This is a Book Week guest post by Emily Carlisle (More than Just a Mother).

Do you want to write a book?

Then write one.

Ever since I finished my first novel I’ve met lots of people who say “oh I’d love to write a book – I just don’t have the time.” This post is for you. Because I’m afraid that excuse just doesn’t cut it with me. If you write e-mails most days; if you post on forums, on Facebook, on Twitter each day; if you watch television… you’ve got time to write a book.

Set a realistic word count

Work out what’s realistic for you to achieve. You might decide to set a daily word count goal, such as 1,000 words, or you might find a weekly aim would give you more flexibility. Just think – 5,000 words a week will give you the first draft of your novel in four months from now.

Find time to write

For some people getting up early to write is the answer. Others stay up late to write in their pyjamas. Maybe you could work on your book on the train commute to work, or perhaps pull out a notebook while your children are in dance class. Try to find a regular time when you can write and put it in your diary – you’re much more likely to commit to it if it’s written down.

Plan your novel’s structure

Oh I know some people never plan their books – they just arrive, fully formed in their heads and waiting to be transposed onto paper. But planning keeps you on track. It stops writer’s block and it will keep you motivated, because you’ll always know what happens next. So whether you start your novel with a breakdown of every scene, a synopsis, or simply a rough idea of the beginning, middle and end, put some thought into the planning process before you start writing.

Reward yourself

Writing a book is hard work and you deserve some recognition for it. Set yourself reward markers at appropriate intervals for you; if you struggle to sit down every day to write, then treat yourself to a biscuit when you’re finished. If you’ve started dozens of novels but never make it past the third chapter, tell yourself you can have that new pair of shoes once you’ve written chapter four. Rewards will keep you motivated and give you tangible results from a process which so often feels never ending.

Find a support network

Writing is a solitary activity but you can’t write a book on your own. You need the encouragement of your family who may be sacrificing time with you to support your writing. It’s tremendously helpful to chat to other writers when you’re ploughing through a novel, so join writers’ forums, follow authors on Twitter, and ask for help and advice when you need it. The best support is often through a local writing group, so if there isn’t already one in your town, why not start one?

Keep going

This is the hardest advice to follow, but undoubtedly the most important. If you don’t keep going, you’ll never finish. Even if you decide half-way through that the plot’s rubbish, your characters are two-dimensional and the whole thing should have been written in the first person, just keep at it. All those things can be addressed at the revision stage. Stick to your word count goals, keep rewarding yourself at regular intervals and before too long you’ll be writing ‘The End’.

Celebrate!

Congratulations – you’ve written a book! Whether it takes you three months, a year or a lifetime, it’s a major achievement and one of which you can be justly proud. There’s a lot of work still to come – rewrites and edits could take longer than the first draft – but the biggest hurdle is behind you.

So if you’re a wannabe novelist who just doesn’t have the time to write a book, maybe you could take another look at your diary? You won’t know unless you try.

Emily Carlisle blogs at More Than Just a Mother and is also a Cotswold Life columnist. She’s in the process of editing her first novel. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook.