tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post6594975401587541189..comments2023-12-09T00:33:24.572-08:00Comments on Novel Matters: Protecting Your Writing TimeBonnie Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11377519561074174038noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-16000375958951698052010-03-16T14:52:30.697-07:002010-03-16T14:52:30.697-07:00I write 1000 words a day every day except Sunday. ...I write 1000 words a day every day except Sunday. This has become my sweet spot-- the challenge was to find it. More than 1000 words and I am taxed and uncreative. Less than 1000 words and I am not living up to my potential. At 1000 words a day, I can complete a book (rough draft) in about 4 months' time. That means a book a year is within my grasp as long as I stick with my routine. If a day comes along where I absolutely can NOT write, I make it up somewhere else. So far that's worked well.Marybeth Whalenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04138498344723215611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-6417546424462485772010-03-15T15:25:21.449-07:002010-03-15T15:25:21.449-07:00I love these tips. Thanks for sharing!
As far as ...I love these tips. Thanks for sharing!<br /><br />As far as the social media or Internet time: I use some of that as "reward" time. When I've been working a while and need a break or reach a certain word count, I allow myself a few minutes of Facebook, blog-reading, or CFOM (Christian Fiction Online Magazine) time. <br /><br />Also, my name is Marti, and I am an email-aholic. After all, writers are readers, aren't they? When I REALLY know I need focus on my writing work, the email goes off for a few hours or more. <br /><br />Ooops, my blog-reading break is over. Time to get back to real writing. Thanks again.Marti Pieperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05628490923094628107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-81657954340823542092010-03-15T13:41:20.911-07:002010-03-15T13:41:20.911-07:00Patti, I love Mary Anne Radmacher's quote. Tha...Patti, I love Mary Anne Radmacher's quote. That's going on my computer where I've taped other inspirational things -- like my Snoopy cartoon my husband gave me years ago. Snoopy is typing a letter to his publisher. "Gentlemen," it says, "I have just completed my new novel. It is so good, I am not even going to send it to you. Why don't you just come and get it?" Love that!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-27635941354989411102010-03-15T13:16:14.598-07:002010-03-15T13:16:14.598-07:00Ariel: Thanks so much for commenting. Yes, yes, ye...Ariel: Thanks so much for commenting. Yes, yes, yes! Persistence trumps a routine every time. Here's the quote I kept in plain view of my computer in the early days...<br /><br />Press On<br /><br />Nothing in the world <br />can take the place of persistence.<br /><br />Talent will not;<br />Nothing is more common <br />than unsuccessful men with talent.<br /><br />Genius will not;<br />Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.<br /><br />Education alone will not;<br />The world is full of educated derelicts.<br /><br />Persistence and determination <br />alone are omnipotent.<br /><br />Calvin Coolidge<br /><br />Another quote I like for days when my writing is constipated:<br /><br />Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."<br /><br />Mary Anne RadmacherPatti Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07575415697841348226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-69824255301545726532010-03-15T12:12:18.203-07:002010-03-15T12:12:18.203-07:00Time is my Achilles heel. I have the usual struggl...Time is my Achilles heel. I have the usual struggles of a writer navigating life with many small children. But I've never met an industry professional interested in hearing my excuses. So I write. Whenever I can. This has meant getting up at 5:00 and writing until my boys wake up. Late nights. Weekends. Nap time. And somehow, by the grace of God, I've written and published three books amidst that chaos.<br /><br />A friend once told me that spare moments are the gold dust of time. Fifteen minutes here and there doesn't seem like much, but added up they become a valuable commodity. <br /><br />I suppose that doesn't amount to much of an actual routine, but there's something to be said for persistence.Ariel Allisonhttp://www.arielallison.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-84194013759139765062010-03-15T10:36:20.034-07:002010-03-15T10:36:20.034-07:00Bonnie: I must say a hearty "amen!" to y...Bonnie: I must say a hearty "amen!" to your comment. Writing takes time because learning takes time. My WIP is neuroscience compared to my previous works. oh boy.<br /><br />Let me throw another piece into this. Busyness beyond my writing hours, meaning every moment is spoken for with good things or bad, adversely affects my writing. I need time outside my "writing time" to mull, dream, ruminate. These are the very times a flaw in my story gets corrected or a problem is resolved. If we allow it, our brains will continue to play with the story after hours. This doesn't mean I'm in a vegetative state. It means I am not always preoccupied by what comes next. <br /><br />You guessed it. This isn't always possible. Life digs in her spurs and off I go. But having undedicated hours is always my goal. <br /><br />word verification for awfin: I awfin wonder where I left my brain.Patti Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07575415697841348226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-68184098354013071372010-03-15T10:22:06.157-07:002010-03-15T10:22:06.157-07:00I write Monday to Friday 9:00 to 5:00. I take time...I write Monday to Friday 9:00 to 5:00. I take time when my kiddos come home for lunch, and when they come home from school. Then I make dinner.