Writing With A Full-Time Job
—Writing With A Full-Time Job—
Is not easy. In fact, it’s rather difficult. Especially when your full-time job is being a teacher—an English teacher, no less. It’s a demanding outfit that requires the best of you everyday. You’ve got to command the attention of thirty-six 15-17 year-olds for one hour—five times a day. And most of that time is met with resistance, i.e., instructing kids to do work that they don’t really want to do. I have a prep period, sure, and an hour lunch, but most of that time is spent preparing class, grading, or meeting with students. You wear a lot of hats as a teacher, and much is asked of you. Around the clock. To all the naysayers: You really don’t know what it’s like till you’ve actually done it. I mean like a traditional public high school teacher.
But, despite all this, I still find the time to write. Scratch that. I make the time to write.
Because, like many things in life, it’s about priorities. I prioritize my writing. I believe in it. And, most of all, I enjoy it. It wouldn’t be much worth it if I didn’t. Some days are tough: the brain is a muscle and it get tired. Long teaching days are exhausting (a good exhausting, but still exhausting), and tackling a cumbersome chapter later that night is no walk in the old park. But the good days are sweet—when all cylinders are firing at Mach 69 and you’re feeling the juice.
But you gotta stay focused. You gotta maintain the grind. Thus, I present to you a peek behind the curtain. Yes, a glimpse into my, the venerable Taylor Hudson, day-to-day writing schedule.
Weekdays (Workdays) [6-10 writing hours]:
I squeeze in short sessions (sprints) when I can. During passing period; When students are working on group work and I have no pressing work-related emails; During lunch. It’s helpful if I last left the manuscript having a good idea of where I wanted to go next (so I don’t need to reread the previous scene or chapter to reorient myself in the story).
Once a week I’ll reserve my lunch hour for a meeting with Editor Amy. We’ll typically review one or two chapters and discuss my revisions from our previous meeting.
Evenings. I’ll spend two-three evenings a week revising and/or working on new prose. Sometimes I’ll pop a gummy. Open up the landscape a bit.
Weekends (4-8 writing hours):
If I have a free Saturday I’ll hit up the local Starbucks (where I am now as I write this). I’ve a few playlists to get me in the mood. I’ll slurp a Refresher and munch a protein bar then jump into the manuscript. I treasure these sessions as they tend to be some of the most productive.
If the Beautiful One is out of town or hanging with friends, I’ll take a night to myself and dive headfirst into the manuscript. Party till she returns home.
Perhaps the tacit thread in all this… Balance. Maintain a good one. I try to. Perhaps my strongest is the work/life balance. Many people don’t practice it, or have one altogether. When I leave campus, that’s it. My work brain shuts off. No checking email, no grading, no stressing about the next day. I fill that headspace with gym time, friends, politics, the Dodgers, Pokémon, watches, poker, travel, family, yummy food, furry and scaly friends, and, of course, the Beautiful One. Keep your priorities straight. Keep at it. It’s a cliché sure, but you can do a lot with the time you make for yourself.
You just gotta step up and do it.
That’s all for now.
-Taylor
P.S. I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the built-in time off that comes with a teaching schedule: A week at Thanksgiving; two at Christmas; Spring Break; Summer Break—a whopping 2 months. These break times are perfect for travel, refocusing, and of course, dedicated writing time.
TJH -- 09.28.2024