Dedicated Writing time

 

 I hear aspiring writers tell me all the time that they wish they had more time to be creative and write that novel they crave to produce. When I hear that line, I immediately tell them that they have no desire to be a writer, instead it’s only an unwanted dream to be able to write. This is when they get upset with me and want to storm off and curse me out for being honest with them. Like I’ve said in the past to many a protégé, if you can’t taste it, you can’t produce your written word in that novel you want to write. What does that mean? It means you have to really want to be a writer in order to be a writer. You must crave the opportunity to write that novel or movie script and then make it happen. Your dedication is key to your success. There is always time in your day to write, you just need to be dedicated enough to find it. For me, writing happens early in the morning over my first cup of coffee, or late at night with a cup of tea. When I first started writing, I only had an hour in the morning before work and trust me I used that hour every day during the week. At first it was hard to get organized, but then my mentor told me his secret. On Sunday, organize your writing schedule and your life schedule. Calculate how long it takes to get ready in the morning for work. Then add an hour to that time and also your commute time, then set your alarm clock accordingly. I had to be at work at 8am, minus 40 minutes commute into Washington, DC giving at least 15 extra minutes for bad traffic, then 40 minutes to get ready for the day. That gave me a wakeup call for 5 am. If I wasn’t disciplined enough to stick to this schedule, my writing desires would never happen. This also meant that I had to be completely organized, that meant setting clothes out before I went to bed, gathered worked stuff and leave by the front door, setting out coffee set up so all I had to do was to hit the start button then plug in the hot curlers, go take a shower. Come out, get dressed, blow dry the hair, put hot curlers in, grab my coffee, go put make up on, then sit down at laptop and write for one hour. I used a cooking timer so I didn’t go over the hour limit, then it was off to work, but I always brought my journal with me so if an idea came to me, I could jot it down during the day. When I got home at night, I’d change clothes, eat dinner, then relax for an hour, then it’s write for an hour or two, then get ready for the next day.  After a while the schedule becomes a constant routine and comes very naturally. On the weekends I’d do the household chores and laundry and if I had time, I’d write or design a storyline with plots and then on Sunday, I’d plan out my week. Iron clothes listen to an audiobook while I ironed and then set myself up for success for the next week. Planning is everything in your writing journey. If you can’t design a plan of action, you’re sunk. Bottom line, if you want to become a writer, you must prioritize writing time in your busy schedule. Eventually once you’ve published a book or two, you’ll be in a position to quit your day job, (which will never happen) and write full time.

Find your best time to write and make that time your own and begin that writing journey to stardom. No matter what, keep on writing, even if it’s only short stories, you can always expand them later on, but at least get those stories out of your head.

Author Elizabeth Kilbride is a former political operative, author, scriptwriter, historian, journalist. business professional, and creative artist, and life coach consultant. Ms. Kilbride holds a Masters in Criminology and a BS in Business Management who stepped out of the loop for a while, but who is now back with a powerful opinion and voice in the direction of this country and our economy. As a life coach, she is available to counsel individuals to enjoy their dreams and a better life. Ms. Kilbride loves to travel, photograph her surroundings and is also a gourmet cook who loves to garden and preserve food for the winter months.