Patricia Harrelson

The other day when I went for my physical, the nurse practitioner asked how my book was doing. After listening to my report, she said that when she retired, she was going to write. She said she had all kinds of ideas for a book. “Why wait?” I asked. She had the usual reasons, all of which boiled down to not having the time right now.

Time is an issue the comes up again and again among writers. Yesterday, I listened to a teleconference on book promotion with Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul) and Steve Harrison (Radio-TV Interview Report). Jack told the story about the round tuit. A motivational speaker carries a round, wooden token in his pocket with the word TUIT printed on both sides, and when folks complain about not getting around to it with regard to their dreams, he hands them the token and says, “Now you have a ROUND TUIT. Get busy!”

This morning, I woke to a Write Free Newsletter in my email inbox. The focus of this month’s newsletter is how to make time for our creative lives. There is a cool advertisement in the newsletter for a planner called “Plenty of Time.”The truth is that we all have the same amount of time, and it’s up to each individual how he/she uses that time.

I can’t say that I’m an expert at making time to write, but here are FIVE suggestions that work for me.

1. “Put Writing First!” I heard these words at a writing conference years ago, and they are seared in my brain. I can’t remember who said them. It could have been Natalie Goldberg or maybe Carolyn See or maybe someone less well known.  It doesn’t really matter! Remembering to write BEFORE I do anything else ensures that I make time for writing. Each morning, after I set the tea to steep, I grab my notebook or boot up the computer so I can write.
2. Blogging, email, and letter writing COUNT! It’s OK with me if I don’t work on one my creative writing projects as long as I write something every day and first thing. To be good at anything, you have to practice, so I make sure that every time I write, I give attention to craft. Does the piece flow? Are there vivid examples? Am I using sensory detail? Have I managed to slip in some figurative language?
3. Join or start a writers group and meet regularly.  Membership in a writers group means that I have to get something ready for submission every two weeks. Sometimes I start working on my submission the night before it’s due, but I always make time to get something ready.
4. Write reviews. Every time I read a book, I write a short review to post on both GoodReads and Amazon. Writing a review forces me to think about the artistic merit of a book and articulate my thoughts in words. This is writing practice as well as a consideration of what makes for good writing. Writing the review becomes a study of craft.
5. Make my own greeting cards.  Rather than buy a birthday or anniversary card, I make cards for friends and family. I keep a collection of construction paper, glue, stickers and old cards to cut up. Designing the card is a creative exercise, and I always write a personal message inside. Sometimes it’s a poem, but it may simply be a few well-thought sentences to honor the person and the occasion.

What do you do to make time for writing?