Every day I hear from some writer or other, “I wish I had more time to write.” I’m always tempted to ask, “Are you telling me, you’re not in control of your time? Then who is, and why did you give them control? It’s your life, isn’t it?”

Your time is in your hands. The choices you’ve made that make you too busy to write are THE CHOICES YOU’VE MADE. Note the word “YOU” in here. YOU are the one responsible for your time and how you spend it, even when the circumstances are beyond your control. Read Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning for inspiration. One of his quotes:

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

So be the change. Your life and your writing depend on it.

Make your writing your first priority. Make everything else your second priority. How does this make you feel? Excellent, I bet. Now live it. Or stop torturing yourself (“I wish I had more time to write!”) and quit writing. Life is stressful enough. Why hurt yourself with a dream you can’t fulfill? Spend your time on doing what you HAVE TIME TO DO, as in, MAKE TIME TO DO.

Only...if you quit writing, I'll know...and I'll find out where you live and show up at your door with my chainsaw for a nice little talk...

Illustration by Ronald Searle