Finding the time to write a book is easy, that is, unless you have a job or a family or any possible source of distraction. That's why I asked writer Paul Davidson, who coincidentally has a new book out (coming May 8th, 2006), how he made the time to write The Lost Blogs: From Jesus to Jim Morrison.

Aah, the Ides of March.

For some regal leaders of days gone by (like, let's say, um Julius Caeser), the Ides of March represented a time of backstabbing and betrayal punctuated by jealousy, secrecy and really really sharp daggers. But for me, March 2005 was a glorious time due to the fact that my book The Lost Blogs: From Jesus to Jim Morrison was picked up by Warner Books.

As it was my second book that had found a home I wasn't a stranger to the process, except for one big difference. My first book, Consumer Joe, had been completely finished before it ever sold -- when it was picked up by Broadway Books it was good to go. A minor bit of editing and leg work, but the writing part had been done. But The Lost Blogs, a book consisting of hundreds of blogs "as written" by history's most famous dead-folks wasn't written at all. A 30 page proposal contained a paltry 8 to 10 entries from the book.

It was after the contracts had been signed (late April '05) that the real bomb was dropped. Warner Books wanted 200 entries from 200 historical figures by (wait for it)...September 1st! That gave me four months or roughly 120 days in which to settle on two-hundred well-known historical folks, do research on their lives, become familiar with their voices and then write two hundred separate blog entries for each and every one of them.

more after the break

Where was Brutus when you needed him? Couldn't somebody...anybody...stab me in the back for real? You know, at least then my doctor could tell Warner Books I needed a lengthy rehabilitation process before I could start writing. I would have even wore a cast and pretended to have a speech impediment if it would have helped convince them.

But alas, it would not.

Suddenly, the concept of scheduling my time became the most important aspect of the writing process. And it wasn't going to be easy - there were too many distractions around me in my home. From the TV to the video games to the mailman to my belief that someone important was going to be calling me pretty soon so I'd better not get too deeply entrenched in my work...to the Internet itself. I was in trouble. But if I couldn't deliver the entries by the contractually agreed upon date, there wouldn't be a book at all.

I printed out a calendar (yes, that's right - I actually took such insane steps) and figured out the minimum amount of content I'd have to produce on a weekly basis. It broke down to about two entries every weekday (and one or two each weekend) from May 1 to August 31st. It would mean that writing the entries for my book would be a daily habit just like brushing my teeth, taking a shower and shooting local neighborhood animals with harmless salt pellets to keep them from urinating on my lawn. That's right, it would have to become second nature - another O.C.D. to add to my already burgeoning list (like having to talk to my peanuts before I eat them). It would have to become my new daily ritual that I could never slack on, never put off and never complain about.

Okay, I could complain about it (which I did a lot), but I couldn't fall behind.

The tough part about choosing whom to include in the book got more complicated as the weeks wore on. Finding 200 different historical figures that at least 80% of the book buying public would know became tough. For if the figures weren't familiar, and people didn't know what they were known for, the jokes would be lost on them. So I set out to build my list of well-known figures as I completed my daily goals, taking it day by day without becoming a serial reviser.

There were times, of course, when the serial reviser inside of me reared his ugly head. There were days that I couldn't come up with comedic content I was happy with. There were days that TNT was running their awesome Law & Order marathon. Yet, I stood strong in the face of adversity and DirecTV.

If I couldn't find the words, I still finished the best that I could. If I wasn't happy, I grumbled through it. There were days that I was excited beyond belief and days that made me feel like I was a horrible writer. But I made my daily goal no matter what was going on, because I had no other choice but to reach my goal.

Setting and accomplishing goals for ones' self when there's no one checking up on you (i.e. Supervisor Dan) is one of the toughest things to do. Especially as a freelance writer/author/journalist/greeting card entrepreneur - you can't count on anyone but yourself to drive you to reach such goals. And while a lot of people have their own tricks in order to get themselves working...the rigid scheduling and daily goal-setting has always been the best option for me.

Sitting down at the computer and announcing to ones' self that there's 200 entries to do by September 1st is a daunting, freaky concept. But by planning ahead and taking it one day at a time (in baby steps) made it seem totally doable, less frustrating and totally empowering.

Two hundred entries later, on September 1st - I delivered my massive opus to Warner Books. I had climbed the mountain. I had made all wrongs, right. I had not thrown rocks in a glass house. Aw, you know what I mean. I did it. I did it good.

It was then that I was faced with a problem I had not expected. I had no idea what to do with my time.

Now, looking to the future and faced with a calendar where all the days were blank (besides all the meetings and power lunches I had scheduled, of course), I felt empty. Like a parent watching their 18 year old child go off on their own, there was suddenly a part of me that felt like it was missing. An emotional sadness washed over me in waves.

But I quickly got over it.

Hell, I had digital cable! Right?