“Help! I don’t have time to write!”

Have you ever shouted those words? At least in your head? Me, too.

I felt the exact same way at the beginning of 2022. Between my personal interests, relationships with God, family, and friends, and our new farm life, I was convinced I didn’t have enough time to write. So, I stopped writing…and I kept using this excuse to not write, even when time became available again.

I don’t want you to stop writing, unless you have to. You have something important to put on paper and share with others in Christ. You asked for help. Here’s what I have to offer!

“Is now a legitimate time to NOT be writing?”

Are you on a family vacation? Are you moving? Are there commitments you need to keep that aren’t normally in your schedule (new things that came up)? Are you or a family member abnormally struggling with their health?

While it is possible to find small windows for writing during these life happenings, these reasons (and others) are also legitimate reasons to not be writing. You can rest, knowing that now may not be the time but there will be a time (if it is the Lord’s will).

“So, what do I do with my strong desire to write?”

Do not stop thinking about the book. You can do some serious story development in your head right now. This can make the writing of the actual book smoother and faster because you’ve already worked through plot kinks and character development.

Also, do not worry when an idea leaves because you couldn’t write it down. The loss of an idea gives us a larger opportunity to think outside the box and create a more unique novel. The memorable ideas are most often your best ideas.

“What if I have a good routine and no reason NOT to write, but STILL can’t find time?”

Check and see if now is a legitimate time to BE writing. To begin with, I had legitimate reasons to not be writing. When those reasons left, I kept using the “no time” excuse. Pause, and see if you’re just using this as an excuse. If you can be writing, do so!

Maybe it’s time to change your perspective. Let’s think: how much time do we need to write? That depends, I know. But, realistically, we may not need as much as we think. You see, the key to writing is consistency. It doesn’t necessarily matter how much you write. Only that you write consistently. Speed isn’t the name of the game.

Costas Ioannou, a Christian who penned Creator’s Call, wrote his entire book sentences and paragraphs at a time! By his own testimony, he sometimes only wrote for five minutes a day. But, he was dedicated to writing when the Lord permitted him to.

How much time you spend writing, or how many words you write each time, doesn’t matter. If you build consistency, you can build a story.

I have heard several Christians who write talk on this subject in the last year. I’ve asked them what a normal writing day looks like. I was shocked to hear how many of them only write one day a week! In the meantime, they spend time with family, grow in the Lord, run other businesses, or travel.

Perhaps changing your perspective on how much time you need will help you to think practically and find time. It helped me. Imagine how shocked I was when all the ideas I had been storing up only took a couple of hours to put on paper!

“Um, how do you find time?”

God has graciously shown me ways to keep writing while putting Him first, fulfilling my tasks, helping my family, and building relationships. Try these seven things!

1. Pray.
   Ask God, if it is His will, to open the door so you can have time to write. Ask Him, also, to assure you that this is something He wants you to do. Listen for His answer. Obey what He says.
2. Talk it out with someone (parent, grandparent, sibling, spouse, etc.).
   Ask them to help you set aside time to write each week. Someone part of your daily life (or well aware of your commitments) can help you define a schedule so you can keep your commitments AND find time to write. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a chunk of time, just little bits work very well.
3. Be creative with your time.
   If you can, try writing a little in a notebook (or on your phone) while you’re driving in the car, waiting at a doctor’s office, or sitting in a corner at your grandparents’ house when all the adults are talking. I’ve developed new characters and built plenty of scenes this way. Use the little lulls in life to be creative.
4. Set your expectations.
   If you expect to write a book by a certain deadline and don’t reach it, this can overwhelm and disappoint you (ask me how I know). This can bring you back around to the lie that you don’t have enough time to write. Truth is, you just need to invest a little more time. It’s okay. Rather than setting your expectations on arriving at a certain goal at a certain time, take it day by day and be grateful for every bit of progress that is made. Eventually, you’re going to see the finish line and be able to set a final date.
5. Establish a routine.
   I cannot tell you how amazing it is when I get back into a routine, not just for writing, but life in general! Our bodies and minds need routine. Find one that works for you and see how much you can accomplish!
   Okay, I hear you. Routine is hard to keep. Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. When you get to those hard places, find one thing you can do every single day. For me, it’s reading the Bible. Having at least one thing consistent can help you get through the tough times.
6. Choose writing.
   “I don’t have enough time to write” sometimes means, “I’m not using my time to write.” If you truly want to write a book, if you believe God has called you to write, it may mean giving up something else you enjoy. Choose writing if you want to really get good and create stories.
7. Be grateful for every minute you get to write. Take advantage of any opportunity that is afforded you to write, whether that be five minutes or five hours! Say “thank you” to God for that time. Also, tell anyone else who helped create that space of time for you that you appreciate their kindness.

I dearly hope these ideas will help you implement a plan of action or come up with your own ideas to get out of the overwhelm and start writing again! God bless, my friend!