A warm welcome to José, who is giving us a peek behind the writing curtain. Read on for tips on how he finds opportunities to write, all while spending time with his family and juggling a day job.
Finding the time to write
By José H. Bográn
As many authors do—dare I say most?—I have a day job to pay the bills.
More than a job, in my case, it is a 20-year profession that had been so satisfactory that even took my mind off writing for the good part of fifteen years. Since the early 1990’s to the mid-2000s, I stayed away from writing plots. Of course, I was lying to myself and eventually returned to the fold. The prompt, as luck should have it, was an invitation to write a script for a television show.
Giving our times, and the access to technology, it is perhaps easier than ever to combine two professions, let me give you an example. . .
. . . See that? I just left this unfinished blog entry to type a couple of urgent emails from work, and now I’m back.
There are three major forces in my life: my family, my work, and my writing. The order was intentional. The work, at least until writing full-time becomes my day-job, should take precedence over my writing because, well, quite simply, work puts food on my family’s table.
And thus, I play with the time. My family supports my writing by giving me some of their time to let me pursue this dream profession. I involve them as much as I can, naming characters after them, running some plots through them (oh the things they’ve made me realize how stupid they sounded).
In the past, short breaks at the office used to be for getting coffee or have a smoke—not that I ever smoked anything other than cigars. Nowadays, you can use a smart phone to do some writing work. Perhaps not the writing itself, but doing some of the related tasks like getting into media sites, reading and commenting a blog like this one, reply to a few emails, you name it.
Oh, but let’s not forget about the coffee. It’s the fuel of generations of writers and office workers around the world. Best beverage invented along with wine and beer. In this case, the order is random.
Another tip for people on the go is to carry either a notebook or a recording device. I prefer the latter because I drive a lot, so it is easier to grab the recorder and save the thought in digital form instead of pulling over to take out pen and notebook. I recently discovered that I can use Siri to open voice note app.
Now, a day job is something you have committed yourself, and therefore, it’s nothing you should neglect or give less than your 100%. Perhaps I’ve been lucky to have work in a company, and industry, that I like. If you enjoy what you’re doing, then you’re off with a great start.
Which brings me to another point: writing should be fun. If you’re not having fun while playing god with your characters, then I’d say you’re not doing it right. It is not an obligation to write, it is something that must grow out of love and care, enjoyment for what you’re doing.
So please, leave a comment telling me how you manage your time between work, family, and hobbies.
GIVEAWAY:
Since 2013 marks the 10th year anniversary of FIREFALL, the first novel where I wrote my home country of Honduras as a setting, and also the first book that has been turned into an audiobook, so, I will be giving away a digital copy among the comments to this post.
ABOUT FIREFALL:
The problem with being reborn from the ashes is, you have to die first. After the loss of his wife and child in a plane crash, former NYC firefighter Sebastian Martin is nearing alcoholic oblivion when his brother offers him a last-chance job opportunity as an insurance fraud investigator. Despite his reservations, he soon discovers he has an instinct for the job. A move to Dallas, where he learns it’s okay to be alive, proves to be his salvation. Investigating fraudulent claims for a dead child and another for a missing husband, in Honduras, leads him to murders, international car thieves, and torture at the hands of a former KGB agent.
BIO:
José H. Bográn is an award-winning international author of novels, short stories, and scripts for television and film. He writes in both English and his native Spanish. José was born in Honduras, the son of a journalist who ironically prefers to write fiction rather than facts. His genre of choice is crime fiction, but he likes to pour a dash of others into the mix.
He signs his emails with the motto: “I never tell lies, I only write them.”
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website: http://www.jhbogran.com
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/JHBogran0
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JHBogran
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/jhbogran
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/j.-h.-bogran
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4307673.J_H_Bogran
Chicks on the Case 
Gems of wisdom about time, Jose. Goals are my servants, never my master. When prioritized (as you’ve shown), they add richness to life. Striving for effectiveness, not efficiency, also helps. The high touch includes elegant solutions to life’s challenges.
As to focus on time, setting our sights on the long-term beats the daily grind. That’s why I love this quote by Nelson Henderson:
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
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Nice quote!
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Very nice quote, indeed. Thank you for commenting.
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Let’s see if my name appears now…
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I also have a day job. I write in the hour I have for lunch. After work is for writing business – or just relaxing if I don’t have any business that needs my attention. Evenings I spend with The Hubby. The kids are out of the house (well, The Boy still lives at home, but he might as well be out of the house for all I see of him), but if one happens to be around I’ll put aside whatever I’m doing to spend some time with them.
But I’ll jot ideas on my phone if I’m out running around and something comes to me. So my brain is never far from the creative process.
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I also have a file full of notes on my phones…crazy plot ideas, title suggestions, etc.
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Congratulations on the anniversary, José! These days, I work from home and my kids are grown, so I’m fortunate to have a lot of flexibility in finding writing time. Back in the day, though, I set aside an hour every evening to write. It was typically when the kids were watching TV, doing homework, or playing videogames. Looking back, I’m pretty proud of that discipline. Cheers!
