Christina Farley: Time is worth more than gold for me so I squeeze the juice out of every moment. Lately I've been doing 1K hours. This is where I write for one hour as fast as I can, pushing myself not to get distracted by grammar or the internet! My goal is to write a thousand words in one hour. This month I wake up and write a thousand words before I head off for school and then another thousand words at night. I'm loving the results I'm seeing, not only in my word count but also in how much stronger my story is.
Kate Fall: How do I make time for writing? Wait, do I? :) It's never enough. Lately, I set an appointment with myself, like tonight at 8 pm. As my freelancing schedule gets busier, it's very hard to push aside things I'm getting paid to do for fiction writing. I use it as a reward. "If I finish XYZ for this customer, I get to work on my own writing."
Andrea Mack: If I allow myself to check e-mail or look at blogs, then I get very little accomplished. I have to start with the attitude that the time I've set aside is only for my writing project (brainstorming, writing notes on my book and making revisions based on critiques count too). Of course, it helps that I do my writing when the kids aren't home or are asleep.
Going back to work in a book store over Christmas...will need to make sure my day starts with the writing, NOT the email etc etc. I won't have the time to wander like I do. WIll be interesting to see how I break the habit....if I break the habit or maybe will have to allow myself the email, blog and twitter checks but only for 30 mins....
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your tips!
Emails are the worst! Most definitely.
ReplyDeleteBetween a full time job, writing short stories for a newspaper column and a family, the only way I get to write is when everyone has gone to sleep and the house is quiet.
Being a night-owl, or a morning-bird is the best way. During the day, life gets in the way.
I've discovered that I write better in the morning, but having to get up early to get ready for full time day job doesn't make that easy. I make it happen when I can and usually end up writing a lot in the evening when I can guilt myself into it.
ReplyDeleteOf course there are also times when I'm just mentally exhausted and can't put in any new words. Being a writer for me comes with a lot of compromise. It's like a relationship. :)