KEYNOTE: Working as a Full-Time Author

I’ve been making picture books full-time for almost nine years now. There have been many ups and downs. Some years have been fantastic, and others have been scary and awful. Sorry! That’s probably not what you want to hear. Okay, let me start again …

Here’s what I know about doing this amazing, terrifying, and creative job that we do as writers and illustrators full-time:

- If you don’t love it, it’s not going to work. I mean really love it. Like it’s your child. (I don’t say that lightly, I have two kiddos myself.) Like with children, making books is both exhilarating and exhausting. And you have to be able to roll with that, which isn’t always easy. But, let’s be honest, the best things in life never are.
- Commit to your craft. Even if you aren’t doing this full-time. Carve out time to be creative, ideally every day (if you can), but whatever time you can dedicate, be consistent with it. Even though I don’t leave my house to work, I still treat it like a job in that I go for a designated time, to a designated space.
- Your creative space is sacred. Make a space for yourself that you feel completely comfortable in, designated for your craft. A place you can foster creativity. It could be a spare bedroom, a small den, a closet! (If Harry Potter can live in one, you can certainly write in one!) Whatever works for you. But NOT the dining room table or another shared communal space. This space should be just for you and your craft.
- Respect your craft. Nurture it. Let it flourish. Take care of it.
- Patience. Patience. Patience. Practice patience every day. You’ll need it. Especially if you are able to make the jump to creating books full-time. Publishing is notoriously slow.
- Balance. I can’t stress this one enough. I do not believe in working a creative job like a normal, full-time, eight-hours-a-day one. Creativity requires balance. It means taking a break and going for a walk. Or stepping out of your studio to run some errands. Or going for a swim. I’m not talking about procrastination. Think of it more as meditation. I may be going for a walk, but I’m contemplating my work. Mulling it over. Considering all the pieces in order to understand how to put them together.

So here’s what a typical day for me as a full-time author/illustrator looks like:

5:00 a.m. – Wake up, make coffee, head to my studio.

7:00 a.m. – Get my kiddos up, eat breakfast, get ready for the day (at this point I’ve already worked two hours, uninterrupted by kids and life, which for me is an incredibly productive and positive way to start the day).

8:00 a.m. – Go for a family walk with my husband (who also works from home), my two kiddos, and our dog. We live in a national park, so walking and hiking is a big part of our day-to-day and the balance I try to maintain in my workday.

9:00 a.m. – Come home, put my 15-month-old down for a nap. If it’s not a school day for my three-year-old, then my husband watches him while I go back to work for another two hours.

11:00 a.m. – Make lunch. Take over watching the kiddos while my husband works in his office. I’m done working for the day. I typically only do four hours of creative work a day.

The rest of the day is filled with a mix of naps, errands, taking care of stuff around the house, and making dinner.

7:30 p.m. – Kiddos are in bed. I tackle emails, play catch-up (writing blog posts like this one), and do some editorial work, either with my husband or on manuscripts submitted through my critique site, Critter Lit.

Then I get up and do it all over again. This may sound crazy. But somehow we make it work— watching our kids ourselves and working. Don’t get me wrong, there are days when life is nuts in our house, but most days it works. Most days it’s a balancing act. A dance of sorts.

Now, I’m going to tell you this next part to push you. Because the one thing I hear all the time from aspiring writers and illustrators is that they don’t have time to commit to their craft. But here’s the thing … time is what you make it. And if you don’t respect your craft enough to make time for it, then you may as well let it go. You have to believe in the value of your work. No one is going to do it for you.

My plate is full. Like really full. Just like all of you. We are all super busy. In addition to writing and illustrating picture books, I run a small stationery and design business with my mom. Two years ago I decided to start a website, Critter Lit, offering free critiques, interviews, and advice to up-and-coming writers and illustrators. I have two kiddos under the age of four. We live in a constant state of renovation because my husband and I decided to buy a total fixer-upper. This is my life. I tell you this not to impress you. I tell you because if I can make time, then so can you.

Now go make time for your craft. You totally got this!

Lindsay Ward has a BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University. Her most recent books include It’s Show and Tell, Dexter! and Don’t Forget Dexter!, books 1 and 2 in the Dexter T. Rexter Series with Two Lions. She is also the author and illustrator of Brobarians (Two Lions, 2017), The Importance of Being 3 (Dial, 2016), Rosco vs. the Baby (S&S, 2016), Henry Finds His Word (Dial, 2015), a Choose to Read Ohio Book, When Blue Met Egg (Dial, 2012), and Please Bring Balloons (Dial, 2013), which was produced into a play by the New York City Children’s Theater in 2017. Her work has been reviewed in Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, and the New York Times. Lindsay is currently working on a new original board book series, I Go!, with HarperCollins, due Summer 2019 and This Book Is Gray, a new picture book with Two Lions. She is the founder of Critter Lit, a free picture book manuscript and illustration critique service for up-and-coming authors and illustrators. Lindsay lives in Peninsula, Ohio with her husband, author Frank Tupta, two sons, and dog. Visit her online at lindsaymward.com or follow her on Twitter. Headshot photo credit: Sarah Sloboda.

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Heather

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February 10, 2019 at 9:34 AM

Your daily approach to writing and living is encouraging. The advice you offer will help me and certainly other writers too. Thank you.

Rebecca Koehn

February 10, 2019 at 10:12 AM

Lindsay, thank you for sharing how you make it work. As someone who went back to work full time this year and plans to quit that job in May I really appreciated hearing how you make it work and what your day is like. My kids are a little older than yours now, but I remember those days and you are absolutely right. Time is what you make it.