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| Like an adventurer leaving the comforts of the village, I'm off to find new stories! |
Showing posts with label writing schedule. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing schedule. Show all posts
Monday, 1 August 2016
A writing update – two new quests!
Yesterday, I packed off The Borderlands: War to the editor. After spending every waking moment on it for the last four months it's wonderful to look to new horizons.
Saturday, 2 February 2013
A writing schedule that works.
In previous posts I hinted about a writing schedule that works for me. So, I thought I'd share it. It's nothing new or particularly innovative, and the key here is that it works for me. You should find something that works for you.
When I first decided to become serious about writing, I resolved to write when time permitted. I'm sure you can guess what happened. Life took over. The phone would ring, I'd answer it. The dishes would need doing. There would be a show on the tv that sucked me in. My writing trickled away to something I did on the weekend.
This arbitrary approach was never going to work. One piece of advice often repeated, is to write often. It's important for our practise and our momentum that we write on a daily basis. Stephen King states that if you don't write every day "you'll lose the urgency and immediacy of your story..." (On Writing).
I'm no different to most aspiring authors. I have a full-time job and family commitments, so how was I supposed to find some quality time to write every day?
Well here's what I did.
I sat down one day and looked at all of my commitments for each day of the week. I decided upon a goal to write for one hour a day, six days a week. Then I went through every day and found that hour. Some days I write as soon as I get out of bed at 6am. I grab a cup of tea and write through to 7am. Other days I write in the evenings, before bed. The weekends prove a little more flexible, and often I write more than the one hour.
Sticking to this schedule has enabled me to complete my first novelette and novel (soon to be released), and I am half-way through a third work. Some days I write a thousand words. Other days I barely make 200, but I am writing.
I guess the 'trick' if there is one, is to look at each day and determine the best time to write. The next thing is to stick to it - ignore the phone and make the dishes wait.
When I first decided to become serious about writing, I resolved to write when time permitted. I'm sure you can guess what happened. Life took over. The phone would ring, I'd answer it. The dishes would need doing. There would be a show on the tv that sucked me in. My writing trickled away to something I did on the weekend.
This arbitrary approach was never going to work. One piece of advice often repeated, is to write often. It's important for our practise and our momentum that we write on a daily basis. Stephen King states that if you don't write every day "you'll lose the urgency and immediacy of your story..." (On Writing).
I'm no different to most aspiring authors. I have a full-time job and family commitments, so how was I supposed to find some quality time to write every day?
Well here's what I did.
I sat down one day and looked at all of my commitments for each day of the week. I decided upon a goal to write for one hour a day, six days a week. Then I went through every day and found that hour. Some days I write as soon as I get out of bed at 6am. I grab a cup of tea and write through to 7am. Other days I write in the evenings, before bed. The weekends prove a little more flexible, and often I write more than the one hour.
Sticking to this schedule has enabled me to complete my first novelette and novel (soon to be released), and I am half-way through a third work. Some days I write a thousand words. Other days I barely make 200, but I am writing.
I guess the 'trick' if there is one, is to look at each day and determine the best time to write. The next thing is to stick to it - ignore the phone and make the dishes wait.
Saturday, 17 March 2012
A Writing Schedule
You may have noticed that I haven't posted for a couple of weeks. And you may remember I made a commitment to post regularly without fail! I also made a commitment to write 100 words of my novel every day. Without fail. Looks like I've failed.
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