Hi everyone! My name is Heather McCollum. I’m a mom of three, I’m a writer, and I have a confession. I don’t set my clock for 5 AM to get up to write before the kids stir. I don’t stay up into the wee hours to write either. And still I have managed to write four full length novels, one of which was a finalist in this year’s Golden Hearts, and two are under contract to be published (squeals of joy!).

I still manage to put home cooked meals on the table some nights, drive my kids to soccer practice, and change my toddler’s diapers before they smell up the house. Today I’m here to tell you that it is possible – possible to write a novel when you have a million things to do.

First let me ask you – when you’re bored standing in line or sitting in traffic, do you make up stories in your head? Do you wake up some mornings and have to jot down a terrific plot that came from your dream? Do you ever get that squeeze of joy in your gut and scream “Yes!” when you’ve written the perfect scene? Then guess what, you’re a writer. Even if you haven’t typed THE END yet, you are still a writer. And if you are a writer at heart then, girlfriend, you’ve got to write!

So how does one go about finding time to write when jobs, families, and obligations are constantly hammering at you for attention? Actually it’s simple – you do it one word at a time. Okay, so maybe not one word at a time, but one paragraph at a time will do.

My friends used to ask me if I’d written that book yet. And I would always answer, “I don’t have time.” Then I heard Stephanie Bond speak at one of my local writer meetings. She said that she wrote her book in fifteen minute increments. She inspired me to try.

Below is how I started, but it is different for everyone. Your life is unique, just like your voice. Try some of these things, but if they don’t work for you, try something else. But whatever you do, don’t give up. If you are a writer, then you must write, like you must breathe and eat and love. It is part of your nature and to withhold it is cruel. So feed your soul and find those fifteen minute increments.

1. Call yourself a writer. When people ask what you do, tell them you’re a writer. Tell yourself you’re a writer in the mirror in the morning (positive affirmations). Order some business cards that say “Writer” under your name.

What does this do? It subconsciously gives you permission to spend time writing. Believe me, I’m a mom, I know that you need permission to do something for yourself before you’ll do it. So grant it!

2. Look at your schedule and your nature. Who out there has heard that if you want it bad enough you’ll get up before dawn to write? How many of you decided that you must not want it bad enough after the first week of trying that? I’m here to tell you that you can still want it just as bad as those early risers without waking with the rooster. Because sleep is a necessity for health (the research is quite concrete) and your health is more important than writing. So you have to tweak your schedule without giving up sleep, doctor’s appointments, eating, and peeing.

Start looking at your day. Do you sit in carpool or at your kid’s hockey practice? Think of “waiting rooms” as “writing rooms” – hair salons, dentist’s and doctor’s offices. Any place where you could read a magazine could be a place to write.

3. What can you cut out? I used to bake cookies for my kids once a week. I used to wash my kitchen floor once a week (the rest of my house is a disaster but I liked my kitchen floor clean). Now I bake once a month and I clean my floor every two weeks. The kids have adjusted and I have an extra two hours to write.

4. Capture your writing. I have a Dana Alpha Smart. It’s an electronic notebook so it doesn’t have to boot up, it doesn’t distract me with web access, e-mail, or games. It has a small screen where I type raw material which can be downloaded later into my computer. If you don’t have the money for an electronic notebook, buy a paper notebook and carry it everywhere.

5. Develop a method. I was one of those people who needed total silence to write. But Santa brought me an iPod for Christmas. I loaded it with inspiring, dramatic music (mostly without lyrics) like the soundtracks of Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings. I listened to it while thinking about my books and eventually I began to write with the music in the background. I create a “soundtrack” for each of my books. Now I can sit anywhere and write a truly dramatic scene while listening to the Battle of Gondor.

6. Jumping into your book. Some authors take fifteen minutes to get back into writing when they’re interrupted. I don’t have fifteen minutes so I use tricks that sink me quickly back in my world. One way is the soundtrack. Another way is my collage. I like to see the emotions that I’m writing. I also forget my characters’ eye colors and where exactly their scars are. Instead of looking it up in my manuscript, I create a visual picture of my book and characters.

I’ve created collages in blank books and on pieces of poster board (Stephanie Bond recommended using the inside of a manila folder). I pull pictures off the internet of period clothing and settings (and hunky guys – luckily my hubby is quite secure : ). I look at my collage and listen to my soundtrack. I’ve even lit aromatic candles that smell like my heroine and sipped a cup of tea to help immerse me quickly into my world.

7. If you can find an hour, grab it. Once a week I go to my local bookstore and write after dinner. It is “me” time and my family’s come to respect it. I walk in, smell the books, buy a hot chocolate, put on my iPod and write. I type as fast as I can. Later I download my work and celebrate the number of pages I wrote. It’s usually six to eight pages. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but those pages add up. I’ve written four, 100K plus word novels this way. One page at a time, one paragraph at a time, one word at a time.

We’d all love to have our days open so we could sit for hours immersed in our settings and characters. We’d write twenty sensational pages or more a day. Reality is that most of us have other responsibilities. But that shouldn’t stop you from writing. Some days I just can’t find the time anywhere, but over the course of a week I can find it.

The bottom line is that I must write. In it I find purpose, I have control, I explore amazing characters, I live wonderfully romantic adventures, and I am fulfilled. When I finish a scene and step away, I am a better mom, better wife, better person because I’m doing what I love to do. And so can you!

I’d love to hear more ideas on finding time to write! How do you do it? I’ll be giving away a first chapter critique (up to 25 pages) or a fabulous Ruby Slippered Sisterhood mug to one lucky commenter.