Waiting to Write

Finding time to write is a continual challenge for writers. Life is full of obligations and distractions that steal our time and leave writing on the back burner. How do you overcome this dearth of available time and create the time and space you need to devote to writing? It's really simpler than you think. Do you have to carve out time in your day to breathe? Of course not. You just do it. It's essential to your life and well-being. If writing is essential to your life and well-being, then just do it. Getting caught up in thinking about when you will write (i.e., when your chores are done, when there is quiet time, when the cows come home, etc.) is a trap that keeps you from writing. Instead of wasting precious time and energy figuring out when you will be able to write, just sit down and write. Maybe it's only for five minutes, but it's still writing, and you've accomplished much more than you realize. You've given in to the urge, the need to write, instead of putting it off with wasteful planning. There are all kinds of reasons and excuses for not writing right now and for putting it off until later. But none of these reasons are as compelling as writing right now in this moment because you have to, because not to would be denying yourself that fulfillment that is so essential to who you are. Writing instead of waiting is the single most definitive act you can do to get your writing life back on track.