The Draft
Why Endless Free Time Can Be a Curse for Creativity
If you want to write, give yourself some constraints — and, maybe, a day job
This is The Draft, an advice column about writing and life from Eileen Pollack, former director of the University of Michigan MFA program. We’re here to answer your questions about storycraft, writing, and telling the truth.
Have a question? Share it with us.
Dear Draft,
Can you talk about how to best manage writing with a day job? I’m just starting out as a writer, and I don’t see how I can ever get anywhere if I need to work this stultifying office job every day, full-time. I’m not looking for practical tips as much as perspective and helpful mindsets.
Signed,
Yearning to Write Free
Dear Yearning,
Given that you wrote to me before the pandemic hit, I hope you still have a day job. If you don’t, I might not need to convince you that staying home all day isn’t the godsend you once thought it might be.
Until recently, few writers except Stephen King, in The Shining, would even hint that too much time to write — without outside commitments to structure your day and provide you with immediate satisfaction, an…
