Make Time For Writing!

Make time for writing — you simply must. It doesn’t have to be National Novel Writing Month to take your craft seriously! Think of celebrated author Octavia Butler, who woke every day at 2 am just to have a few hours of uninterrupted writing time before beginning the chores and cooking for her entire family.

Put bluntly, what the hell is your excuse?

Please, please tell me a portion of your house has been devoted to writing. If not, throw this essay to the ground and stake your claim; your work demands it! A desk is ideal, but an end table, an overturned flat-screen television on two sawhorses, that unused slab of slate in the pool house — any of these can be your temple.

Now stock it with writerly supplies: legal pads, sharpies, a box of tissues for when the raw power of the work overtakes you. Last, most importantly, place an empty picture frame nearby. This reminds you to describe only what can be glimpsed through the frame. When writing large scenes, hold the frame very close to your face.

Remember, inspiration will strike far from your sanctuary — be ready. Scatter paper and pencils throughout the house. I myself have a legal pad taped behind every painting, a spiral notebook under every sofa cushion. Bury Moleskine notepads in the yard. Get one of those underwater SCUBA chalkboards to drop in the toilet tank; adorn your…