Writing while in school

scheherazade · Aug 15, 2009

I've always had a hard time balancing school and writing. I basically quit writing in high school, once I started getting homework, let the ideas simmer through the schoolyear, and wrote every summer throughout university. Then when I finished my Masters suddenly I was focused on writing again for the first time in almost a decade.

Now I've gone back to school again to pick up some employable skills and I'm finding it hard to do a lot of writing when the courses get busy. Fortunately the program only runs for another year or so, but I'm just starting to get the hang of writing again and I don't want to give it up. The courses aren't really hard, but the first two months of this semester were crazy busy for me, and as a result I've been behind all semester. I'm hoping next semester I'll be better in control and be able to write regularly again.

If you've ever tried to balance your writing life with your academic life, how did you manage? I suppose this could also apply to people who work in freelance or project-based professions as well. For me the biggest challenge of the student life compared to the working life is that school doesn't end at 5 pm - there's always an obligation to be working on something until the final exam is handed in. And reading textbooks all night so I have no energy for literary reading. And then in the break weeks I always find I'm catching up on the housework and bill payments and picking up extra hours at work.

So what are the tricks? Aside from making a routine (which is good, but sometimes hard when the semester has its own ebb and flow). How is writing while in school different from writing while working and living and raising a family? Is it easier if you're studying something like creative writing or english or journalism? How do/did you balance writing and school?

dnic · Aug 15, 2009

For me, I had to put the writing in the backseat (especially when I'm cramming for finals). I'd worked out a schedule though. I write between classes (if I'd already finished my coursework), go practice piano after the last class of the day (unless it's an evening class), go back to the dorm, finish homework, and go back to writing again. I'd never actually stopped writing in high school or college, so it's definitely doable.

gothicangel · Aug 15, 2009

It's a case of prioritizing really.

If I have Uni work it comes first, if I have the time I will write. Most of my writing is done during semester breaks.

Yasaibatake · Aug 15, 2009

I'm studying to be a teacher and I'm now in my professional year (so I spend all day working in a classroom and take my university classes at night). The best advice I can give you is to pay attention to all those little moments and be as productive as possible. For example, if your teacher is running late and you have 5 or 10 minutes before class actually starts, write during that time rather than spend it staring at the wall. If nothing else, I jot down bullet lists of my ideas and type them into actual paragraphs whenever I have extra time later. Don't forget, you can use those little breaks to work on your classwork too; if you can get, say, an hour of homework out of the way during the day, that's an extra hour you can spend writing that night.

If you're really lucky, you might have an understanding teacher who'll cut you a deal. I'm doing French Education and one of my French profs is really into poetry. I talked to him about my writing for a while and he let me replace one of my essay assignments with a short story; as long as I wrote it in French, I got the exact same credit as my classmates did. It was a challenge, for sure, but so much more enjoyable and I honestly believe I learned more from that story than I would have from writing yet another essay.

Ugawa · Aug 15, 2009

I'm in college, so I get a few free periods during the day. I'd usually go to the local Costa to write for an hour or so. I'd also write at night after finishing my homework. It helps that I have insomnia, though, I guess.

One of the things you can do is wake up an hour or so earlier than you would usually, that way it gives you a little time during the day before you have to start worrying about the educational side of life.

You could also carry a little notebook around with you, that way you can jot down a few paragraphs whenever you have a few minutes spare.

Hope that helped.

x

geardrops · Aug 15, 2009

I've been writing since high school. My method was, I'd write during classes/lectures I didn't have to pay attention to.

Do you know a teacher who exclusively pulls questions from the book? Show up and sit in the back and write.

Also I split my page down the middle and write fiction on one side, notes on the other. This works best in my math classes.

It's rough, and it slows productivity, but if I dropped writing altogether I'd probably lose my mind

Kalyke · Aug 15, 2009

in my experience when I was in school and "overwhealmed" I did most of my best writing. I think the constant brain exersise really enriches your writing. For some reason I work better under pressure. When I actually have the time I usually end up taking naps or wandering around.

Cybernaught · Aug 15, 2009

Writing is part of my homework. One of the benefits I see in being a Creative Writing major. Makes it easy to excel since I'd be writing in my spare time anyway.

spike · Aug 16, 2009

I long for my college days! I had so much time to write (of course I didn't).

Not to get into a p*ssing contest, but learn now to make time for writing. Because if you think it is hard now, try it when you are working 40-50 hours a week, have a house to maintain and 2 kids.

Me? I gave up TV and gaming and I get up 2 hours early. I also write during any down time at work and on my lunch hour. We all have the same 24 hours, you just have to schedule in what is important to you.

If I can find time, then anyone can.

Birol · Aug 16, 2009

I had more time to write as an undergraduate than as a graduate. For me, it's a matter of the rhythm of the semester. The deeper you get into the semester, the less time to write or freelance there is. I'm aware of this pattern and plan my writing time accordingly.

Early in the semester I plan both my writing and homework time. Remember, you don't have to write every day nor do you have to write a lot. Just regularly to keep the habit. So, you might write 500 words at the end of the day as a treat for you, or 1000 words on the weekend.

deserata · Aug 16, 2009

Whenever I write during the academic year, it's almost always at the expense of my actual course work.

MsGneiss · Aug 17, 2009

I hear ya. It's a constant challenge since for my part, I have to do quite a bit of academic writing (of publishable quality) during the year, and even during the summer. It's really difficult, but it can be done with some time management strategies... or so they tell me.

emilycross · Aug 21, 2009

When i was doing my masters (only recently finished) - academic writing and work took preference over my normal writing. Honestly though (and i know people will disagree) i felt while doing my course that academic writing zaped all my normal writing energy away cause when your cramming 2000 word essays into a few hours, anytime away from laptop is a blessing.
Now that i'm finished, unemployeed and have time, i'm stil not writing, meeh.

