How to Write a Novel While Watching TV
Posted: July 14th, 2009 | Author: Jerry | Filed under: Creative Liberation, Popular | 4 Comments »The number one reason people do not write their novel is that they claim to not have enough time to write. Most people with not enough time to write partially don’t have enough time because they (understandably) want to relax and watch TV at night.
Breakthrough concept: If you are watching an hour of TV a night, you can write a novel at the same time, and have it done within a year at MOST. If you watch two hours of TV, you can finish your novel in six months.
How does this work? Commercial breaks! Put away your DVR fast forward button and get ready to use commercials as a signal to write.
Every hour of television includes 20 minutes of commercials. Even if you are a very slow writer or typer (slow being under 10 words a minute) you can write 200 words in 20 minutes. 200 words a day X 365 days in a year = 73,000 words. No matter what genre you are writing, that’s in the zone.
How does this work? You keep your notepad handy or your computer on. The second a commercial comes on, get to work. Remember, you only have to write 10 words a minute. When the show comes back on, stop writing. Repeat at the next commercial break.
Those of you who are more in the 25 to 40 words per minute range, or who watch more than an hour of TV each night, congratulations. You’ll finish your novel in 3 to 6 months of watching television. Yes, this is a writing plan that (instead of telling you to STOP watching TV) rewards you for watching MORE television!
If you’ve got a family make a game of it – involve the kids or your significant other. You’ll be hanging out with them 40 minutes of the hour anyways – so when the commercial comes on they can yell “GO!” You’ll never be writing for more than 2 or 3 minutes at a time so you don’t have to have ANY fear of running out of something to write.
There you have it – that’s how, in 3 to 12 months, ANYONE can write a novel while watching TV.
Tweet 
Delicious 
Digg 
Facebook 
Stumble
i love it.
i got to start my own novel…
now if i can only think about what to write.???
Well what to write isn’t that important when you’re just getting some momentum going. Pick a character, an idea, or something that’s on your mind and just go. Trust that your mind is potent enough to keep building the story, because it is.
I actually tried doing this a few months ago. It works for me sometimes and not others. It is hard to stop writing when really into something and hard to pick up later when in the middle of complex scenes. However, I did get rough ideas down that I was able to touch up later when I had larger blocks of time.
I like your idea of making a game of it – I didn’t do that part. Something new to try!
Garrett,
That’s great to hear you tried and had some success with what is basically speed-writing during commericals. I suggest making it a game for people who watch TV with their kids or family – could get them invested in and having fun with seeing Mom or Dad writing, and personally nothing keeps me on track like knowing other people are expecting something from me.
SO – keep on visiting so I have even more reason to make sure to write here each week.
Best
Jerry