I have a lot of story ideas. I’m sure every writer does.* But let’s face it, I’m not exactly cranking out books at a high rate. I don’t have the focus some have that allows them to dedicate time every day to writing. the time has come to find that focus. We never have time to do all of the things in life that we want to do, but frankly, not everything we want to do could be so life-changing as writing. A few weeks ago, I was attending the first BookCon in NYC. It was chaotic to say the least, but amidst the chaos I was able to meet an author who has become a reliable voice among the independent author community. It was a pleasure to take 10 minutes and chat with Hugh Howey (http://hughhowey.com). He touched on the current situation with legacy publishing and I thanked him for being a reliable voice in the cacophony of the self-publishing versus traditional publishing argument. I mentioned my summer release and he asked a very simple question that hit me a lot harder than I’m sure was intended, “So, you’re looking to release one novel a year?” My instinct was to respond, “If I’m lucky!” But, when I thought about it later, it really struck me. I have the stories. It’s not like I don’t have the time; it’s often that I just don’t have the guts to just sit down and write. So, I’ve decided to take a good look at how I’m spending my time.

Family still comes first.

The gym is still important. Healthy body, healthy mind.

The TV is my enemy, but only second to the Internet. Just don’t touch my Game of Thrones. That’s quality television… arguably the only quality television.

Writer’s group is off the table. They’re my literary posse.

Reading tends to go hand in hand with the gym (I read on the treadmill), so doesn’t tend to take up any more time than necessary.

PS3 is the devil and an absolute time suck. I am weak for what it’s selling. It must be destroyed (or maybe just sold to the highest bidder).

So, yeah. The time is there. There stories are there. The time has come. It’s time to start producing. Ungiven challenge accepted, Hugh Howey! Maybe I won’t publish a second novel this year, but next year… I’m aiming for 2. Baby steps, right?

*I remember when coming up with story ideas was super difficult. It seemed that I would never conceive of a concept that could produce a novel. Then, once I had my first, they seemed to come in waves. I probably have a reserve of at least 5-6 different novel plots now.