Are you not writing your book because you cannot find the time? Or do you insist you need more time than you have to give your subject matter the attention it needs? “I can’t write a book unless I have two or three hours a day, five days a week, to devote to it.”
Right. That’s a surefire road to book writing failure. Would you force yourself to run a two-hour marathon when you haven’t even jogged 1/2 a mile yet? Setting writing expectations that are too high is the same kind of recipe for disaster. Not many with busy work, family, and social life schedules have the time, energy, motivation, or persistence to commit to writing a book — or starting any new writing project. Even professional, disciplined writers can have issues creating enough time to write the books they are most called to. Here is the first secret I have found about writing a book. If you wait until you have “time” to write that book, chances are, you won’t. The same goes for “enough time.” You will never have “time” to write a book.
Look at “time” as one of the “guardians at the gate,” so to speak – whether you are a beginning writer or a well-published one. You and any writer on a journey to write a book face the “time to write” issue each time you take the first step of saying yes to your writer self–and for every book you write after that. Myself included. Even after 25 years of writing books, articles, and a blog, I am back at square one when I begin a new project or book or take a hiatus from writing and return to it. I, too, need to reclaim the time for creating. I need to be like a wily coyote and gently trick it, entice it, ease it into being.
But then the miracle happens. The more I write, even if I only write for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, the more I keep those appointments to write, even for short periods, and the more time for writing opens, bends, flexes, and stretches for me. And that pesky time guardian lets me pass–for the moment. You can claim that time to write your book, too. And find yourself writing things you never thought possible–regardless of how much “time” for creating books you have or don’t have. Here’s how to make time for writing: Number One Secret to Managing Time for Writers: Do less. Expect less of yourself. Take yourself off the “I’m not writing, self-flagellating, guilt” hook. Eliminate saying you need at least two hours, or you won’t be able to go “deep enough” to write something profound and meaningful.
Instead, stay in the “I don’t know.” Take the chance to give up that expectation, trust that you might surprise yourself, and dive into those writing depths immediately. Reduce that “2 hours a day, 5 days a week” to a commitment of “15 minutes a day, 3 times a week.” If you still can’t find the “time,” reduce it even more to 15 minutes once a week or five minutes once a week. Then, add more time slowly. I recently went back to this practice myself. I had been on a hiatus from writing a novel. Initially, I tried to dive back into writing 2 to 3 hours a day because I have the “discipline” to do that. I have written books and been a professional writer for 25 years. But instead of writing, I found myself playing computer solitaire, wanting to research every nuance of my subject matter, reading email (the death knoll to any creative spark), and extending the length of my meditation practice.
Did I berate myself for not living up to my commitment? No. Well, maybe a little. But then, I lowered my expectations. What a relief. I remembered that being gentle and kind to myself as a writer worked best for me in the past. Once more, I recognized that “resistance” is part of the package for most writers, including me. It goes with the writing territory.
So I dropped my commitment the first week to writing 15 minutes daily, 3 times a week. I told myself that if I wrote more, fine. If not, fine. As I felt ready in the next week or two, I added to the time I spent writing in a week. I’m committed to one hour a day, 4 to 5 days a week. I am slowly working my way up to a regular schedule of 2 to 3 hours daily on the novel.
