Job Discussion Forums

Warrior10 · Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 21 Location: Toronto, Canada.

I don't know the weekly schedules of all of you individually, but let's say one of you may be working 40 hours a week, 8 hours per day.

Do you find time to write?

At the end of the day, do you want to? Or do you prefer doing something else?

Is your writing regimen affected positively or negatively by working and living in a foreign country?

Do you think you would be writing more if you were in North America or wherever in Asia you are?

Happy New Year,
Warrior10.

globalnomad2 · Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 562

Interesting question! I wrote 2/3 of my book, a travel memoir, while teaching 18 hours at the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi and the same teaching load at George Mason U. in Ras al Khaimah (UAE). The other third--which happens to be the best writing I've done--was accomplished during a one-year vacation in the States.

While working full-time my personal strategy was to write only one or two paragraphs a day at work, after classes. It doesn't sound like much but it all adds up to about 2/3 of a book in about three semesters' time!

Warrior10 · Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 21 Location: Toronto, Canada.

globalnomad2 · Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 562

Thanks Warrior Smile

Well, my future has two options: keep on teaching for another 8 years or so, or stop teaching EFL next fall and enter a PhD program in Creative Writing. That's contingent upon (a) acceptance to a program (which is quite difficult in those programs, unlike, say, a PhD program in Education) and if condition (a) is met, (b) whether or not I have the energy to do it and the desire to forfeit my comfy salary. I wish I could get something published in the US or UK; then I probably wouldn't bother with the PhD notion. So far I've only published in Luxembourg and in Malaysia.

By the way, I did some calculations based on what accumulates from writing a paragraph or two every day for three semesters. Let's say you average one paragraph one day and two the next (about right for me). That's an average of 1.5 paragraphs per working day (5 days a week). Multiply by 52 weeks (first year) and another 20 weeks (third semester) = 72 weeks X 5 days X 1.5 parag = 540 paragraphs. Consider the average page of 3 paragraphs = 180 pages. Voila, 2/3 of a book. Well, a short book...the 270 pages would be about 56,000 words. Anyway, you get my drift. In two years you will have a substantial book of 65,000+ words.

Tell me about your writing projects.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

warrior,
I have written a 3-5 page newsletter to friends and family (complete with photos) for the past 8 years, and I've been pretty faithful in accomplishing this every month. I miss out maybe once or twice a year.

Finding more time is probably possible (there's a novel or two inside all of us expats!), but there is also the constraints of having a family here, getting used to a new job every 3 years or so, studying Japanese, and just relaxing. Serious writers, of course, MAKE the time.

Warrior10 · Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 21 Location: Toronto, Canada.

Warrior10 · Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 21 Location: Toronto, Canada.

tannhauser · Joined: 26 May 2006 Posts: 43 Location: Middle East

I managed to work on a little project which gained more and more momentum when I first started teaching in HK. What did happen though was that my enthusiasm for the project started to wane and fade as I came home every evening: tired, frustrated and mentally "befogged". So arranging my thoughts for writing became impossible. Finding time and energy: how do you do it?

GambateBingBangBOOM · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 2021 Location: Japan

stilloutthere · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 23

Long ago there existed a whole slew of writers that did their first book while teaching English in Japan. I think Jay McInerney and Bret Easton Ellis were two of them. I've met several people who were writing while teaching English. The trick is to work for the minimal number of you can. Many ESL jobs only require 25 hours per week actually on the job. The temptation to do a few extra hours is great in those places where additional work can add substantially to your income.

Zola6666 · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 34 Location: Erewhon

Writing while teaching EFL is possible, IMHO because teaching EFL is much less stressful than teaching English/Composition in the USA. I quit a job in the USA teaching at a university to finish my book. When I went overseas, I was able to write the next novel...

One person I interviewed for a marketing booklet for writers said that many people are down at the bar talking about writing.... but they're not at home doing it. Another friend said she wished to write a book. Tired of hearing this, I said, "No, you don't. It's hard work. You're probably happier just wishing...."

If you want to write a book, you will. If it's a dream, you won't. Not all dreams should or need to be made real. However, I no longer pay serious attention to people who say they want to write a book. I used to start sharing writing ideas and experiences, only to learn most people have no idea about the real work and dedication involved.

Getting an agent is not so easy, and can take more than a year. Even then, the agent may not sell your book - and the agent has a year to try and sell it.

The next route is self-publishing or the expensive (but, IMHO, not recommended) vanity publishing. If you seriously contemplate either of these, make sure you have at least $5,000 for the project to get off the ground. There's also the steep learning curve involved.

Someone once said nothing good in life is easy. Except chocolate. Writing and publishing are not just a walk in the park. Well, maybe a stroll in NYC's Cental Park at 3:00 am on Saturday night during a full moon.