Finding the Time to Write on a Busy Schedule (guest post)
- C.C. King
- Oct 7
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 8
One of the biggest challenges writers face isn’t inspiration—it’s time.
Between work, family, and the countless demands of daily life, carving out space for creativity can feel impossible.
And yet, most of us know that when we’re truly passionate about a project, we’ll find ways to make it happen—even if it means scribbling lines on a napkin or sneaking in words between meetings.
That’s exactly what today’s guest blogger, Amy S. Cutler, shares in her post.
Amy is the author of To Have and to Hold, to Love and to Kill: An Agreement of Souls, and she knows firsthand what it’s like to balance a demanding career with the pull of storytelling.
In her post below, she reflects on how passion fuels persistence, and why small bursts of writing time can add up to something meaningful.
If you’ve ever wondered how to keep writing alive in the middle of a busy schedule, Amy’s perspective will offer invaluable insights.
Enjoy today's guest post!
—CC
Finding the Time to Write on a Busy Schedule
by Amy S. Cutler
For me, finding the time to write has less to do with how busy I am, and everything to do with the project I am working on.
When I am knee-deep in a writing project that I am passionate about, I jump through hoops to write. During the winter months, I am busy being the Executive Manager at a ski area. We work long hours, typically working before the mountain opens to after we close, which includes night skiing.
Those months are the most challenging, but if I am working on something I love, I will steal away any moment that I can.
A long “bathroom break” becomes a secret writing retreat, time doing payroll is split with getting as many words down in a ten-minute break in between time sheets that I can. I’ll write at the bar, I’ll write in the cafeteria, I’ll write while it looks like I’m taking notes at a meeting.
However, if I’m working on a project that doesn’t thrill me, time isn’t the problem. The problem then becomes motivation.
And, almost every time, if I have to really motivate myself to work on something, I scrap it, because who wants to read something that the author wasn’t thrilled to write?
When I was finishing To Have and to Hold, to Love and to Kill: An Agreement of Souls, it happened to be during the winter months. I had a deadline set by my publisher, which was LOOMING over me, and which I pushed to the last possible moment.
This book was very important to me, as the process of writing it was extremely cathartic and helped me in my own quest for answers, so I would say yes, I was super passionate about writing at that time. This was definitely a “secret escape” book, but in more ways than one. I had to find tiny moments to write it, yes, but it was also an escape for me.
When I love a story that I am working on, I get to carry it with me, throughout my day. I think about the characters as if they were real people, I wonder what they would do if they were in a situation that I am in, and (this is the best) I have moments where I suddenly think of a plot twist and giggle manically wherever I am at.
My advice for someone who has a busy schedule, and also wants to write, is to be prepared to write at any odd time you can either find or carve out for yourself.
If you can’t find the time in your “working hours,” or even a set schedule at home (the best intentions can fall flat when there are children, or partners, or pets involved!), then accept that even small writing sprees can be successful ones.
I promise that the more time you carve out for yourself to write, even small moments, the more it will lead to finding the time easily. Because passion tends to trump of lot of the “things” that we have to do in a day.
So just get started, and see where your imagination can take you.
—Amy
About the Guest Blogger
Amy S. Cutler, author of To Have and to Hold, to Love and to Kill: An Agreement of Souls, is a writer who earned her master's degree in creative writing from Goddard College. Her work can be found in Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work, Tales to Terrify, WOW! Women on Writing, The Pitkin Review, and more.
She is the Executive Manager at Mount Peter Ski Area, where she grew up skiing in the winter and dreaming up stories in the summer. Her favorite days are spent knocking around story ideas with her husband. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband, son, and a ridiculous amount of furry family members.
Connect with Amy:
Thanks for reading the post, and if you have thoughts on making time for writing, let Amy and me know by commenting or sending me a note!
Peace & Plenty,