<br /><br />I decided from the start: writers write. There is no one but myself to blame if I don't get the work done.<br /><br />This may sound wonderful, but the truth is, I'm a slow learner. I need the time to figure out what I'm doing, how to do it. I need lots of time to make lots of mistakes and then teach myself how to fix them.<br /><br />The learning curve in this industry, at least for me, has been vertical.Bonnie Grovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11377519561074174038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-46693432305454642402010-03-15T08:45:57.558-07:002010-03-15T08:45:57.558-07:00Latayne: I wear a headset too! I call my mom every...Latayne: I wear a headset too! I call my mom every morning to talk while I do household duties. That way I don't feel so mean or self-involved when I unplugged the phone at the beginning of my writing time.<br />Wendy: Thanks for sharing about writing with children in the house. It can be done, but I suspect more flexibility and teamwork are required. Good for you!<br />Jan: It's tough to set boundaries with those we love. Maybe you can trade side-by-side work time for something more one-on-one. If his presence is distracting, that is.<br />Lori: You are amazing! It's one thing to impose a routine once you have a contract with a DEADLINE. It's quite another to do so to accomplish a dream. I'm so impressed with you as a person and a writer. Your day is coming, sweetie.Patti Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07575415697841348226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-42951113277415417942010-03-15T08:00:09.767-07:002010-03-15T08:00:09.767-07:00I was telling my husband yesterday, as we drove ou...I was telling my husband yesterday, as we drove out to the lake for a short hike with our dog, that I've purposefully kept my schedule sparse for the past twenty years... just in case a publishing contract comes along and fills it up. <br /><br />Except for a season of dealing with serious health issues, my writing time has been 9am to noon (sometimes 1pm-3pm in addition) for nearly two decades. I accomplish much more writing during those hours if I close any application that gives me an alert when someone has communicated with me. Hard to do though. I feel a severing in my soul each time I turn them off. Guess that makes me an addict too!Lori Bentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04714197239425827339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-91255877472850266422010-03-15T06:44:07.288-07:002010-03-15T06:44:07.288-07:00I admit I have been lazy at setting a solid routin...I admit I have been lazy at setting a solid routine. I recently moved my desk away from my husbands desk into another room. So what does he do...he brings his lap top to sit with me in my office. Agh! So I'll need to rectify that situation. <br /><br />I enjoyed this post very much - it inspires me to take my routine more seriously. I also need to take my writing more seriously so that others will respect my time and space. <br /><br />Blessings!Jan Clinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16617976979678082323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-10790066462394934162010-03-15T06:03:48.735-07:002010-03-15T06:03:48.735-07:00Quiet time (the chunk of time my children are aske...Quiet time (the chunk of time my children are asked to play quietly in their rooms) is a guarded time in my house. <br /><br />~ WendyWendy Paine Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15136235074351188350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-90592424803870581582010-03-15T05:38:58.482-07:002010-03-15T05:38:58.482-07:00Very good information, Patti. Even though I'm ...Very good information, Patti. Even though I'm not the kind of person who wants extended conversation (although between my mother, my talkative husband and one other friend, that's almost 1 1/2 hours a day of phone conversation), I too still am constantly tempted to check on how people have responded to my tweets, and FB postings.<br /><br />So-- I have to either stop posting those two places, or somehow muster up the kind of discipline you have to only check those sites a couple of times a day.<br /><br />The only way I've been able to handle the extended phone conversations (for me, mainly listening) that come my way is by using a headphone and doing laundry, making the bed, dusting, straightening up rooms and doing other quiet tasks at the same time. <br /><br />You also hit the nail on the head with another issue: Even after all these years of writing, I am not yet comfortable telling anyone not to call me because I've set aside blocks of time that are just devoted to writing.Latayne C Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06133535124591010838noreply@blogger.com