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I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that they should write more. In fact, I'm pretty sure I said a similar thing a week or two ago. However the fact that my friend who is an artist last week sold sold 3 painting for $55o I am inspired to write more and hopefully sell more. I was wondering what you all do to find the time to write. I saw on Sally Q's website that she sets herself writing tasks that she will complete each week. I thought of trying that but fear what I want to achieve and what I can fit in around the day job and the family will not be compatible. I might give it a go and see what happens.
Any body else got a nugget of wisdom they'd like to share?
Part of my creative writing course is to complete an assignment to be read out the following week. This instills a great discipline in your writing routine and motivates you to apply a greater depth to your writing as you have to read your work out to the class.
Since doing this I find I can write a lot faster and the work is usually better.
However I found when it came to sitting down and writing my novel that I fell into the old routine as the work has no deadline. So I set myself fake deadlines. I printed out a table in a monthly calender form. I write my word count in the daily box, then add it at the end of the week and put it in the weekly box and so forth with the month. I have this facing me above my desk. When I sit down to write there is no avoiding if I have been lazy the day before or it motivates me if I put in a good day to try and beat my count.
I find this works really well as a motivator. If you have a poor word count and your favourite soap is coming on telly you begin to prioritize rather than think you'll come back to it later and never do.
I looked at a site yesterdy, Suite101 for anyone who wants to check it out. They want 10 articles in 3 months. I thought 'help!' and backed off to think about it. I have every good intention but spiritual readings, emails and daughter all tend to get in the way. I doubt I could stick with their schedule at the moment, which is a shame, as I could write to order on medieval history. It means a lot of will power and discipline. My problem is, I get paid for readings so they have to come first. It's trial and error to find the right schedule for you.
This is an excellent topic and I think relevant to many of us! I often have to encourage myself to do more writing in my free time, and I find that friends (especially artists and writers) progressing with their work can be an inspirational "kick up the backside" for me! Even hearing about writers getting ahead on this forum can be an inspiration.
Tony, I'm in complete disagreement with you! "Real life" matters can be too much of a distraction, especially when you don't have deadlines. I'm currently in a writing course which doesn't have any strict time limits, and do find myself struggling at times.
While writing one morning, I was so annoyed with the amount of distractions that I wrote a list of all the things I had been distracted by! It was a rather long bullet pointed list, with the last distraction being: "Writing a list of other distractions"!
Unsurprisingly I got the list finished before the piece of prose I was writing. Tut Tut.
Zoe I would certainly set yourself a couple of tasks or deadlines. It is tough around everyday life but it instills a little bit of self-discipline which I think most writers could do with at some point!
Tony, I'm in complete disagreement with you! "Real life" matters can be too much of a distraction, especially when you don't have deadlines.
I never said anything about this in my post so Im confused at what your are in complete disagreement about. Of course real life distractions can be difficult to avoid, you just have to prioritize what you consider more important that your writing.
Some things are unavoidable and that is quite right. Kids, work, cleaning, cooking, family matters are all important, but a lot of the things we do are not.
All I was doing was saying what works for me and hoping it could be of some use to Zoë or the thread in general. Not everything will work for everybody.
As Dorothy so excellently put it, It's trial and error to find the right schedule for you.
Apologies, I was in agreement with setting your own deadlines rather than having too many distractions - I should have been a little clearer in my last message.
All writers have different techniques, but it's always nice to get advice from fellow writers on this forum - Personally, writing tasks with deadlines are more helpful to me as it gives me that little extra nudge (which, unfortunately I often need).
Have seen that Suite 101 site - 10 articles in 3 months does sound a little daunting! I suppose it depends on how many hours you're able to spend writing each week. It would be ideal if they had something a little more "part-time", I think.
MP no worries I thought that may be the case. I couldn't really have thought a writer could be disagreeing with another writer about trying to write more LOL.
I suppose you could start a blog also. You could state that it will be updated on a given day every week. This would add the impetuous to make sure you had something written to post on the day.
As dorothy and most writers will agree, the more you write, the easier the practice of writing becomes. So even if you are updating a blog with a news diary, or writing short-shorts, to even writing reviews, it will keep that writing muscle flexed.
That's great advice - it's better to write a wee bit regularly than none at all.
I don't know if you've ever found this, but personally, a few days without writing often turns into a few weeks for me, and then it can be a struggle to get back into.
yes even 1 day away can make the next a struggle for me. That scary blank page is less daunting if you tackle it regularly; a bit like getting to know your foe LOL.
I always think of it in these terms: You wouldn't send a footballer out to play in the cup final if he hadn't been training, warming up and playing on some sort of regular basis. He'd be lacking physical and mental experience. He'd make mistakes, be daunted by the occasion and probably do himself an injury.
Warm up, write and stay in the game, there's too much competition waiting to take your place if you don't keep up.
I set certain times for specific projects, and if there is a deadline then that has priority. But in the meantime I will be doing background stuff on other projects.
At the moment, as it has been for the last 7-8 years, my writing fits in around my family, and their health committments, but I'm hoping the move to senior school will allow me to expand how much I can do.
