Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you. ~Zadie Smith

You find the time to write by discarding something else in your life. I mean, I have to assume you think your day is full, right? Isn’t that what we tell everyone? We fuss about not having enough hours in the day, so we must excise something to ensure we have the time to write.

I never go to a conference, and I mean that in the most absolute sense, without someone telling me they are waiting to write their story, their book, their anything. They are always waiting until after the daughter’s wedding, Christmas, school is out, retirement.

I used to try to convince them that they are making a mistake. That writing can be done today, now, during any day. Of course that is assuming one is taking writing seriously. Some are beginners, but that still doesn’t mean that putting in those hours of writing practice work isn’t taking writing seriously. It’s necessary to hammer out the bad words and define bad habits before writing something for keeps, but we cannot mistake practice writing with writing here and there when we feel like it.

Now when I hear that from writers that they are waiting for this or that, I instantly assume they aren’t serious. And I don’t entertain a conversation about it any longer. I instead feel sorry for them. They are missing out on a phenomenal lifestyle that I assume they once-upon-a-time wanted, but they’ve let slide through their fingers.

You fight for what you want to do. If you aren’t doing it, it’s not a priority for you.

Someone will fight me about those words, and that’s fine, but I’ve never been proven wrong. Writing has to become a habit. Nothing becomes honed doing it every once in a while. Dieting, running, studying, learning to play an instrument. . . the list goes on.

Decide to write daily. Tell your friends and family that writing time is sacrosanct. When you prove your devotion to it, they will respect you more for being a writer. After all, how many people do you know are devoted to anything? And if they are, how do they show it? By always making time for it.

Do be kind to yourself. Fill pages as quickly as possible; double space or write on every second line. Regard every new page as a small triumph. ~ Roddy Doyle