About 20 years ago, I hired an NYC-based book coach, Jerry Mundis, to help me get the first of a bad novel done—a fictional tale modeled after the movie Working Girl with Melanie Griffith. (To be clear, the bad part is on me—I didn’t hire him to edit it, I hired him to help me get it done, and that he did!) 

I may go back and rework it at some point, or not. The point is I got the first draft done. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hot mess. That can all be fixed if I ever feel like pursuing it. 

I was working full time in IT at an ad agency at the time, practicing with a band twice a week, and playing out a couple times a month. How did I ever get it done?

One of the first things Jerry did was ask about my schedule. When he heard what was going on he said, “You are only permitted to write for 30 minutes a day.” 

What?

He said, “That is all you can possibly commit to with everything else you have going on.”

OK…

I managed the 30 minutes most days, but not all. I chugged along for about a year until the book came to its natural conclusion. 

What if I told you you were only permitted to work on your book 30 minutes a day? 

Could you find the time? 

P.S. I just looked him up and it turns out Covid got him on April 4, 2020. Another mentor, gone. RIP Jerry. You made a difference to me.