Many of us who write, do so while working for a living doing something other than writing.  While on the one hand, this seems like we might rather write full time, on the other we can see it for the opportunity it is while we’re waiting for our ship to come in.

Structure

When we work outside the home, we have to be somewhere at a set time.  This teaches us structure. This also gives us the idea of working hours.

Why not set working hours for your writing, as though it were a second job?

Discipline

When we work at a job, we must do things on time and according to standards that are already set for us.  This can give us the starting-point to set our own standards and procedures.

Why not set a word count goal for each day?  One thousand words a day, or about 3 or 4 pages, is enough to write a novel in 2 or 3 months.

Networking

When we work outside the home, we have a resume and a network of professionals that we know in our field.  This helps us stay employed and, if necessary, get a new job.

Why not write a writing resume for yourself?  Include all the different kinds of writing that you do.  Are you an active blogger or Facebook user?  Proficient in social media.  Are you active in an online forum?  Member of thus-and-such group.  Use your imagination – just don’t make up things out of whole cloth.  But not everything on your resume must be related to a job-for-pay.

With a little thought, we can leverage our working experience together with our writing experience and re-craft our lives into something we’ve always dreamed.

Write on!