Write a Better Novel’s Bill Henderson recently wrote about the dilemma of teaching to supplement your writing income. He received a slew of comments about struggling to write a novel during the off-hours of your day job, which he summarized in a new post that you should definitely take a look at. Real novelists sound off on the issue, and it really struck a chord with me. Writing in itself is hard enough, but having to do it when you get home from a long day of work (when you could be, say, watching TV and spending time with friends) can sometimes make writing insufferable. Some of my favorite quotes after the jump:

Would I like to have more time to write? Of course… I take notebooks with me in my purse wherever I go… and I make sure to sit down and write at home for at least 30 minutes every day.

[I] write when I can. Sneaking off during making supper to slap some words down. Or after my daughter has gone to bed, and all day on the lucky days when she’s gone to grandma’s. Not writing is what eats my soul. My job supports my life and me being able to have a computer at which to write and food which sustains my body. But writing supports my heart and soul.

If your day job is at all meaningful, it’ll drain your creative juices to a certain degree. If your day job is completely meaningless, it may drain your soul.

I could write for days on this issue. But for the sake of your time (and, uh, sanity), I’m going to hand this over to you. What are your experiences about writing a novel while working a day job? How do you find the time—and, more importantly, will—to write?