manage to survive solely off my writing, I will gladly ease into that lifestyle, but I’m operating under the assumption that I will never have that luxury. I write because I love to write and want to share the fruits of my labor with others in the hopes that they derive some joy from it.
If you’re a fellow creative, how do you make time for your passion? Let me know in a comment.
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