| Novel writing takes time - and plenty of it. Okay, | | | | - Small doses of hard work are a lot more |
| so it's possible to write a novel in under a year, | | | | manageable and far less daunting than weekly |
| but more likely it will take you two or three | | | | marathons. If you don't have to work full time, |
| years, or even longer, particularly if you are a | | | | you will have the luxury of setting your own |
| beginner. Put simply, the creative writing process | | | | novel writing hours. If you do have to go out to |
| just can't be rushed. | | | | earn a living, you must choose between writing |
| I have always believed, though, that we can all | | | | fiction early in the morning or late at night. |
| somehow find the time to do things if want to do | | | | Personally, I prefer the mornings, but whatever |
| them badly enough. And for me - and hopefully | | | | works for you is what is best. |
| for you, too - one of my main priorities is time | | | | Whatever hours you do manage to set aside for |
| for novel writing. | | | | working on your novel, be disciplined enough to |
| So how do you find the time for writing a novel? | | | | stick to them zealously. Your book won't write |
| And what are the best ways to make use of this | | | | itself. Allow nothing less than an emergency to |
| time? | | | | interfere with your novel writing time. And if you |
| First up, it is much better to write in brief and | | | | can't escape from the usual daily distractions, find |
| regular stints than long and irregular ones. So if | | | | somewhere quieter to write. |
| you can only spare three hours a week in which | | | | Most importantly, when you sit down to work on |
| to work on your novel, try to do it every single | | | | your novel, work on it! Checking your e-mail inbox |
| day for thirty minutes rather than saving the | | | | doesn't count. Nor does tidying your stationery |
| whole lot for Sunday. Here is why... | | | | drawer, or the 101 other things we all find to do |
| - If you write fiction every day, even for a very | | | | when we are supposedly busy at the keyboard. |
| short period, it keeps whatever you are working | | | | Of course, you don't always have to be writing |
| on fresh in your mind - meaning you won't have | | | | actual prose. You might spend your novel writing |
| to spend very long getting "in the zone" again. | | | | time working on your protagonist's biography, or |
| - Daily sessions of novel writing will keep your | | | | typing up last week's longhand drafts, or perhaps |
| "creative writing muscle" in peak condition. Use it | | | | doing some research. Just make sure that you |
| only on Sundays and it will turn weak and flabby. | | | | work on some aspect of your work in progress |
| (And yes, it truly exists!) | | | | for the full time you have allocated. |