1 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:08,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: Today's tip is about how to be creative when you 4 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: already spend your work hours doing something semi creative. Having 5 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 1: a regular nine to five job where you write or 6 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: design or do something with music could sound like a dream, 7 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: but there's a reason some artists prefer straightforward day jobs. 8 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: And that was the question from a listener who recently 9 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: wrote in. She says that I work exactly full time, 10 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: forty hours though fifty when you build in the commute, 11 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: and I've been writing a novel for twenty eight years. 12 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: I want to write every day. But since I work 13 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: full time writing and then come home and feed and 14 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: walk the dog, work out, and get some kind of 15 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: dinner on the table, It's seven pm and I have 16 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: three hours before I need to go to bed to 17 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: get enough sleep, and I've got nothing left. I am 18 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: so tired, she says. Is it possible to get personal 19 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: writing into or am I being unrealistic. I've tried lunch breaks, 20 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: but they're just not long enough. When it ends and 21 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: I've just started rolling, I get upset. On the weekends. 22 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: I routinely work on my novel from seven am until noon, 23 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 1: or often all day, so it does get done, but 24 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:25,119 Speaker 1: I'd like to do it daily. Sometimes I just think 25 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: about my novel as I fall asleep, kind of like brainstorming. 26 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: But is that really the best I can do? I 27 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: agreed that it's hard to write all day and then 28 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:36,559 Speaker 1: write more at night. Writing is my day job, too, 29 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: and though I've written two novels, any rational analysis of 30 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: my time finds that I could have produced a lot 31 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: more creative output over the last decade or so than that. 32 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: I often take long spells between working on purely creative 33 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:51,240 Speaker 1: stuff that I don't see an immediate economic opportunity for. 34 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: It's human nature to treat stuff that pays the bills 35 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: as important, and speculative stuff as well, stuff that can 36 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: be dropped when we're tired the TV is calling. But 37 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: I do think it's possible to do paid creative work 38 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: and then speculative creative work too. The first step if 39 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: our listener truly wants to work on her novel daily 40 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: is to lower her expectations. I'm a little concerned that 41 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: she dismisses writing on her lunch breaks because there's breaks 42 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: just aren't long enough. If her idea of the right 43 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 1: writing time is five hours, like the seven am two 44 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:27,959 Speaker 1: noon stretch she gets on weekends, that's gonna be hard 45 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: to replicate daily. Instead, a good daily requirement might be 46 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: to write just one hundred words or edit for just 47 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: ten minutes. That's it. Those steps are so small that 48 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 1: they should inspire no resistance. It's pretty hard to look 49 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: at the three hours before bed from seven to ten 50 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 1: pm and say there's no way I can make myself 51 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: work on my novel for ten minutes. But that small 52 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: requirement will have her interacting with her creative work daily. 53 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: She will make some progress, and some progress is better 54 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 1: than nothing. Some progress also has this benefit. She will 55 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: change the story she tells herself. She is now the 56 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: sort of person who does make time for creative writing. 57 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 1: I think the small daily requirement will also ease up 58 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: on some of the guilt. Our listener is beating herself 59 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,360 Speaker 1: up that she's not doing more creative writing. But it 60 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:29,799 Speaker 1: turns out is the rare person who becomes more creative 61 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: in response to scolding. When she sets her expectations low 62 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: and then meets them, she can celebrate. She can reward 63 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: herself by doing whatever she wants guilt free. That could 64 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: be watching TV or surfing the web all night if 65 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: she wants. But my guess is that there will be 66 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: a reasonable number of nights when she'll feel like doing 67 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: an extra ten minutes, and then she'll make even more progress. Finally, 68 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: many people benefit from accountability. For both my novels, I 69 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: had some system in place for my book called The 70 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 1: Courtland Boys. I checked in with an accountability partner every 71 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: Friday for Juliette School of Possibilities. Well, the publisher who 72 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: had published all my nonfiction books had expressed a strong 73 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: interest in the outline, meaning a book contract was potentially 74 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: in sight. I saw a compelling reason to finish. If 75 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: our listener has been trying to write this novel for 76 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: twenty eight years, she might likewise benefit from some external accountability. 77 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:29,279 Speaker 1: The most straightforward way to get a deadline and accountability 78 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 1: would be to sign up for a fiction writing class 79 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: at a local university. Ideally, this would be an evening class, 80 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:37,279 Speaker 1: perhaps once a week, where she'd have to turn in 81 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:40,719 Speaker 1: chapters and get them critiqued by her instructor and fellow students. 82 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 1: This would give her something constructive to do during one 83 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:46,800 Speaker 1: of those evenings when low energy tempts her to the TV. 84 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: It would also provide quite a nudge to keep the 85 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: project moving forward. In our listeners case, I really think 86 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,839 Speaker 1: it needs to be an in person class. I've taken 87 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: online writing classes in the past and they're great. I 88 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: found them very helpful, but I've also noticed that a 89 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: ton of people drop out. Often more than half the 90 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: class stops before the end. If our listener has been 91 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: struggling with getting this project going, I wouldn't want this 92 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,919 Speaker 1: to happen to her. If you've made progress on a 93 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:20,160 Speaker 1: big creative project while doing something similar for your day job, 94 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear about it. How did you make 95 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:26,479 Speaker 1: it happen? What are your tips for our listener? As always, 96 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 1: you can email me at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart 97 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: media dot com. You can also email me questions about 98 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: your schedule or your time management dilemmas. Just let me 99 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 1: know if it would be okay to use the question 100 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: and a future show in the meantime. This is Laura. 101 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:44,919 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 102 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 103 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:57,479 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions or anything else. 104 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, fay Book, and Instagram 105 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast pod. That's B the number four, then 106 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:10,160 Speaker 1: Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an 107 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot 108 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 109 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch. 110 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For 111 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart 112 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 113 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:35,720 Speaker 1: favorite show.