Finding sufficient time to write can be difficult, especially if you are faced with the need to juggle work and writing commitments. Often, it seems as if there just aren't enough hours in the day. This is a conundrum that many published authors had to face when they were starting out, so how did they manage it and how can you?

Well, here are some options that are worth considering:

1. Get up an hour earlier and get an hour's writing done before breakfast. After all, many people get up early to walk the dog, jog, or swim. Of course, this may not work so well for those of us who are not morning people!

2. Use your lunch hour to review or edit your writing, or to consider plot progressions. Often we spend our lunch times reading a newspaper or book, so put that time to more productive use.

3. If you commute by train or bus, use this time to work on, or think about, your novel. Obviously, there's more scope for this on a train, where you can get a table, than whilst standing on a bus during rush-hour!

4. Buy a laptop. Having a laptop gives you greater flexibility as to when and where you can write. If you find yourself out of town with work, you have the option of writing from your hotel room. Similarly, if you feel inclined to do so, you can take it on holiday, although your other half may complain!

5. Make a commitment to set aside time when you are definitely going to write. We are often guilty of writing only when the mood and inspiration take us. If you want to be serious about your writing, you need to allocate hours when you will write. An example would be to say "I will write every night between 9pm and 10pm". That's the easy part. You then have to stick to that resolution but if you do it should be very rewarding.

6. Be more organised about your non-writing commitments. One of the biggest problems isn't so much the hours that we work during the day, but rather the amount of hours during our free-time that get taken up with non-writing activity. Sometimes we can be more effective about these tasks. For example, multi task so that you put on a load of washing whilst you're cooking the meal. Or iron your clothes whilst watching your favourite TV programme.

7. Set objectives and review them regularly. If your time is limited, you need to prioritise what you want to achieve and set yourself some time-bound objectives. Your objectives should ideally be stretching but need to be achievable. If you make a point of regularly reviewing your performance against stated objectives, then this may be an invaluable asset. A writer who is focused on what he or she wants to achieve but can only write for one hour per day is quite likely to out-perform a writer who has all the time in the world but only a vague idea of what they want to do and writes sporadically.

8. Burn both ends of the candle. Finally, there's the option of getting up early and going to bed late, so that you can cram in hours of writing alongside your regular work. Not an approach I would recommend but it has been employed successfully by some who are desperate to make that first big break-through.

I hope that these suggestions have been helpful. Good luck with your writing!

Learn more about this author, Simon Wright.
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