From the Mailbag: Finding Time to Write

K asks:

I just finished reading ‘Secret Society Girl’ and enjoyed every page and wanted to thank you for writing such a page turner.

I’m writing a book at the moment, as well as working a full time job and I wanted to know if you have any advice in how to find time to write?

Thanks so much for reading. I’m glad you enjoyed the book. How exciting to be writing your first book! I wrote both Secret Society Girl and Under the Rose (as well as four other unpublished manuscripts before that) while working full time. This is how I did it:

1. Set a goal — either a daily/weekly page goal or a “due date” for your draft. I found that working with a due date meant I would keep my eye on that goal. For me, having the yearly contest of RWA’s Golden Heart was a way to always make sure I had a manuscript to enter for the contest. There are lots of contests. FInd some if that would be a good motivator for you.
2. Admit that you need to sacrifice in order to reach that goal. Stay home on a Friday night instead of going out with friends, etc.
3. Get things done in snippets. I would commute by subway, put on headphones, and write to and from my commute to work. I would write during my lunch hour. I would cook in the crockpot so I had time after work to write instead of making dinner.
4. Fifteen minutes first thing. Set your alarm fifteen minutes early, get up and write for fifteen minutes before doing ANYTHING — eating breakfast, getting dressed, checking your email. I found it would “set” your mind on the book for the day.
5. Remember, you only need to write ONE page a day to have a finished manuscript at the end of the year. One page a day — you can do that. Get up early, give up a little, try to write in snippets. One page a day.

Good luck!