Guest Post from Gemma Burgess

How to be a writer without losing your life (or your mind)

Let’s face it, you’re busy. We’re all busy. We’ve got jobs, families and friends demanding our time, and sometimes we want to go to the gym, or read, or cook, or run errands, or watch TV, or maybe just stare out the window for an hour or two.

But we also want to write.

And combining all of the above without losing your mind is very, very difficult.

Full caveat: I don’t have the definitive secret that’ll magically help you write a book. I can just tell you what I do. These rules have helped me to fit two novels, two TV pilots, another book proposal, an overseas wedding and a 9-5 job as an advertising copywriter into the last three years. And I only have a screaming meltdown every now and again. (Kidding.) (Kind of.)

1.     Make a job contract with yourself

I think of writing books as being my real job. And I can’t take a day off, or I’ll get fired. So everything else revolves around it. Once you decide to make bookwriting the focus of your life, everything else becomes a lot easier. (And more fun. These days, I’d rather write than do almost anything else, except be with my husband. And sometimes even more than that. Shh. Don’t tell him.)

2.     Write smart

Figure out when your brain works best. Mine is sharpest first thing in the morning, then it gets flubbier as the  day goes on. So I wake up at 5am or 6am and write my little socks off. Then I go to work.

3.     Use time carefully

Sometimes great copy comes from tight deadlines. Every time you’ve got 20 minutes spare – on a bus, on a plane, before dinner – start writing. When you’re going to sleep at night, think about your plots, and let your mind wander. Great ideas come when you’re in that semi-dreamlike state. (Just keep a pen and paper by your bed.)

4.     Set objectives

A lot of writers seem to set word objectives. “I will write 10,000 words by Friday.” For me, writing really is not about quantity, it’s about quantity. I could write 10,000 words by the end of the day, but would they be well written? Would the dialogue zip, would the characters be well-defined, would the story play out at just the right pace? Probably not. Instead, I set an objective to finish a scene. Nail a conversation. Reveal a character.

5.     Prioritize commitments

This is where it gets hard. I can’t have the social life I that used to and be a writer. I wish I could, but it’s not possible. I say ‘no’ to almost everything, and plan no more than one night a week socializing with friends, and one date night with my husband. I don’t watch TV (except boxsets on Sundays), and I don’t cook anything that takes more than 15 minutes (soup, salad and grilled chicken, all the way). I spend no more than 20 minutes a day on my blog, Twitter, or Facebook. Social media is interesting and fun… but it won’t help me write my next book. And that, as I keep reminding myself, my job.

6.     Give yourself a break

Sometimes you can’t be Little Miss Delegate. Sometimes life is too demanding. Sometimes your friends really need you, or you get fed up with saying ‘no’ to everything. When that happens, either give yourself three days away from the book and enjoy life (get drunk! Go shopping! Watch The Kardashians!), or give yourself three days away from the world (including the internet) and write. Either way, don’t feel guilty. And if you need to, see if you can restructure your day job around your writing. I’m a freelance copywriter, so I can arrange to have four-day weeks or three-day weeks. I know how lucky I am to be able to do that, but a lot of other writers come to the same arrangements with their employers. So can you.

7.     Make downtime work

I find it very hard to switch from writing to my (pre-book) downtime favourites: talking to people, reading or watching TV. I think it’s because my brain has been producing words and stories for hours, so absorbing is strangely stressful. These days when I’ve come to a natural pause, I go for a walk, or work out, or sketch something (surprisingly mind-clearing!) – anything not involving words or storytelling. When I feel refreshed, I start again. And again. And again. And eventually, I have a book.

I hope these points help you work out how to make writing work for you. Everyone’s solution is different, as our lives and writing approaches are different. And I just want to add again that I don’t really know what I’m doing, of course – but I think the secret to life is that – shh! – no-one knows what they’re doing! All we can do is do our best, work hard and have fun. Good luck. You can do it. x

Thanks Gemma for your amazing tips! Please visit Gemma on her website and blog and be sure to read my interview with this lovely author!

Interview with Gemma Burgess

Q: Why did you decide to write The Dating Detox?

