This is probably the 2nd most common question non-writers ask me, after “Where do you get your ideas from?”
These want-to-be writers claim that their life is too busy. Most writers I know have the most challenging and hectic schedules known to man. Until we make it, we are all carrying a day job; most of us have families, houses, and chores. I am personally astounded by how many writers juggle small kids on top of everything else!
My answer is always: If you really want to write, you’ll find or make time. That’s true of every hobby, personal study or passion, right? If it’s important, then we’ll find a way to make it happen. My response rarely satisfies them; I think they were looking for something more spiritual and, well… useful.
Well, dear want-to-be writers, it really is as simple and as complicated as that. Either squeeze in time to write among the racing, swirling, myriad paths of your life, or simplify your life and create time. You want to write? Watch less TV. Play less video games. Get up an hour earlier. Opportunities abound for carving out a slice of time, if you really do want to write. If it’s a sincere burning desire, a yearning, a calling, then you will feel crabby and upset if you aren’t writing.
Then you will find that you generally fit into two categories of writer:
The first are true opportunists. They fill every spare five minutes writing a paragraph or two. They write at lunch at their desk, on the train, in a queue, sitting in bed, sitting in traffic. No time is wasted. Their advantage is a constant immersion in their story and a consistent, if small, daily word count.
The second are the marathon runners. They need plenty of time to sit down, collect their thoughts and ease into writing, but when the muse strikes, they work for eight hours straight, or longer. They might only write once or twice a week, but when they do, 8-10 thousand words may fly by.
Technically, it’s not binary. I like to write every day but require an hour or two to concentrate, and I may clock 700-1000 words a day. I’d love to write thousands, but I burn out quickly.
What really matters is:
• Accept your type and don’t fight it
• Write consistently, preferably daily
• Rework your life’s schedule to create holes that fit your writing type
Most important of all: Just find any free time and write! If you have a passion, don’t waste it.