I’ve come across this question on yet another writing group site. It seems to be one of the most common questions out there asked by those who strive to be writers — “when do you find time to write” or “how do you find time to write.” Now here’s something to think about. My brother is a mechanic. No one ever looks at him and says “wow, I really want to be a mechanic, but how do you find time to fix people’s cars?” (Doctors used to be good for this example, but if you’ve spent time in a waiting room lately, you may be wondering when your doctor squeezes in time to see actual patients with appointments.)
Now, I see this time question both with fiction writers and bloggers who haven’t worked in a career that demands that they write. Journalists tend to “get it.” If you want to be successful at writing, be it a blog, articles or the next great American novel, you have to sit down and write. How you find time to write isn’t a question — it’s a job. Like any job, you make time. And you make time because if you don’t, you don’t get paid. You don’t get published. You don’t get readers.
Now there are going to be times when it’s tough. You have other responsibilities. So does my brother the mechanic. But he has to balance work responsibilities and life responsibilities before he can schedule the fun stuff. Same with writing. You don’t have to give up the fun stuff. You just have to determine that it comes after the necessary work. And if that isn’t writing, you may be in the wrong career.