College Writers?

I worked full time while I finished grad school.

I found getting up two hours before I needed to, and writing every morning worked.

I just tend to squeeze writing in wherever I can... Sometimes that means nothing for a week or so but I try and write very basic, rough drafts (or writing conversations as scripts) if I'm really pressed for time but want to get an idea down on paper... And my favourite time to write is at night so I find writing for a while before I go to bed, when I've finished my work, quite productive.

Medievalist has a point though- setting aside a specific time to write every now and again is helpful too. I don't know what you do at weekends but I sometimes find that I have more time on Fridays when I don't have to do work for the next day and so I try and make Friday evenings work-free, writing only...

I'm going to be a college freshman in the fall and I've been wondering how much writing I'll be able to do once classes start. Glad to see that some have been able to make it work!

*waves*

I'll also be a college freshman in the fall. Nice to see I have company too!

I'm studying a few things, and my drive to write has pretty much completely gone. I think for me, what will work is writing when I have literally nothing else to do.

So I might be able to write 2 novels during summer break, and then spend the rest of the year focusing on my studies. Maybe.

We'll see how it goes. It's only winter break right now...

I graduated in late 2009. (No plans to do the grad-school thing.) Ultimately, I spent seven years either being a student or taking a break from being a student (I was pretty sick for a year, for example. Oh, and I switched majors once, which delayed graduation a bit.)

While I was in school, I had a variety of writing-related things going. At community college, I was a communications major, so I worked on the student newspaper and a local paper.

I produced Web content for spending money most of the time I was in school.

I ended up finishing a minor in creative writing, which meant that I got to take one CW class more semesters than not.

So, the entire time I was in school, writing was built into my schedule. Different kinds of writing? Yeah, sure. But I got to keep writing throughout college, was paid something for it more often than not, and could apply what I'd learned from one thing to other types of writing.

Eat more Eggplant.

I graduated winter 2010. During the school week I'd be tied to my computer, writing code for projects, working on a paper due in a literature class, or learning about our wonderful Universe. Other than I worked 20 hours a week and had extracurricular to keep up with.

Weekends I wasn't as social as most college students, so I spent many weekends writing (and finishing up work!)

Of course, this all was thrown out the window during NaNoWriMo (lol). I still got good grades mind you, I was just wired to caffeine.

I think if you love to write, there's always time! I also think that as students, we have a lot more time than if we were in full-time jobs - in fact I know this, as I worked full time for two years before I decided to go to uni, and that was much harder in terms of finding the time and energy. I did it then anyway, because it's one of those things I can't do without.

Last winter I woke up at 5 most mornings and wrote for two or three hours before days of lectures and academic work began. And I write on the tube, in coffee shops when I'm waiting for friends, when I have a free evening...

I think it's all about your mindset. If you think of it as a chore you have to fit in, then it'll be hard. If you think of it as making time to do the thing that keeps you going, you won't have a problem

Isabelle said:

I think if you love to write, there's always time! I also think that as students, we have a lot more time than if we were in full-time jobs - in fact I know this, as I worked full time for two years before I decided to go to uni, and that was much harder in terms of finding the time and energy. I did it then anyway, because it's one of those things I can't do without.

Last winter I woke up at 5 most mornings and wrote for two or three hours before days of lectures and academic work began. And I write on the tube, in coffee shops when I'm waiting for friends, when I have a free evening...

I think it's all about your mindset. If you think of it as a chore you have to fit in, then it'll be hard. If you think of it as making time to do the thing that keeps you going, you won't have a problem

Click to expand...

Totally agree. As a current university student I see the attitude pretty commonly that full time school is all one has time for. Aside from a minority of programs, this really isn't true, especially in undergrad. Even 18 credits will leave you with a great deal of free time.

I did 3 years of undergrad in which I had all sorts of free time, though I also worked ~15 hours a week. Still plenty of time though. Now I'm in the graduate phase of my Physician Assistant program which is essentially as difficult as med school but doesn't last as long. Summer is easier, but come fall I'm in class 8-5 daily, and I also work 10 hours a week and still find time to write, though it's much harder than it was in undergrad.

But then I have classmates who insist they have literally no time for anything besides class and studying. So who knows. Really I do think that if you want to find time, you will easily be able to do so. 98% of college students find time to go out drinking, go to sports games, etc. Writing is just a different hobby.

I was stupid enough to sign up for a summer evening class. So, with working full time, then doing a condensed engineering calculus course in the evenings... no writing for me.

Not a chance in hell I'm taking a summer class next year though.

Working on shorts helps me. I can't write a novel over summer break, but I can do a short or two. That way I feel I've accomplished something.

And unfortunately, when you get out of college you realize how much free time you used to have....