Full Title: The 8-Minute Writing Habit: Create a Consistent Writing Habit That Works With Your Busy Lifestyle by Monica Leonelle.
This is an excellent resource for someone who wants to write but is just too busy. For someone in full-time work or being a full-time mom (or both), who at the end of the day just wants to collapse into a comfy chair. Yet, they’ve still got characters in their head and stories which need to be told.
If this describes you - you want to write but you just can’t find the time - this is the book you need. Monica describes not one but a whole bunch of different techniques for carving small slices of time out of your day. Where a half-hour seems impossible, 8 minutes is a segment of time anyone can find. I’m a big advocate of using modern technologies to write on the go, from portable Bluetooth keyboards to dictation or swype-typing apps, and Monica encourages that too. Find those 8 minutes while waiting for the kids to come out of school, or while you’re on a lunch break at work, or while you’re riding the bus or train, or even waiting in line at a store.
Towards the end of the book, Monica sets a series of challenges, starting off very simple, but encouraging you to find innovative ways to fit 8 minutes of writing into your daily routine. It really is surprising how many words you can get down in 8 minutes - even if you’re not the greatest typist, 250 words is an easily made target, and if you’re using dictation you could approach 1,000.
There are heaps of useful links and resources, including an accountability hashtag monitored by Monica herself, at the end of the book. It’s not a long book - but then, if you’re someone who needs this help, you probably don’t have time to read a long book anyway! Take this on board, implement some of Monica’s strategies, and your daily word count will definitely go up.
Five stars for a resource which could prove invaluable to someone struggling to fit writing time into a busy life.
