Writers always need more time. Whether you’re a beginner or a professional there never seems to be enough time to get everything done.

The result? Guilt and self-flagellation. You hate yourself for letting yourself down. You beat yourself up over your lack of creativity and commitment.

How do you get around this?

A good start is to do what you do normally but from a writer’s perspective!

1. At home, never turn off the PC. If you write freehand, always leave a pen and paper out somewhere. Commit yourself to writing a sentence or two every time you walk past the computer or your pad. That’s all, just a few words. If you’re disturbed or have other chores to do, fine, stop. But come back again regularly.

2. The old chestnut. Write at night. When she was in power, Margaret Thatcher slept only 5 hours a night. She would get up and be at her desk by five in the morning where she could read and write undisturbed for 3 hours without interruption. It’s hard to re-educate your body for this technique but I’ve known many serious writers who’ve done this for years before they become successful enough to give up their day jobs.

3. Write in front of the TV. Okay, it’s hard to concentrate, but the weird thing is, if you keep at it, you can eventually “teach” your brain to “zone out” and ignore the TV. Try it for a couple of weeks. You’ll be surprised.

4. On the bus or train or when driving, imagine scenes you want to write about, rehearse them like actors and directors, improving on them, thinking of the words and phrases you will use to describe them.

5. Become liberated and suggest your partner do all kinds of thing on their own – go out with their mates, have a weekend away, go and see their parents. Everyone needs alone time – writers perhaps more than most. It’s not a crime, an insult or a mental aberration. It is your right as human being. Take it.

6. Here’s one I got from David Bowie. It’s especially useful if you have children who like to join in with your writing (bless them!) Write words on cards and get the little ones to throw them into the air. Then rearrange them into sentences or titles or other weird combinations. Think of the result as a springboard for ideas.

7. In spare moments, make lists of things you need to do. For example:

a) Next chapter
b) Profile of Eric (bad guy)
c) Find article writing book
d) Draw location map
e) Outline climax

Pin up these “things to do” lists where they will annoy you most: bathroom mirror, fridge door, bedside lamp.

8. The ultimate in desperate measures. Write in the john. Always take a notebook with you and jot down a few lines. What else are you going to do in there?

9. Finally, before you go to sleep at night, tell your subconscious to give you stories and solutions… The fact is, there IS time, if you really need to find it. The trick is to turn a decision to write regularly into a commitment to act. Change what you do - just a little bit at a time.

Live your life to the full, yes, and have fun, but always remember you’re a writer – and writer’s write!