Okay, so I didnt really write a whole novel on my lunch hour. But I did develop a lot of the characters, locations and plot by taking a half-hour out of each workday to sketch some ideas. Youd be surprised with what you can get done in just thirty minutes a day.
First, a little background. I had a job that was driving me crazy. Corporate priorities at the company I worked for changed on a weekly basis. Projects I managed got cancelled halfway through development, blew up on the launch pad, or went on indefinitely without any measurement of success. My job had become more about shuffling papers and schedules than creating great work. I was frustrated. My thoughts turned to that novel Id never managed to write.
But how was I going to write it? I never had time. When I got home from work every day, it was late. I was tired and cranky, unable to do much but eat dinner and go to sleep. Weekends were filled with taking care of the house, doing laundry, seeing family. I needed to come up with some kind of plan if I was going to get anything done. I began by promising myself Id take a half-hour break each day at work, pick up a notepad and pencil and write down whatever...