Making Time to Write Monday: Guest Post by Kelly L. Stone “The Gift of Writing Time”

It is a pleasure for me to have Kelly L. Stone on my blog today as a guest blogger. I first read Kelly’s book TIME TO WRITE, then I took a class with her. I blogged about the class a couple of weeks ago (she has a new one coming up also). 

Kelly is a wealth of knowledge on making time to write and insists that no matter how busy your schedule is, you can figure out a way to work writing into it.

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The Gift of Writing Time

© Kelly L Stone (www.AuthorKellyLStone.com)

Time to write. Everyone wants it. But who has it?

You do. Time to write is something you make. You make it by scheduling it. Whether your goal is to get published or simply to write for the enjoyment of self-expression, making time to write is a discipline you must devote yourself to; no one can do it for you. It’s a commitment to writing that you and only you can make.

So let’s talk about how you make time to write even with your crazy busy life. The first step is honoring your voice. If you want to get those words on paper you have to believe that writing—your writing– is important. You have to value your story and what you’re creating, because if you don’t value it, who will? Honor what you have to say enough to give it room in your life.  No one can tell your story the way you can, and we can’t read your mind. You have to put your words on paper where we can see them.

The next step to finding time to write is scheduling it into your day. People tend to gasp in shock when I point this out. But you have a schedule for everything else, why not writing? I bet you can tell me the next time your child is scheduled to get her teeth cleaned, or the next time your car is due for an oil change. Can you tell me the next time you plan to write? If not, set a day and time now. It doesn’t matter if it’s once a day or once a week. Just pick a schedule and stick to it,  because if you don’t schedule writing into your life, you’re choosing to allow distractions to overtake you.

Next set a small goal for your writing time. It might be to write three pages or to record your memories of the holidays just passed for 20 minutes. Planning your work ensures that you don’t sit at the computer twiddling your thumbs (or “doing research”). No indeed, you have an assignment to complete, and you can’t get up until you’ve done it. Set an egg timer if you must, but sit down for a designated length of time and write.

Then hold yourself accountable to your schedule by keeping a record of how many times you fulfilled it. Many writers keep a spreadsheet that includes the date and the number of pages they wrote at each session.  One writer told me she put a quarter in a jar every time she met her writing goal for the day, and when she finished a project she had money to buy herself a nice gift.

Which leads to the last tip on finding time to write: reward yourself every time you write. Every single time. This is called positive reinforcement, and it’s how you build the habit of writing. It can be a piece of chocolate, watching an hour of television, taking a nap, or yes, even doing the laundry.  Writing is hard work, and exercising self-discipline is even harder. Pat yourself on the back.

Honor your voice by scheduling writing into your day. Don’t let your dream, and your days, slip away.

BIO: Kelly L. Stone (www.AuthorKellyLStone.com) is the author of a women’s fiction novel, GRAVE SECRET (Mundania Press, 2007) which Romantic Times Book Reviews called “powerful” and “well-written.” She is also the author of the TIME TO WRITE series for writers: TIME TO WRITE: No Excuses, No Distractions, No More Blank Pages (Adams Media, 2008), THINKING WRITE: The Secret to Freeing Your Creative Mind (Adams Media, 2009) and LIVING WRITE: The Secret to Bringing Your Craft Into Your Daily Life (Adams Media, 2010). She is a sought after keynote speaker and workshop presenter at writing conferences across the country and offers online classes, critiques, and coaching services to writers.  Contact her at Kelly@AuthorKellyLStone.com