I’m going to say the quiet part out loud. Romance drafts don’t stall because you “don’t have time.” They stall because the work gets squishy. The scene feels slippery. The stakes get vague. And suddenly you’re reorganizing your Scrivener folders like that’s going to produce a kiss. I've tried it. It doesn't. I’ve finished romance drafts fast. I’ve also crawled through them like I was dragging a dead Christmas tree up a hill. The difference wasn’t talent. It was habits. Boring ones. Annoying...

Picture this: You are sitting in your favorite easy chair with nothing to do for the third day in a row. You glance at your calendar and find the same thing as last month and the month before—open space. Which, of course, I just fed you a heaping load of crap-o-rama. Please introduce me to a writer who has nothing to do. I’d also like to meet one who knows the definition of boredom. In a life built around deadlines, obligations, and responsibilities, “free time”...