Four Tips for the Working Writer

I joined AT&T after earning my MBA in marketing in 1983. I climbed the corporate ladder of marketing communications, while falling more in love with words and writing throughout the mid 1990s. By then, catalyzed by a bout of near-fatal bacterial meningitis, I pursued a steady income stream freelance writing for magazines. 

In 2002, I wrote 54 articles while working full-time. During my meningitis recovery, I decided to write for children. I sought opportunities to write for children’s magazines, because writing “short” fit into my hectic schedule and responsibility as a single mom. It took a while for my children’s writing to get off the ground, but my mentor, a children’s book editor, told me, “Eventually, the editors will feel sorry for you and give you an assignment.” 

‘To get an assignment’ meant pitching an article with an outline and suggested bibliography. Eventually, writing became far more important to me than my day job. I attended retreats and workshops at the Highlights Foundation in the Poconos, just a few hours from my home in New Jersey, having to use my vacation time to participate.

I ultimately wanted to pursue a creative writing MFA and realized the only plausible option I had was a low-residency professional writing program. Biannual on-site residences for ten days each would take up all my vacation time from work. This time commitment scared me; there were only so many hours in the day.

Here are four tips I followed to balance a part-time writing program with a full-time job:

       1. Five Minutes Makes a Difference

Within a five-minute period, I could draft a paragraph, revise a paragraph, and research an element for my historical fiction. Don’t underestimate what you can accomplish within this short time frame.

       2. Use Time-Tested Project Management Techniques

Plan out your time. How many minutes or hours are you going to devote to your craft and writing skills on any given day? 

As I got started, I took a piece of pastel-colored paper and wrote down all my writing projects. I then broke each one down into its piece-parts, and assigned a day and time to implement those steps. These could be initial research, a rough draft, an outline, a synopsis, seeking feedback, etc. 

I recommend using a spreadsheet to do this, e.g., Excel or Google Sheets. There’s a certain thrill in crossing items off your list when completed. By doing so, I felt like I was making progress even if I was moving slowly, accomplishing small steps.

       3. Invite the Support of Family Members and Friends

Let your loved ones know you need time to write with no distractions.

I chose to write 

• before I had to get my son up for school during the week
• during lunch breaks while at work
• while my son played video games
• and on weekends while he slept in or went outside to play with friends

Make writing a part of your routine and express how writing is a priority to you to others.

       4. Carefully Plan Your Vacation Days

Savor whatever time you have away from your day job. I relished my one-week retreats and calculated I could do a half-year’s worth of writing during an immersive retreat where I didn’t have to cook, clean, or look after someone else. Don’t worry: I would hire a babysitter or have a family member look after my son for the week. But since I planned these vacations for the sole purpose of writing, I kept my shoulder to the wheel because that time was limited, planned, and valuable.

It may be tempting to daydream about the day you can quit your day job and write full-time, but a decent number of writers also have day jobs, suggesting this is more of the norm than the exception. A recent Poets & Writers article, “Writers With Day Jobs,” features eleven working writers who shared how they were able to balance their day jobs with a higher education writing program, whether it be a traditional graduate program or a formal, flexible online one like PocketMFA. 

What’s even better is the day job can even help with your writing. I leveraged my corporate job, for example, to pitch an article to Writers Digest about freelancing for corporations. I used my corporate job as inspiration when I drafted a novel during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) about a single mom who wanted to retire from her corporate job.

Joining PocketMFA

Balancing a full-time job with a part-time writing program takes considerate planning, cooperation, dedication, and persistence. A critical element of your professional development can be a part-time writing program that easily fits into your busy schedule. 

Last spring, I found myself wanting to invest in online courses to work on a novel and some short stories. I did not want to apply for and matriculate in yet another master’s degree. Soon after, I received an email from a literary journal introducing PocketMFA. I checked it out and was immediately impressed with the roster of faculty members. 

While writing programs often involve face-to-face instruction, I knew I needed an online solution. PocketMFA offered exactly what I needed to take my creative writing to the next level. In fact, I returned to PocketMFA in the fall to continue to work with my fiction mentor in the Continued Mentorship Program.

I ended up leaving corporate America in 2013. My son has long been off on his own, now with a wife and two children. I went on to earn an MA in History and a PhD in Holocaust & Genocide Studies while I worked as an adjunct professor at several academic institutions. I knew I could handle a part-time writing program while working–and you can too.

You don’t have to dream about the one day you can combine the job that pays your bills and your passion for creative writing. Check out PocketMFA and see how it could work for you, as it has for many others.