How To Find Time To Write - Guest Post From Author Ernest Dempsey

How To Find Time To Write

So, you want to write a book.  Cool.  

How long have you been rattling this idea around in your head?

Has it been there a while?

A lot of people talk about writing a book.  They'll say that they've been thinking about doing it for a long time.  

They always follow that statement with a series of excuses as to why they haven't written their book.  The most common one, though, is that they don’t have time.  Those people have convinced themselves that someday, in a magical land called “retirement,” they will finally be able to sit down and write their book. Doubtful.  

Have you ever said something like that?  

Great!  

Consider this article your official kick in the pants.

Finding Time

I wrote my first two novels while working a full-time job, singing in a rock band, and coaching a high school soccer team.  So, you have no excuse.  

I've had lots of people ask me how I found the time to write two books and a short story while doing all that.  Simple.  I just found fifteen minutes, three times a day.  When you use this technique, remember that you aren’t going for quality.  Treat it as a free writing exercise.  Just try to get as much content written as possible in the short amount of time you have.  

Wake up Early

Maybe you aren't a morning person.  Good news!  Neither am I.  But that didn't stop me from waking up fifteen minutes early every day so I could get some writing done.  I would wake up, make my coffee, hop in the shower, and by the time I had gotten dressed for work my brain was in writing mode.  I just set a timer for fifteen minutes and got cracking.  In that little pocket of time each morning, I was able to get a 300 word head start on my novel.

Lunch Breaks 

Forget lunch breaks.  You only really need ten or fifteen minutes to eat lunch.  If you have an hour lunch, you are truly lucky.  You may have just found an extra thirty or forty minutes to get some writing done.  For the rest of us who only get thirty minutes for lunch, get away from your co-workers and find a quiet place to get some writing done.  It's important that you find a workspace where there are no distractions.  

Set your timer to fifteen, and get some writing done.  If you're a moderately fast typist, you should be able to get 300-400 words done in this amount of time. 

Evenings

Look, I know you're busy in the evenings.  Maybe you have kids that demand your attention or a spouse that doesn't want you working on the computer.  My girlfriend doesn't like for me to work on my books when she comes home from work.  I get it.  

Here's the thing, you still probably waste at least fifteen minutes watching television.  Maybe you blow it on Facebook, Twitter feeds, or finding new recipes of things you will never make on Pinterest.  

Instead, how about you just ask your significant other for fifteen minutes to work on your book.  Tell them that they can control the timer and when it goes off, you will stop everything and devote the rest of the night to them.  

Tell them that it's important to you.  It is, isn't it?

Don't Edit

I’m going to repeat what I said earlier.  While you are using this technique, it is super-important that you don't edit while you write.  You need to write as fast as possible to maximize the little bursts of time that you're using.  Remember, you can always go back and edit during the rewrite.  

What is important during this stage is volume.  The more you get done, the less likely you will give up and quit.  

So, forget all the misspellings and all the other problems you might be having with your story.  Just keep going.  

To make it easier, put together a scene map or a storyboard to guide you.  Whatever your preferred outline might be, let that guide you along.  Just never put on the breaks.  Keep your foot on the gas until the timer goes off.

Before you know it, you will have a real manuscript on your hands. 

Sweet!

Quick Bio

Ernest Dempsey is a fiction author from Chattanooga, Tennessee.  He mainly writes thrillers and action/adventure novels but will soon be entering into Science Fiction and YA Fantasy genres as well.  Find out more about him and his books at ernestdempsey.net or follow him on Twitter.