Time management is a writer's best friend. Putting words to paper takes time--regularly. I've always struggled with this. Not because I don't have the time, but because I haven't always maximized use of it to reach my creative goals. Now at times, the flow just wasn't there, so I unpacked the dishwasher instead. Other times, I was stuck at a certain point of a story and the next scene just wasn't making itself clear. So in addition to time management, there is the issue of find the right time to tap into your creative flow.

Early morning works best for me. When the world is quite and my mind hasn't started racing from thought to thought like a FedEx truck racing between delivery points. Unfortunately, I also enjoy lounging in bed watching the rising sun turn the sky from night blue, to gray, to pink....My saving grace is that when I do get up early and go straight to my keyboard, the payoff is that I feel productive before most people have had their morning coffee, which sets the tone for the rest of my day. And usually, If I have a productive morning, I wind up getting back to work later in the day and the pages start piling up. Now, THAT'S a dynamite feeling.

So I encourage you to find your writing time and stick to it. Set realistic goals and when you fall short, forgive yourself and get back to work as soon as you can.

I'm at the critical stage of the first book I plan to ePublish. Maybe 50 pages from completion and a clear idea of how the story ends. I'm prepared to rewrite, rewrite, rewrite until all the dots connect and I've lined up an editor to give myself that extra push to get the job done and am researching the process of formatting my text for the Kindle, Nook and other eReaders. Admittedly, I'm a little anxious about how it will all turn out, but I keep reminding myself that anxiety is excitement with the brakes on.

I'm really looking forward to setting my characters free.