If you’re anything like me, you struggle with the challenge of finding time to write your screenplay on a daily basis. Whether you work an energy-draining day job, have kids, find yourself being consumed by housework during your weekends, or even all of the above, you might feel a bit discouraged with the fact that you haven’t written for weeks, months, or even years!

Fortunately, this is one of the most common challenges aspiring screenwriters face. If it makes you feel any better, pros often admit that they hate to write or that they often have to force themselves to do it. Writing every day is a tough goal, but it almost every screenwriter will tell you that it’s something they forced themselves into doing no matter how little progress they ended up with written at the end of their session.

If you’re struggling to write everyday due to your time-consuming day job, I’m in the same boat as you. Yeah, right over here near the stern! I was lucky enough to land a position as a copywriter with an expanding company when the recession took its toll on the freelance readers in Hollywood, but I’m still working in an office most of my day. Since then, I helped the company launch their blog and maneuvered my way into the head blogger position. This change from pro reader to pro writer really swept me into another direction — I found it easier to write than ever!

While I hope this list of ideas regarding how to find time to write while living a busy life helps you, I’ve come to find that the more you write, the easier it is to write. To read more on this, check out Writer’s Block is Just A Creative Excuse Not to Write.

1. Learn to Write Frequently with a Blog

I started this blog just under a year ago. While I haven’t been the most prolific in this department until recent, I found that it was always there for me when I had something to share. It was about the time I started blogging for work on a daily basis that I discovered I should be doing the same for ScriptXRay. I’m not sure what triggered it, but by writing on a daily basis, writing became easier – and what I write for work is nothing near related to what I write here.

Consider starting a blog for personal rants, thoughts, and reflections about your journey as a screenwriter, author, sales person, clerk, executive, or what ever you spend most of your time doing. By starting a blog, you’ll have created a place to record everything you don’t write in your screenplay – if you’re like me, that’s a lot!

While you could start a journal or force yourself to dedicate all your writing into your screenplay, a blog by nature has turned into a daily medium – readers expect new content daily – so this might encourage you to write on daily basis … it does me.

2. Write During Breakfast

Most of us might not even have time for this, but frankly, you should make time. You owe it to yourself. Whether you eat at home, in the car, of in the office, you should be eating a meal in the morning. While you’re at it, use the time to write. A few minutes here and there will make for a lot of minutes.

Cocoa Puffs … Breakfast of real champions.

3. A Spoon Full of Sugar Helps the Screenwriting Come out

Let’s face it: Most of us run on either caffeine, taurine, or in most case, a combination of the two. If you wake early, you probably enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in the morning while reading the paper. If you’re a night-owl, you probably covet your cup to keep you going into the early hours. If you’re in the corporate world, you probably take regular coffee breaks throughout the day. These are all opportune moments for the aspiring writer to do what they want to do best – write!

Do what you gotta’ do to get yourself to write during these times of the day – whether it’s for 15 minutes or five, it’s still better than nothing. I just read today that if a writer were to take 15 minutes to write each day, they’d have written a novel’s length of material by the end of a year. While that might seem like little if you’re hoping to write a lot more, it’s probably more than you’ve written in the past few years combined.

Spending my lunch break at Starbucks on Sunset

4. Commute to Work

I spent a total of two and a half hours commuting in and out of work when I worked at that B-Movie production company, and spent even more time driving around the city throughout the day. If you’re like me and spend a lot of time in your car in the morning, evening, or even throughout the day, consider keeping a pad in your car or a voice recorder with you. I personally don’t like hearing myself talk, so I prefer the pen and pad. This can be dangerous, so BE CAREFUL if you’re planning on writing in your car. The only reason I could get away with it is because of the sheer traffic clogging up the streets of Los Angeles every day.

For me, keeping a pad with me allowed me to scribble ideas without looking, jotting concepts down for later, and overall just helping me think. The problem with merely thinking about your project is the fact that you couldn’t possibly remember it all – unless you’re J.K. Rowling, who thought out the entire story of Harry Potter while on a long train ride with nothing to write with!

