Finding the time

A lot of people ask me how I find the time to write. The answer is quite simple -- I make the time. You really don't have any other choice but to make the time.

I read somewhere that some 85 percent of the people in the United States at some point think they want to write a book, but only about 5 percent or 6 percent do. What about that other roughly 80 percent?

A lot of it boils down to two things -- discipline and hard work. Either you have the discipline to write a book or you don't. And either you are willing to put in the hard work or you are not. To me, it's really that simple.

I admit the discipline can be developed, as can the capacity or willingness to do the hard work. But those issues are not what I want to focus on now. It is time.

I hear people all the time say they don't have the time to write but I really think it is probably more a question of the discipline and willingness to do the hard work. They say if they only had the time to write they would. But, short of some emergency in their lives, they probably have the time somewhere but don't think feel that writing is worth the effort to have the time.

Once you are in college, you will probably rarely have a block of time to write -- and I'm saying days and weeks here -- unless you make the time somewhere. You are always busy with other time-consuming aspects of life.

I have found that most non-writing friends and family members are totally supportive of someone's desire a write. They are almost totally supportive and encouraging. That is until someone's efforts at writing inconveniences friends and family to even the slightlest degree. Then the writer is on their own.

The point is that as a writer, particularly a novice writer, you have to determine the time when you are going to work. Few people will see your writing as important as you will. And thus they will never grant you the time to write if you request it. You have to make that decision and have the discipline to stick to it.

It is the first step in getting the work done.

Now what you do after the book is done is another issue entirely. We can get to that later.

For now, thanks for reading and keep writing.