Brandi636 · Aug 21, 2009

I'm working on my Masters now (almost done) and working full-time. It's so hard to fit in writing, especially after you've been working on papers and doing research. I took a writing class last semester, which helped me get back in the habit of writing (something I had fallen off from when I went into college). I'm looking forward to having the luxury of devoting more time to it next year.

Manectric · Aug 21, 2009

In my colege classes I make notes for my writing while listening to the professor. Fun stuff.

Madison · Aug 21, 2009

Ahh... so hard.

I'm in college. Last year I usually wrote from 12:30-1 AM ... or during finals week when I REALLY got sick of studying. Oh, and also I did NaNo, but I think I only got to 50k because of Thanksgiving break.

Honestly, my best advice is to weigh your priorities. Right now, your classes are probably lots more important than writing. Give them your time. Write when you're done with homework, done with family time, done with friend time.

This last year I really decided that making new friends and studying and exploring my new city were LOTS more important than writing -- for the moment

Hopefully sometime soon you'll be able to give more of your time to your writing, but for now, focus on what's most important.

Clair Dickson · Aug 22, 2009

What do you do for fun? If you find yourself flipping on the TV or something, perhaps you can shave a little off of that. Instead of watching TV, write. I find that the people who often have the least amount of time to write are also the ones who "can't" cut back on TV time, social outings, or other time-suckers (including social networking and texting.) Maybe this isn't you...

When I was an undergrad, I only had a few minutes here and there to write. Between classes or maybe on the weekend and on breaks. I also worked 40 hours a week in retail and took 12 credits a semester. I rarely watched TV, read almost nothing that wasn't require (which sucked) and had very little social life. My priority-- after school and work-- was writing. Everything else was expendable.

I have also been known to write while waiting for the pasta water to boil, for the oil change people to work, and in the morning if I get ready for work quick enough. When I worked in retail, I brought my notebook to work and wrote on my breaks and lunch. I couldn't not, so I found times, snippets. Think about it... if you write 100 words here, a hundred there, it adds up. If you have a long commute, you might consider narrating your story into a recorder, too.

Painted Wings · Aug 22, 2009

I'm in college and every semester I've made it a goal to take one creative writing class. Creative writing is not my major but I'm going to make it my minor. By taking these classes I have no choice but to write. When I'm not in a creative writing class I find it very hard to find time to write during the semester. Like others have said try to write if you have time before class starts or in between classes. Some classes give breaks which also makes for a good time to write.

Bartholomew · Aug 22, 2009

scheherazade said:
I've always had a hard time balancing school and writing. I basically quit writing in high school, once I started getting homework, let the ideas simmer through the schoolyear, and wrote every summer throughout university. Then when I finished my Masters suddenly I was focused on writing again for the first time in almost a decade.

Now I've gone back to school again to pick up some employable skills and I'm finding it hard to do a lot of writing when the courses get busy. Fortunately the program only runs for another year or so, but I'm just starting to get the hang of writing again and I don't want to give it up. The courses aren't really hard, but the first two months of this semester were crazy busy for me, and as a result I've been behind all semester. I'm hoping next semester I'll be better in control and be able to write regularly again.

If you've ever tried to balance your writing life with your academic life, how did you manage? I suppose this could also apply to people who work in freelance or project-based professions as well. For me the biggest challenge of the student life compared to the working life is that school doesn't end at 5 pm - there's always an obligation to be working on something until the final exam is handed in. And reading textbooks all night so I have no energy for literary reading. And then in the break weeks I always find I'm catching up on the housework and bill payments and picking up extra hours at work.

So what are the tricks? Aside from making a routine (which is good, but sometimes hard when the semester has its own ebb and flow). How is writing while in school different from writing while working and living and raising a family? Is it easier if you're studying something like creative writing or english or journalism? How do/did you balance writing and school?

Carry a writing book with you, like a Moleskine, and add to your WIP every time you get an unexpected 10 minute reprieve.

scheherazade · Aug 22, 2009

spike said:
Not to get into a p*ssing contest, but learn now to make time for writing. Because if you think it is hard now, try it when you are working 40-50 hours a week, have a house to maintain and 2 kids.

Yes, I used to write when I worked full-time. I found it easier then, though, because things were scheduled. At 5:00 the job was over and the rest of the night was free for real life. I could write in the evenings or on weekends and not feel any guilt about doing so. Whereas when you're in school you're never really free... there's always something else you should probably be reading, a problem set you should probably work through, a part-time job that you should probably pick up more hours at so you can make rent next month... on top of the assignments and tests and exams and groupwork that you're constantly obligated to work on. Things are more cyclical, and that does help to be able to write in semester breaks or at the beginning of term when the workload is light, but it also makes it that much easier to stop writing for the entire last month of the term... which makes it that much harder to get started again.

Writing while in school

scheherazade

Human

dnic

Resident Lurker

gothicangel

Toughen up.

Yasaibatake

is her own imaginary friend

Ugawa

It's a catastrophic success!

geardrops

Good thing I like my day job

Kalyke

Cybernaught

Decker

spike

Mostly Ignored

Birol

Around and About

deserata

writerly painter

MsGneiss

emilycross

is away with the fairies

Brandi636

Manectric

Madison

summertime...

Clair Dickson

A dark core to every cloud

Painted Wings

Bartholomew

Comic guy

scheherazade

Human