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Diana Gabaldon offers hope for aspiring writers who have just 10 minutes a day

By Alexandria Ingham

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 30: Display of Diana Gabaldon's books at Entertainment Weekly's PopFest at The Reef on October 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 30: Display of Diana Gabaldon's books at Entertainment Weekly's PopFest at The Reef on October 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly) /
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Only got 10 minutes a day to write? That’s all you need, according to Outlander author Diana Gabaldon. And she isn’t going to take “no” for an answer.

Diana Gabaldon recently spoke to The Scottish Sun about reading and writing. The author of the Outlander series was a mother of three children under six and worked two full-time jobs when she sat down to pen her first novel.

Of course, we know this novel was never originally for people to read. Her husband didn’t even know she was writing it. She just wanted to prove to herself that she could do it. Here, 20+ years later, she’s certainly proven that and now she knows anyone can do it.

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Gabaldon shared that just 10 minutes a day is enough to get started. Don’t worry about what you’re going to write; just write! After 10 minutes, stop and you can then start again for 10 minutes the next day. After a year of consistent writing for those 10 minutes, you’ll have a skeleton book.

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this tip. In fact, I’m personally a member of a Facebook writer’s group that focuses on writing in 10 minutes stints. It’s something I’ve done for a long time, focusing on just getting the basics of a story to paper and editing and adding to it in the future.

Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room
Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room /

Diana Gabaldon is certainly right. It is amazing what you can get done with 10 minutes. I do recommend a support group, such as the Facebook writer’s group, so you have people to encourage you when you feel like you don’t have 10 minutes to spare one day.

There are many who will push themselves to do NaNoWriMo every November, but I’ve honestly never found it works. The 10-minute-a-day strategy is all I’ve needed to get skeleton versions that I can adapt on. They’re only for me at this time, though!

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Do you have 10 minutes a day to write? Will you put pen to paper and stop making excuses? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Follow Claire and Jamie on Twitter for more tips from Diana Gabaldon and updates about Outlander.

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