A combination of things came together to create a perfect storm of novel-writing… I was in bed with a tedious back injury, my sister and I had been talking about the kinds of books we wanted to read, and then I just started writing one night. I wanted a heroine that was normal – you know, funny and confident and silly and ballsy. And I wanted to reverse the usual chicklit thing of having a girl pining for love – I wanted to create an anti-romantic comedy, with a heroine who was saying ‘up yours’ to love… 

Q: Are you currently working on another book?

I’ve just finished my second book, The Dating Virgin. I’m editing it as we speak. It’s about a girl who learns to be single after a long time in a relationship – it’s a tough thing to do, and there’s not much out there about it. She learns to date like a man – more specifically, like a bastard…

Q: What did you find most difficult about writing?

Self-doubt is the hardest thing. Not writers block – I very rarely have that, probably as I’ve earned my living writing for advertising agencies for a long time, so I know that when it strikes I just need to read something else for an hour or go for a walk somewhere distracting like, you know, Zara. But self-doubt! That’s a killer. Those evil little fairies who tell you that you’re a bit poo… you have to just ignore them and keep going.

Q: You have a feature on your website, Name That Bastard. (Hilarious). What gave you the idea for that?

I find naming really hard. When it came to naming the bad guy, Rick, in The Dating Detox, I sent emails to all my friends asking for the name of any bastard ex-boyfriends they had… the emails poured in and everyone told me the bastard story behind why it should be this name or that name, and that’s how I chose Rick. So for The Dating Virgin, I threw it open to the world with www.namethatbastard.com… I get some hilarious emails – and I think it’s like free therapy, too.

Q: What are some of your favorite books or authors?

Ayyy so many… I read a lot. I love Nora Ephron, Jilly Cooper, Plum Sykes, Nancy Mitford, Kingsley Amis, Bret Easton Ellis, Stella Gibbons, Jane Austen, Julian Barnes… Recently I read The Adventures Of Kavelier and Clay, by Michael Chabon, which was incredible, just brilliant. And I just read The Making Of Mia by Ilana Fox, which is fab glitzy revenge fash-lit. 

Q: How do you spend your free time?

At the moment? Planning my wedding! I’m getting married in April in New York so, since we live in London, that’s a bit of a time-suck. The rest of the time, when I’m not writing – and I’m writing quite a lot, it has to be said – I’m the same as most girls, I think: go out for dinner and drinks with my friends, read magazines in the bath, read books, go shopping, try to force myself to work out, watch SkyPlussed episodes of Glee…

Q: I see you are fellow shoe lover. What is your favorite pair of heels in your closet?

Oh, gosh. So many… Well, I bought a pair of red Miu Miu heels to wear on my wedding day… a bit untraditional, I know, but I LOVE them. They’re attached. I have a silly amount of shoes for a girl who spends most of her time in Converses. Most of my shoes are from Office. Damn I love that place.

Q: Where is one place you absolutely advise against trying to meet a man?

Anywhere that those dreadful books tell you to meet them, like salsa class… I don’t know any normal single man who would go to a salsa class. Men I know go to work, the gym, bars, restaurants, and home. I think you can meet a man anywhere as long as you’re not obsessing. That irritating adage ‘it happens when you least expect it’ is true. The Dating Detox just takes that to the next level.

Q: What is your advice for aspiring writers?

Read, write, edit. Repeat…And ignore the self-doubt!

Q: I read you grew up everywhere. What would you say was the best location you lived in?

Tough question! I am pretty seriously in love with London. I’ve lived here since I was 22 and I love, love, love it. It’s home. My parents are still in Hong Kong, where I spent most of my life before London, and I count that as a sort of second home – whenever I head back I feel that ‘ahhh’ relaxed feeling. The light, the smell, the humidity, the beautiful lights… it really makes me feel all warm and happy. And I went to university in Sydney, in Australia, and have lots of fond memories of there, too. It’s a great place to live… I don’t remember Singapore or the other places all that well as I was pretty young. In summary? London, followed by Hong Kong!

 Click Here to Visit Gemma’s Website!

Chick Lit Author Gemma Burgess

Gemma Burgess lived in London throughout her twenties, working as a copywriter. It was her love of high heels that eventually got her to begin to writing, after putting her back out and being confined to a bed for three weeks.  She wanted to write something that was similar to her experiences, and that could both comfort and charm other women. Burgess published The Dating Detox, an anti-romance romantic comedy. She currently lives in Knotting Hill, London and is working on her follow-up novel.

Click Here to Visit Gemma’s Website!