A Writer's Toolkit #2: We Now End Your Broadcast Day.

One of the questions I am asked- repeatedly- is how I find the time to write.

No one ever believes my answer- or quite seems to believe it. Which is... I give up TV.

That's it. Honestly. When I am writing, I stop watching television. That clears an amazing amount of time. And if you're an average sort of person- it will for you too.

How much? According to the last report I can find from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, here in the United States we spend an average of two and a half to three and a half hours per day on TV.

A coupla sitcoms. An evening news show. I'll even agree with that loud claim you're all making in your heads- that you spend your TV time watching educational stuff, challenging stuff.

Fine.

The issue isn't what you watch, it's that you watch. And that you can take that time back, and that- if you really want to write- that's gonna be the easiest place from which to snatch the time.

You don't have to sacrifice time with the family, rise early, go to bed late- or any of the hair shirt stuff you might be advised to do by... you know... them other writer's site FAQs.

All you have to do is give up watching stories. Write, rather than watch.

Let's say you're a really disciplined sort. You set a goal- to write an entire page of your great American novel every day. You have two and a half hours for that. Every day. That's three hundred and sixty odd pages in a year. Plenty of room for a solid book's worth of plotting.

Some days you'll write more, some less. Some of you will bang out full works in much less time- you'll dedicate yourself to writing more each day. The point is- you do have the time.

Time to write short stories, a novel, plays- whatever.

Now.

Some of you probably don't watch a lot of TV. You may participate in sports, volunteer in your community- you may be doing all those things that we TV watchers... like to think... you know... that we will get around to. Probably have your garages cleaned out every spring and fall without fail, clear your gutters, get your cars lubed according to schedule, and so forth.

Okay. My advice then is to pick one hour during your waking day and sacrifice it to the writing gods. It has to be a time when you can be reasonably expect to be awake and able to think clearly.

If you tend to get up early- get up earlier. Night owl? Stick an extra hour on it.