My "Typical" Day
One question I get asked with some frequency is what constitutes a "typical" writing day for me. This is a poser, because I really don't have a "typical" day.
For one thing, it depends on what stage of creation I'm at. If it's a first draft, I write at the computer maybe an hour or two a day. Then I wander around. Do some housework. Some laundry. Email. I've usually just finished a book, and it takes awhile for the ol' gray matter to get up to speed again. Also, there are a LOT of decisions with the first draft, and I need to contemplate them.
With every subsequent draft, I spend more time on the writing itself, either at the computer or making changes on hard copy. This time, I used a purple pen. I've used up one whole purple pen and am on #2. Also a whole pad of lined yellow newsprint paper for additions, although I also write on the back of my hard copy. Par for the course.
Some days, I don't get any writing done at all. I have other commitments. Sometimes, I'm waiting for the furnace guy, say, so I can't concentrate as much as I'd like to.
However, the closer I get to my deadline, the more I work, either at the computer or making notes. My aching back will attest to this. But it's also because I can get through more of the book before I feel the need to take a rest break.
I have to confess, though, that I really don't quite "get" this question. I don't understand why it matters to anybody how I organize my writing time. Unless we have exactly the same life, I'd expect you to organize your time differently. You have different obligations, different commitments, a different way of writing.
I suspect some people want to hear that I spend at least ten hours a day chained to the computer. Or get up at the crack of dawn and work through until dinner. They want to believe I can devote hours and hours to writing. They don't have that kind of time, so of course they can't write as much.
Here's the thing: now I can spend hours a day writing, if I so choose. However, when I began, I had one hour a day while my daughter was at pre-school. One hour a day. Nothing on weekends. I still managed to write books.
I don't think writers should pay any attention at all to how other writers use their time. They should just use the time they have.
For one thing, it depends on what stage of creation I'm at. If it's a first draft, I write at the computer maybe an hour or two a day. Then I wander around. Do some housework. Some laundry. Email. I've usually just finished a book, and it takes awhile for the ol' gray matter to get up to speed again. Also, there are a LOT of decisions with the first draft, and I need to contemplate them.
With every subsequent draft, I spend more time on the writing itself, either at the computer or making changes on hard copy. This time, I used a purple pen. I've used up one whole purple pen and am on #2. Also a whole pad of lined yellow newsprint paper for additions, although I also write on the back of my hard copy. Par for the course.
Some days, I don't get any writing done at all. I have other commitments. Sometimes, I'm waiting for the furnace guy, say, so I can't concentrate as much as I'd like to.
However, the closer I get to my deadline, the more I work, either at the computer or making notes. My aching back will attest to this. But it's also because I can get through more of the book before I feel the need to take a rest break.
I have to confess, though, that I really don't quite "get" this question. I don't understand why it matters to anybody how I organize my writing time. Unless we have exactly the same life, I'd expect you to organize your time differently. You have different obligations, different commitments, a different way of writing.
I suspect some people want to hear that I spend at least ten hours a day chained to the computer. Or get up at the crack of dawn and work through until dinner. They want to believe I can devote hours and hours to writing. They don't have that kind of time, so of course they can't write as much.
Here's the thing: now I can spend hours a day writing, if I so choose. However, when I began, I had one hour a day while my daughter was at pre-school. One hour a day. Nothing on weekends. I still managed to write books.
I don't think writers should pay any attention at all to how other writers use their time. They should just use the time they have.
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