A friend of mine asked how I managed to fit writing into my life. He's writing a book and admitted that it'd been a challenging process. By the time he gets home from the office, he's mentally exhausted and needs to focus on his family. He asked how I manage to find time to write when we have similar situations.

If you don't know, I work and invest in the commercial real estate field. It requires a lot of time, energy, and mental focus. I have clients that need to be taken care of now. Writing in the middle of the day isn't possible.

The question my friend asked is one I've been asked countless times when people find out I'm an author. Just how do I fit writing into my life?

It wasn't easy; I will tell you that.

For years, I wrote at night, but that always seemed challenging and plodding. Like my friend, I was frequently tired and burnt-out. I never felt like I did my best work in the evening. Then a friend in a writer's group told me she got up at 5 a.m. to write. I thought she was crazy. I didn't want to get up at 5.am. to write. It was a ridiculous idea.

Then I tried it.

Now, it's a ritual. Every morning, weekdays and weekends, I'm up at 5 a.m. to write. My head is clear, and the house is quiet. I can write uninterrupted for a full hour. On the weekends, I will stretch it to two glorious hours of hammering away on the keyboard.

Others may use their early morning hours to work out. Or to continue sleeping. That's their choice. But for me, I use that time to create compelling characters and put them into dangerous situations.

There's an old writer's adage that says if you write just one page a day, in one year, you will have a 365-page novel.

Writing is not a sprint; it's a journey. Thanks for joining me on it.

What about you?
Have you developed a habit that has transformed something in your life?
Drop me a line and let me know about it. I'd love to hear from you.