There are a lot of myths about writing, and sometimes as authors we even use them as excuses not to write. For example, do you sometimes tell yourself, “I would write if I had more time”?
If so, then you must accept the truth: You probably do have the time for your passion. You just need to make the time.
Begin by letting go of any guilt that writing means you’re not giving others enough time. The reality is that finding time to write actually makes you a better parent…or businessowner…or student…or employee…because when you deny your passion, you feel trapped and your stress levels grow. You always should be able to say, “Today was a great day – I worked toward something I believe in!” You children, business, studies and career are important, but so is your writing, and you should work everyday toward all that you believe in, not just some of it.
Perhaps the problem is that you simply need to be more efficient with your time. That will require ridding your life of all that is unimportant to you. First, determine where your time goes; chart what you do, by the hour, for a week. Is there anything that can be cut, like watching a television show that you no longer really enjoy? Secondly, see if there are the interruptions and a better way to handle them. For example, do you really need to answer each email when it arrives in your inbox? You’ll be more efficient if you remain focused on your task and set aside a block of time once a day to answer emails. Along with this is simplifying chores, especially cleaning. Getting ready of clutter, for example, is a quick way to reduce time spent vacuuming and dusting. Between cutting some activities and being more efficient with others, can you carve out just 15 minutes a day (or more if possible!) to writing?
If not, you need to delegate some responsibilities. Perhaps it’s time for the kids to help load the dryer or to wash the car. Maybe it’s time to purchase a home cleaning service or to send out the laundry. Possibly you can pay high school or college kids to babysit your child for an hour while you write.
Once you identify how much time a day you can write, block out those 15 minutes or half-hour on your calendar. You must commit to writing during that time. Turn off everything – the television, the Internet, the cell phone – and simply write nonstop.
Lastly, commit yourself to mentally “write” the rest of the day. There’s a lot of time when you can think about your story – while your kids are on the playground, lunch breaks at work, when waiting for the professor to arrive before class, during the commute home. Carry a notepad and pen with you wherever you go and jot down ideas, images or lines of dialogue during that waiting time (Well, maybe not while you’re driving; in that case, bring a recorder so you can dictate your notes.).
With just a little effort, you can find the time to write. So what are you waiting for? Get writing!
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My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of writers both new and published. I also offer a variety of self-publishing services. During the past decade, I’ve helped more than 300 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of the 7 Minutes a Day… writing guidebooks, four nonfiction hiking guidebook series, and the literary novel Windmill. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.