Sunset on Sunset Blvd.

5. Get to Work Early

You’ve probably read that most pro screenwriters have daily routines they enjoy just before writing. These routines can include anything from a walk, meditation, checking email, a cup of coffee, or anything they feel helps them get into their “mode.” Consider creating your own routine by arriving to work early everyday. Bring your laptop or notebook, get a coffee, and spend an hour, 30 minutes, or even 15 minutes writing. Again, a little goes a long way in the long haul.

No pictures for this one … I’m more of a night owl, so there is no earliness … ever. See number 10.

6. Imagine your Workplace is for Writing

Now, this might get you into trouble, so be careful. Put your imagination to use and pretend your workplace is actually dedicated to your creative work. This trick of the mind worked for me when I worked at the B-movie production company in West Hollywood. The runners at the company would hang in the projection room when we weren’t running all over Los Angeles, so I set up my writing desk using the old negative cutting desk (with the built in light to see through the film negative) and wrote during my down time.

This mindset can also work is you spend your time at a bookstore, corporate office, pretty much any other workplace. Use that imagination!

My desk at the B-Movie Production Company

7. Write Between Classes

One of my favorite places to write is the UCLA campus. Something about the history, architecture, and the amount of knowledge available, whether from professors or the old library, just gets me in my creative mode. It’s inspirational.

If you’re in school, try to attend classes in person as much as possible. Between classes, find a patch of grass to sit down and jot your ideas. I have vivid memories of walking through sculpture garden while listening to the soundtrack of Pan’s Labyrinth – it was inspiring and awesome to walk through the darkness of the campus after talking with a class full of other writers. Shadows creeping, sculptures silhouetted, breathing the cold night air – for me, it was as if I were walking through my world of story … my imagination.

A figure in Sculpture Garden, UCLA

8. Airports and Airplanes – No Escape, No Excuse

If you travel a lot, this one’s golden. Always bring your notebook with you if not your entire writer’s pack (I carry a PowerBook, 3×5 index cards, Latin dictionary, yo-yo, and pens … always extra pens). When you’re traveling, you might be at the airport hours ahead of departure, so be prepared. Also, whether you’re flying to a neighboring city or across an ocean, there’s time to write when you’re stuck on an airplane.

I have a but of a writing routine when I fly, which makes it easier to find that writing mode; Give me some music, ginger ale, and a tray table and I’m good to go.

Kauai airport

9. Write Through the Drive-Through

Another place I found myself writing a lot while a runner was the drive-through. Don’t think of the line as a bad thing; think of it as time to write. break out your pad and pen, pop in your writing mix CD or playlist, and write while you wait. This is especially worth while if you’re on the go all the time. Even five minutes is better than nothing. Jot down those ideas you’ve been thinking about while between window one and window two!

Warning, this probably isn’t the healthiest writing routine to fall into.

Underground drive-through in West Hollywood

10. Write Into the Night

This is one of my favorites, but it’s not for everyone. If you can hack it, stay up all night … or at least into the early morning (I’m writing this post at 2:30am Pacific). Some screenwriters are morning writers, anadmind some are night-owls, give this technique a whirl and find out which you are. For me, I tend to flow best at night. Not sure if it has to do with the ability to focus due to less distractions (everything is closed, everyone is asleep, etc.).

One rainy night / morning

These are just a few ideas that might help you find the time to write. The important thing to remember is that no matter how little you write, it’s more than nothing. And also, the more you write, the easier you’ll find it is to write.

If you have any other ideas or suggestions, post them below and help make this post valuable to those in need of more ideas.

If you have the time to write, but simply can’t make it work, consider reading why Writer’s Block is Just a Creative Excuse Not to Write, or if you have plenty to write, but you’re not sure where to start, read about the 5 Things You Need to Know Before Writing.

Good luck!

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