Many of us find the recent news scary and depressing: rising cases of coronavirus; hospitals and healthcare workers struggling for sufficient masks, test kits, gloves, beds and medicine; a crashing economy; lost jobs. For the past few weeks, as these events have consumed the media spotlight, they’ve created fear and anxiety. As a result, it’s often difficult to pick up the proverbial pen, regardless of whether you write for a living or do it part-time. I’m no exception.
As my full-time job, I’m a product manager in the high tech industry, where I’ve held positions from software development to marketing for nearly thirty years. Although I enjoy the analytical aspects of my work, I’ve always longed to be a writer, in much the same way that Irene, the protagonist of Waltz in Swing Time, always longed to become a musician.
When I was six, my parents asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. As soon as I replied “an author,” they argued it wouldn’t pay the bills. Of course, there was some truth in what they said. Nonetheless, I refused to give up my dream, and while growing up, I wrote poems, plays, novellas, and stories. As an adult, I view my work as an important contribution to our family’s finances, and writing as a creative outlet. Eventually, I still hope to write full-time, because it’s what I love to do. Writing energizes me.
In the meantime, like most part-time authors, I write when I can, which more often than not is a weekend morning or the occasional evening. Maybe having less time to write and viewing it as a treat, not a task, also helps part-timers with the creative process - more so than if writing were a full time gig. In my case, it’s a welcome break from my day job, which generally uses a different set of skills and requires extensive collaboration.
When I sit down at my laptop and open my work-in-process, I usually re-read a few paragraphs, then slip into the characters' lives. Through them, I can vicariously experience walking down a San Francisco street, hiking in Yosemite, or performing onstage in a musical. In some ways, in fact, writing isn’t so different from character acting, except the writer can guide the characters and the plot (though some may argue that the characters themselves spring to life and in fact influence the plot), all while exploring deeper truths. So in much the same way that people enjoy reading books and watching TV shows or movies for a little escape, I write to experiment with different personalities, families, settings, even historical times.
Part-time writers also have the benefit of choosing to leverage a few of the “technical” skills from our day jobs in our writing approaches. For example, I tend to look at the big picture when plotting novels. I don’t start writing until I have a logical, over-arching view of the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Once I’ve created a rough outline of the plot, and have sparked an idea for the protagonist and her conflict, the theme flows naturally. I realize this is a different approach from many writers who play with the idea of a character first, then later evolve that character’s actions into a novel.
The editing process also requires more “technical” skills, including paying attention to detail. Sure, it may not be as fun as the creative part, but it’s equally important to ensure that a character’s actions and dialogue make sense in the context of the greater plot, setting, and time frame. For part-time authors without editors, editing is a necessary evil to hone our descriptions and choice of words, and avoid grammatical and spelling mistakes and other typos.
Finally, the sales and marketing aspects of writing - pitching the finished work to an agent or publisher and promoting it to bookstores and end customers - require a unique set of skills. Although I’ve held B2B marketing positions before, I’ve never before marketed to consumers, so this is my least favorite aspect of the writing process. Though writing blogs and creating trailers can be fun, I’m not so fond, to put it mildly, of promoting on social media or figuring out how to gain the most reviews - e.g. through a Goodreads give-away.
On the whole, writing part-time can provide balance between full-time “technical” work and free-form creativity. Admittedly, it’s much more difficult to write while anxious or sad. As a result, I haven’t sat down to write creatively as often as usual. I’m sure I’m not alone.
Now, more than ever, writers need to remain persistent in putting pen to paper without growing discouraged. We need this creative outlet in order to stay centered while coping with uncertainty, hardship, and stress. In fact, attempting to center ourselves before writing may help, too. This might mean trying a few minutes of meditation (following the breath while counting backward, for instance), or performing yoga routines via a guided video. It may also include taking a walk outdoors, exercising, chatting with a family member or friend, listening to music, taking a bath, or moving to a different part of the house and changing the lighting.
Afterwards, whether you’re a reader or writer, slip into that other world - one totally different from your current circumstances, and unleash your imagination for a while, absorb yourself in the characters and their adventures. Creative writing, as well as reading and watching movies, can help soothe us and heal our spirits during these difficult times.