Often, when I mention that I'm a writer, people get a wistful look and say "I'd love to write, but I just don't have the time." Really? How much time does it take to be a writer?  Very few authors make a living solely off their writing. Unless you're Janet Evanovich or James Patterson, you're likely to have a day job in addition to your writing gig. Add to that the fact that most people have family commitments (especially if kids are involved), and it does seem a bit overwhelming to fit in some writing time. So, what does it take to be a writer? What has to give?

Now, before you wail in protest and offer up your excuses as to how you'll never be able to find a spare hour, read his post. He says the easiest way to find that hour is to turn off the TV. (Or close your internet browser, or step away from the game console).  That's it. Instant hour found.

My knee-jerk reaction was "what good is an hour?". Whenever I decide to write, there's the inevitable 5 minutes of shuffling around and adjusting my desk chair to get it just right. There's the opening up RoughDraft and setting up a directory to store my impending work of genius. There's the finding the perfect music to queue up from my digital collection. Then the run to the kitchen for a caffeinated beverage to sustain me through my grueling hour. And while I'm up, I should probably wash out the cat dish and wipe those crumbs off the counter - wouldn't want an ant invasion. And...

Well, there's my problem. Once I make up my mind that it's time to write, I start in with the self-sabotaging excuses to procrastinate. Something about the blank white screen - or the awkward place I left off in my last story - makes it hard for me to get back into writing. You know what? It gets better. Sure, the first couple of days will be rough, and you might find a hundred excuses to not put any words on a page, but if you stick with it and make it part of your daily routine, the words will come. As Scalzi said, "If you've got an hour a day to write uninterrupted, you can probably manage between 250 and 500 words a day. Do that five days a week, and in the course of a year that's between 65,250 and 130,500 words; i.e., hey, you've gone and written a novel. All while keeping your day job and not turning into a hermit. This is not complicated."

Stop making excuses and just keep typing.