There are millions of people out there right now who dream of writing the next great American novel. You know, the likes of “To Kill A Mockingbird” or “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Next.” Sadly, most of them will never know that feeling but not because they didn’t have it in them to do it. It’s more because they never try. Why? Well, it could be because they don’t have the confidence to go for it, the time to try, or the money put to the side that will allow them to dedicate the time needed to write a novel. Fortunately, we have a few tips for you that won’t require you to quit your job to get your novel done.

Pick A Time

The first tip that we have for you is to pick a time. Yes, that’s right, pick a time. What we mean by this is that you should pick a time of the day to write and stick with that plan. It could be first thing in the morning (set your alarm for an earlier time if you need to) or once everyone else is already in bed. Heck, it could even be during your lunch break. The point though is that you should pick a time to write daily and stick with that game plan.

Make Goals

The second thing that you should do in order to complete your novel without dedicating all of your time to it and quitting your job is to make goals. Be reasonable with the goals that you make and don’t expect to pound out your first (and maybe only) novel in just a month. Give yourself a year and shoot for 500 to 1,000 words a day. If you do this, you should be able to have a completed novel (or rough draft) in just a year without quitting your job.

Share The Word

Finally, the last tip that we have for you is this. Share the word! Tell your friends that you are working on a novel as well as your family and significant other if you have one. You don’t have to show everyone your work in progress and we definitely advise against it but it doesn’t hurt to have some positive encouragement from the people around you. Not only will it motivate you to finish the novel but it’ll also give you something to be proud of. So, when you do finally start working on your masterpiece, make sure you tell people about it.

And if you do all of this in conjunction with one another, you should be able to write your very first novel without dedicating too much time to it or risking your job in order to get it done. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to start working on the next great American novel. We know that you can do it and look forward to reading it. So, when you get famous for your contributions to literature, don’t forget about us! We’d love to read it!