Freelance Writing Basics – Making Writing a Priority

Time runs out. It seems that no matter how hard I plan or how serious I am about something I eventually run out of hours in the day. Life catches me and spins me around until I am too dizzy to know which way is up and so I forget about the things that I promised myself I would do. It is usually just before bed that I remember and then I spend the next thirty minutes worrying about what I did NOT get done during the day instead of falling asleep peacefully.

Am I alone?

The only way to get anything done is to make it a priority. You get up and go to work each day because you know you HAVE to get up and go. You feed your children each day because you HAVE to feed them (the whining eventually gets to you :D). The things that must be done get done because they have become a priority in your life.

Make Writing a Priority

1. Purchase a timer or use the one on the kitchen stove.
2. Chose a time in the morning or evening when the house is usually quiet.
3. Find a location away from the rest of the people in the home.
4. Set the timer for one hour.
5. Write for that one hour every day.

What you write in that one hour is not important in the beginning. Get a book of writing exercises and do as many as you can until your writing time is up. The point of the challenge is to make writing a positive habit in your life. When writing becomes a habit then you will begin to shift to the place where writing becomes a priority.

For those of you who are (or want to be) full-time freelance writers then use this exercise to create a habit of creative writing. Most of the day is consumed by writing for work. Making creative writing a priority will allow you to continue to expand your freelance writing opportunities and to grow your writing skills.