So You Want to Write a Book? Pt 3

Welcome back to my series "So you want to write a book"!
The first post covered the inspiration part, and the second went over how long it takes to write a novel. This post is all about "Finding the Time" to write that book of yours.

I purposely put "Finding the Time" in quotes on purpose. There is no such thing as finding time. Whether it is for working out, crafting, or writing. You will never find the time to do something new. Even something that you love. Finding is not what you're going to have to do. If you want to accomplish anything you're going to have to "Make" the time.

There will always be something (and often times multiple somethings) pulling for your attention. Kids, spouse, work, friends, other hobbies. Everything suddenly needs your attention as soon as you decide you want to learn something new, or to finally sit down and work on a long overdue project.

I get it, I have balanced work, writing, friends, family and working out. It is NOT easy. But then again nothing worth having in life is. If I haven't scared you off yet, below are some of the tips and tricks that I have learned over the years at balancing everything.

1. Utilize breaks at work or school to their fullest. I mean it! If you get breaks and a lunch at work, that's just bonus time! Even if you only get a 30 min lunch, take 15-20 and write, brainstorm, daydream. Just take that time and use it to work on your work. Do you commute on a bus or train? Great! Once again there is extra time, use it to its fullest potential!

2. When you do have time to work on writing, focus. Tune out your surroundings, however you can. Go into a different room, use music with personal earbuds, or sit at a different table in the lunch room. Make sure that when you sit down to work, you're focusing on work.

3. Tell people about your goal, and set a deadline. By telling people you have set this goal, you are creating people that will hold you accountable. Heck, you might even find people who want to do the same thing. You need to find support anywhere you can. Join a writing group, join the NaNoWriMo site. NaNoWriMo is held every year in November. It is when thousands of people around the world band together and agree to spend the month of November writing a novel. It's a great organization that has wonderful communities.