My Creative Process—How I Balance Writing a Novel and Running a Business

As an emerging writer, no one is asking for my debut novel. I also am not a writing prodigy (this was a startling surprise once I started getting rejections on my short stories). When I started to take my writing seriously, I began to prioritize my creativity. To complete large amounts of creative work, I’ve focused on four areas: routine, importance, blank space, and fundamentals.

Routine and Process

I'm a huge fan of James Clear's work on habits and I quickly realized if I wanted to write a novel, I had to focus on the process and system of writing the novel rather than the goal of being a Pulitzer Prize winner. Now that I'm finished with my Masters, my morning routine allows me to write daily and run my business.

Morning routine:

-Meditate - 20 minutes of Transcendental Meditation

-Journal

-Edit my novel for one hour Monday-Thursday. On Fridays, I send short stories to publications

-Walk Apollo (my dog, not the God). Leave headphones at home to give me white space for creativity

-Head to my co-working space for client calls

Urgent vs Important

There will always be urgent things to do: returning client emails, preparation for sessions, new trainings, marketing, financial planning, and the list goes on. However, writing fiction is deeply important to me, even though it's not urgent. There are no deadlines and no editors (yet). Carving out time for creativity at this stage in my writing career is vital since I won't get published if I don't begin.

Blank Space

I consume a scary amount of podcasts but while writing, I have to leave more room for blank space to let my mind rest and ideas flow. This was hard at first, but now leaving my headphones at home while I go on walks has become a habit.

Fundamentals & Community

I have a Bachelors Degree in English Literature but I had no formal creative writing training. When I got serious about writing a novel, I started taking classes at the Australian Writers Centre. Once I had a first draft of a novel complete, I enrolled in a Masters of Creative Writing at the University of Technology Sydney. It was a big financial and time investment, yet I knew that surrounding myself with emerging and established writers would change the trajectory of my work.

Overall, consistency has made the most difference and has led to me completing two drafts of a novel. I've taken months off from my book while I was in school, but I've always come back to it (for those wondering, I've written two drafts and I'm in the editing process before I send it to agents). This book has taken a lot of time, tears, and sacrifice. At times I've thought the work was brilliant and at other times a dumpster fire. I've surrendered to this as part of the creative process. But in the end, I know I will finish it because I've made a commitment to myself.