I started writing seriously about 30 years ago. I had a young daughter and a full time job as a physiotherapist in a hospital, but I knew I wanted to write. I didn’t have a lot of free time so I decided to write on my days off from my regular job. First thing in the morning I would sit down and carve out at least half an hour. I thought that was a reasonable amount of time. I told my family that was my writing time and I never felt guilty about it. Many weeks, it would amount to only an hour. That doesn’t sound like much, but, over time I made slow but steady progress. For me, writing is a pleasure, not a chore. I knew if I tried to do it everyday at that point it would become just another task to fit into the day. I didn’t want to interfere with the magic and joy of writing. I wanted it to always feel like writing was a special time, one that I looked forward to. It was a nice counterpoint to the things going on in the rest of my life. So for many years I stuck with my plan. I’ve had three books published and it took me about five years to write each book. I kept telling myself, it’s not a race. It’s about making something of quality, something I can feel proud of. And it’s something I wanted to enjoy every step of the way.
About a year ago I retired from my job at the hospital (I was the coordinator of Rehabilitation Services at that point) and now I am able to devote much more time to my writing. It feels like an incredible gift to have the time to write every day. I still write first thing in the morning - when I’m fresh, and before I even think about the demands of everyday life. (I don’t even write my daily to-do list until I’ve finished my writing for that day). I have tried writing in the afternoon and evening - but, somehow, for me mornings are the best times. I do at least an hour a day now but it’s easy to get caught up in the process and more time goes by. I try to schedule appointments for afternoon hours when possible to preserve my morning writing time. When I travel, or when we have house guests, I find I have too many distractions to be able to focus properly on my writing….so I don’t worry about it those days. I give myself a break from writing. And when I get back to it, it’s wonderful all over again.