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Great example of discipline. Nice that you manage more time now.
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I’m lucky enough to now be retired from my day job, but it’s amazing how full my days still end up being. So when I have a writing deadline, I tend to save my mornings for that, when my brain is in its most alert state.
Thanks so much for visiting the Chicks today, José, and congrats on ten years as a published writer–woo HOO!
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Thanks for congrats.
Morning writing seems to be the consensus for most productive.
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Thanks for being here today, José! I’m like Leslie. I try to save writing time for the mornings.
Sometimes, though, I do find it all hard to juggle. Definitely rely on my master calendar and ongoing to-do list.
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I’ll say it again (Maybe this time even under my own name, ha!
Morning writing seems to be the consensus for most productive.
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A lot of people have more physical energy in the morning–but I’ve also heard it said that in early morning (way earlier than I ever get up, ha), some authors are still in a semi-dream state, which makes them extra creative.
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I write better in the afternoon and early evening, after I’ve taken care of chores, errands and other obligations in the morning. That way, my mind is free to concentrate on my writing.
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I schedule in similar fashion, Mary. Otherwise, niggly to-dos sneak into my brain and pull me out of my story, lol.
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Exactly!
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Sign me up for your camp of writing schedule. Now that in addition to my day job in the factory, my wife and I run a restaurant that closes at 9pm, the evening time is harder to secure.
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Wow, a restaurant also! You’re incredible, Jose!
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Thank you, Jose, for this great post–and congrats on that 10th anniversary. Your words really resonated with me, because I struggle with the work/writing balance and feel guilty for not writing more words per day (or even every day). My day job–as an independent editor–must come first, and I love it–but the line often blurs for me between work/writing, and I am constantly checking in on publishing news. I read this with own my coffee fuel (no cigars), and it really inspired me to work on and accept the delicate balance. Gracias, Jose! (And Firefall sounds amazing. What a plot.)
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Thanks.
Yes, I forgot to mention I edit on the side. Editing other people’s words is probably the best writing school you can get.
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Jose, thanks so much for guesting with us! And the giveaway.
You sound like you’ve found a great work/life balance. I love that. A few years ago, my husband said to me, “Since you stopped writing sitcoms, I see you more but I talk to you less.” It was because I was always telling him not to interrupt me, I was writing. Since then, I’ve adapted my sked. If I’m writing a manuscript, I do 2k a day Monday through Friday. That’s my focus. On the weekends and at night I do things like blog posts, which can be interrupted. And I make sure I give him and our daughter some occasional attention!
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My pleasure, Ellen.
Funny anecdote about your husband. And I can tell it holds lots of truth in it.
The balance is not always perfect. To quote Freddie Mercury: “Sometimes I feel I’m gonna break down and cry!”
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Balance is everything in life, isn’t it? Like Leslie, I’m retired from my day job but was surprised that there were still things I had to do, still a kind of work. Now I’m surprised I was surprised. I’m an early riser so this is me time: blogs like this, emails, coffee. Then later errands, work on whatever needs to be done. After dinner is family time. Reading is my hobby so it fits in everywhere, especially with so many audiobooks and ebooks available in addition to print. Enjoyed the blog, thanks.
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You seem to have figured it out. Kudos!
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CONGRATS, Sally! You’re the giveaway winner. I’ll go ahead and pass info along to José.
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How wonderful, thanks so much!
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I’m single, so that helps me let my hobbies take over my free time. I would have to give some of them up if I had a family in my life.
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We’re honored to be your book family, Mark!!
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What a great anniversary, Jose! Congrats and thanks for popping in with us today.
Writing is my full-time job, so on work days, I write in the morning with the afternoon set aside for all the other ancillary tasks that make up this biz. But I take off Wednesdays and weekends completely. Mostly completely. If I feel like crossing some of my writing chores off my to-do list on the weekend, I will, but it’s a bonus, not a requirement. I’m always fascinated by other writers’ processes. As they say, there are many paths up the mountain!
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Oh, how I envy that writing is the full time job!
I can tell you still have lots of plates in the air to juggle, so balance is key, even when.
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Thank you for your insights, Jose. I have an editing job — but its hours have recently been reduced to a few hours a week, not four or five hours a day, so my second job is hunting for more work. But my characters are thriving in their second book, and I’m enjoying giving them new problems after fixing up what I gave them in their first book. With my strange schedule, I find that distracting myself from my own problems by working on my characters’ troubles makes me feel better.
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Hope you find more work and feel better soon, Margaret!
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Thank you, Lisa.
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José, so great to have you here–and big congrats!
My favorite way to juggle when I was in the thick of authoring, day-jobbing and mom-ing was to take my tablet (with miniature keyboard) wherever I went so I could write during anything that resembled downtime. Very handy!
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