Often one of the biggest hurdles facing aspiring authors isn’t lack of inspiration or even talent, it’s just finding the time to fit a decent amount of writing in, and let’s face it, an unfinished manuscript isn’t much use to anyone.

For someone who’s already a professional author, and is hopefully being paid good money to write, it’s their job, they can write 9 til 5, or whatever hours they choose. But it’s not so easy for those unpublished, or not-quite-making-enough-to-give-up-their-day-jobs writers. Even the most dedicated writer will have times when they get in from a long day at work, or they’ve finally got the kids into bed, and the very last thing they feel like doing is turning on the computer and fiddling around with a tricky scene. The thing is though, no one else is going to finish that novel for you, so if you really want it, you have to find the time to write it! And often this is a case of changing priorities. Yes, it would be nice to settle down in front of your favourite soap with a glass of wine, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but that’s a prime example of a time when you could be writing!

Here are a few tips on carving out some writing time that I picked up whilst writing my romances, I hope they help!

1: If you’re a morning person, maybe you could get up a little bit earlier and fit some writing in before the day starts? If you’re more of a night owl, get something down before you head to bed!

2: At the end of your writing session, plan what you’re going to write next, not only will you look forward to getting back to it, but you won’t waste time by wondering where to start when you next settle down to work, and you may have been able to do some planning in your head in the interim.

3: Try to make the most of every writing opportunity you have, however short, and always carry a notepad and pen around with you. It’s amazing how much you can scribble down in ten minutes waiting for someone to meet you for coffee.

4: Similarly, keep writing materials next to your bed so that if you have an amazingly, fantabulous idea during the night, you’re able to jot it down quickly before you forget it.

5: Be very time aware, if you have an hour to write in, make the most of it. Don’t faff around checking Facebook and Twitter for the first twenty minutes, get down to work!

6: And finally, make sure everyone around you knows that, short of an emergency, your writing time is sacred, YOU ARE NOT TO BE DISTURBED! If you prioritise your writing, others will too!

Best of luck!