I always enjoy people's response when they find out I'm a writer. They are usually very nice, interested to know what genre I write, whether they would have heard of one of my books, how I get my ideas.

Quite often they will confide that they have a book in them waiting to get out... only they don't have time to write.

As the father of five kids, a coaches for multiple teams, a volunteer in the community, and with a "day job" as the CEO of a national company, I don't really relate to that comment. Especially since I've written 12 novels in the last 8 years.

I politely smile and agree that it's hard to find time and leave it at that. But sometimes they will push the issue and really want to know how it's possible.

Here are some of my standards:

1) Write a little every day. EVERY. DAY. Even 200 words a day is a 70k word novel in a year.

2) If you have a kid's sports practice or a work meeting in your schedule, you don't skip it. Don't skip writing time.

3) Be terrible. Just write. Don't overthink it. Write the worst novel ever. Pro tip = all novels are universally terrible in the first draft. You'll be in good company.

4) Write early in the morning before everyone else gets up. Less chance of being disturbed. Not a morning person? Who is?

5) Turn off your Internet when you write - focus

6) Write with the door closed -- don't share your work until you're done. Don't talk about it. Talking about it can take the place of writing it.

7) Pro-tip: on the fall time change, ignore it. For a few weeks after the time change, my 5am start time becomes 4am. I Jeff GunhusSilent Threatgo to bed an hour earlier too - missing an hour of bad TV.

8) Make your ability to get up early and to stick to a schedule a measure of your commitment. It matters every day.

9) Reward yourself weekly for sticking to it.

10) Writers write. And they read. I suggest you read Stephen King's book On Writing where many of these ideas came from.

Hope that helps and I hope you'll make the time to write.

Best,

Jeff