helenwritesit When I started taking writing seriously in early 2020, little did I know that writing was, in fact, not unlike opening Pandora’s box. I had a story idea based on a friend’s funny first date. I knew I wanted to write a Hallmark Christmas movie set in the Cotswolds. I had a laptop and more time than I’d ever had before. And I wrote.
And then, I discovered the rest of the author’s journey. Networking, social media, growing your following, meetings, writing query letters, keeping track of submissions, training and continuing professional development, newsletters, finance… the list goes on. And it would all be fine if I was a full-time aspiring author. But I’m not. I’m also a full-time teacher of English and part-time editor.
Suddenly, my diary and to do list were full. And there was no order or organisation to the list. One minute I’d be writing an author blog post and sending it out into the world via social media. The next, I’d be marking and logging the grades of 30 Year 9 assessments on Romeo and Juliet. It was tough to juggle everything and keep my head in the right professional zone for the right professional job.
What I’ve learnt is that there is so much more to writing than, well, writing. There are aspects I enjoy: networking and taking writing courses are great; sometimes, even social media can be fun. But there’s tax returns and deadlines and admin tasks that are less exhilarating, but have to be done, none the less.
After three years, I’m finally getting things organised in both my head and my life. Partly through practice and learning what works well for me, partly through necessity. I have different planners for different aspects of my professional life. My teaching takes priority because it has much more of an impact on other peoples’ lives and they deserve my full attention and energy. I compartmentalise my time – unless I have pressing teaching jobs to do, 7pm-10pm on ‘work nights’ are devoted to writing/editing. I have a planner where I pencil in big projects so that I avoid any clashes with clients and my own writing – having an overview of the bigger picture, by month or by quarter, has been hugely helpful.
My advice to any aspiring author is to treat writing like a business. Be professional, gain experience, think about your online presence, organise your time (both using it correctly and protecting it where necessary). However, it’s easy to get bogged down in the business side of things, so remember that none of the rest of it matters if you’re not writing. Put writing at the heart of everything you do, enjoy it, and find a balance with the business side of things. But also recognise that authors are so much more than authors and be prepared for the business of writing.
