Tipsy Tuesday

Do you give yourself permission to write? Do you empower yourself to write?

If you don't set aside specific time every day to plunk down in front of your computer (or with your pad and pen), then I guess the answers to those questions are "no." What's that old saying? If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.

You need to define for yourself where you want to be in your writing career and how you're going to get there. (For most of us, it doesn't happen by luck. It takes hard work and perseverance. A lot of it.) And the main question you need to ask yourself is this: "Am I willing to do something daily in order to achieve my goals and dreams?" (And to further that, "What will I do today?")

For writers with families, carving out time for your writing may not be easy. But keep in mind it doesn't have to be a huge block of time. Don't let the idea that if you can't have at least an hour to write that you can't write at all. If the little ones go down for a 15-minute nap, then write for that 15 minutes. If you're waiting to pick them up after school, take your laptop or pad and pen with you--and write. If you ride the bus or subway to work, write! I know several writers who, when their children were little, got up before the rest of the family (sometimes that meant they were up at 4 a.m.). It was hard, don't get me wrong. But they were determined--driven!--to write.

One of my mom's favorite sayings is "People make time to do what they want to do." And you know what? She's absolutely right. So...do you want to write? Then make the time, whenever you can.