When to Write…

category: Articles
by Alexis Leon

One of the questions many aspiring writers ask is “When is the right time to start writing?” The answer in a single word is NOW!

A person who wants to write something, may it be a book, an article, a blog post, or even a letter can start writing as soon as he thinks about it.

In the case of writing about a technical subject, you will never start, if you wait for an appropriate or auspicious time. You know the subject, you know what you want to write and you know how you want to write about it. Then why wait? Start now…

Many people make the mistake of putting off the actual writing giving various reasons—I will start writing as soon as I finish this project; I will start as soon as I finish the research; I will start as soon as I finish this novel, etc. But in most cases, there will always be some reason or other to prevent you from writing. You have to get rid of the inertia and make a start. You need to take a conscious effort to do this.

Another common misconception is that you need at least one or two hours uninterrupted hours to start writing. While uninterrupted hours is great time for writing, you will be surprised how much you can accomplish with shorter durations—even five minutes could used productively if you know how to use it.

Every writer should know how to breakdown the work into small units. Some of these units might need a couple of hours while some others might take only a couple of minutes. Once you have the set of tasks with you, you can choose one that suits the time that is available to you.

Suppose you are waiting at the airport or railway station. You have 30 minutes before the journey. You can finish a small chapter or a section of a chapter in that time. While on the plane, train, bus, or car, you can spend your time constructively. You can write if you want; you can read an article or a book that you need for the next chapter; you can organize your notes or thoughts, and so on.

Once you start looking for writing time, you will realize that there are so many slots available for you to write or do something that will help you in writing.

So don’t wait. Start writing and continue writing whenever you can. You can carry a pocket notebook, (I recommend Moleskine), your laptop, PDA, or smart-phone with you. You will be amazed by the writing opportunities and with your improved productivity.

Tags: Time, Writing

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