Creating time to write when holding down a full time job and also working several part-time jobs around the full time job can be a tricky business. Since I've been writing short stories for some time now (with over 175 published) I've got to the stage where most of them can be completed in one sitting. But how best to create the time to do so?
For the past few years, I've answered that question by retaining around ten days of my day job annual leave which I then take each February and March, effectively working four day weeks for two months. I book off each Wednesday which works best for me (a Monday or Friday would just feel like part of the weekend and I wouldn't be so focussed). On that Wednesday I sit down at 9am and treat it as though it were a job. A job blessed with creativity.
On previous years, that's yielded five or six new stories (some of the Wednesdays are spent with associated writing matters, like submissions, hunting for an agent, or working on either Salò Press or Head Shot Press books). However, this year, having cleared other matters solely to write, I've managed to create SIXTEEN short stories in those two months!
It has been a little easier than some years because one of the collections I'm working on is intended to be forty stories of exactly 1000 words in length, so whilst that doesn't mean they are easier to write, there are certainly less words to get written. Out of the sixteen stories, eleven have been of 1000 words. And for some of those I've also created time from 7am to 10am on a weekend morning, before anyone else in the household has properly stirred.
In addition to those pieces, I've written three stories which will complete one collection I'm now in the process of seeking a publisher for, and two stories for another new collection of themed stories that I'm working on. This has led to the following word counts: Some Pastel Morning (2108), Sundowning (3877), Inversion Layer (3382), Elevator Pitch (3642), and Betaville (3523). Adding the 11,000 words I've written on the 1000 word pieces means that in total in those two months I've written 27,532 words. Considering these words aren't for one single story, such as a novel, I think that's quite good going for sixteen separate ideas.
You might be wondering, where do all those ideas come from. The fact is, the last short story I wrote was in March 2022, so new ideas have been percolating for quite some time. I keep a folder of short story titles which will gradually coalesce into plots and I draw from those at this time of the year at which point they're ready to just fall out. So the gestation period for them has been quite long. For the 1000 word stories, I've been working off a short prompt for each one (more on this when the project is over), so whilst I only check the prompt a few days before writing the story, it's all ready to go once I'm sat down. Having that definite word count target serves to focus the mind, also enabling the creative process to flow.
I must admit I'm not looking forward to returning to a five day week in the day job. For longer short stories I might build in a handful of writing days for the rest of the year. For the 1000 word stories, I'll continue writing those weekend mornings.
Being creative at this time of the year is perfect for mental health. I start the year in hand, already having written much of my output in the first three months, which - for me - feels like a real spur. And what else would I do with the time when the weather is cold and dull?
I've already booked ten days off for February / March 2024. Let's see what that delivers!