Thanks everyone for the advice. I guess its like dorothy says, trial and error until you find what works for you. I'm going to check out Suite 101 as I agree that it sounds like it needs a lot of commitment but it costs nothing to look.
I like Silent Tony's idea of setting his own deadlines, I think if I know something has to be done by a certain time rather than whenever I get it finished I'll be more inclined to knuckle down and do it. I know I also have to decide which is more important, writing or Coronation Street (well it is rather good at the moment.)
As for MP (and I agree with Tony it's a great name) I think you're right when you say that one day away from writing leads to two then three and so on. I go for days sometimes without finding the time to write so the first thing I will do is make time to write something - anything every day. Maybe I should start a blog - but I don't really know where to start on that one.
Zoe you can just do a blog on Myspace if you have an account; it only takes about a minute to open one if you haven't. You could also add your friends and tell them about your weekly blog. They would leave messages reprimanding you if you didn't update or congratulations if it is good, so it would be a visible form of your writing discipline.
If you don't like what you put up take it down the following week. Just use it as a personal progress chart and a writing exercise notepad.
Zoe, setting myself goals does help, but they're not carved in stone. As someone so rightly said, real life has a habit of intruding (for example I've just had a bout of illness that put paid to everything I'd planned to do) and there's not much we can do when it does. I tend to look at my week ahead and then set realistic goals, so that if I know I've got a busy week, I don't set myself as much to do writing wise and if I haven't got much on I try and get more writing done. But I also count staring into space whilst thinking up a story as writing ... ;-)
But I don't have children at home now, and only myself and hubby to care for, so it is much easier for me. That might be why I was writing for ten years before I got anywhere. I had to wait for the kids to leave home ;-)
Zoe, I think I mentioned to Helen recently about a little tip picked up from a writers' workshop I attended a while back.
Think of a scene you're having difficulty with - could be the main scene in short story, or a part of a book. Give yourself 20 minutes and splurge it all down was the advice given. No correcting allowed, mis-spellings allowed, horrible handwriting allowed - yes, slosh it out on a notepad.
When the alarm goes, stop. You'll be pleased with the fact that (a) you've attacked something deemed difficult (b) you found time to write and (c) it came out miles better than you thought it would and gave you something to work with!
Madame Porridge - I, too, love your user-name. You sound as though you've just got the train back from Hogwarts.
Comments
Any body else got a nugget of wisdom they'd like to share?
Since doing this I find I can write a lot faster and the work is usually better.
However I found when it came to sitting down and writing my novel that I fell into the old routine as the work has no deadline. So I set myself fake deadlines. I printed out a table in a monthly calender form. I write my word count in the daily box, then add it at the end of the week and put it in the weekly box and so forth with the month. I have this facing me above my desk. When I sit down to write there is no avoiding if I have been lazy the day before or it motivates me if I put in a good day to try and beat my count.
I find this works really well as a motivator. If you have a poor word count and your favourite soap is coming on telly you begin to prioritize rather than think you'll come back to it later and never do.
Tony, I'm in complete disagreement with you! "Real life" matters can be too much of a distraction, especially when you don't have deadlines. I'm currently in a writing course which doesn't have any strict time limits, and do find myself struggling at times.
While writing one morning, I was so annoyed with the amount of distractions that I wrote a list of all the things I had been distracted by! It was a rather long bullet pointed list, with the last distraction being: "Writing a list of other distractions"!
Unsurprisingly I got the list finished before the piece of prose I was writing. Tut Tut.
Zoe I would certainly set yourself a couple of tasks or deadlines. It is tough around everyday life but it instills a little bit of self-discipline which I think most writers could do with at some point!
I never said anything about this in my post so Im confused at what your are in complete disagreement about. Of course real life distractions can be difficult to avoid, you just have to prioritize what you consider more important that your writing.
Some things are unavoidable and that is quite right. Kids, work, cleaning, cooking, family matters are all important, but a lot of the things we do are not.
All I was doing was saying what works for me and hoping it could be of some use to Zoë or the thread in general. Not everything will work for everybody.
As Dorothy so excellently put it, It's trial and error to find the right schedule for you.
Apologies, I was in agreement with setting your own deadlines rather than having too many distractions - I should have been a little clearer in my last message.
All writers have different techniques, but it's always nice to get advice from fellow writers on this forum - Personally, writing tasks with deadlines are more helpful to me as it gives me that little extra nudge (which, unfortunately I often need).
Have seen that Suite 101 site - 10 articles in 3 months does sound a little daunting! I suppose it depends on how many hours you're able to spend writing each week. It would be ideal if they had something a little more "part-time", I think.
I suppose you could start a blog also. You could state that it will be updated on a given day every week. This would add the impetuous to make sure you had something written to post on the day.
As dorothy and most writers will agree, the more you write, the easier the practice of writing becomes. So even if you are updating a blog with a news diary, or writing short-shorts, to even writing reviews, it will keep that writing muscle flexed.
I don't know if you've ever found this, but personally, a few days without writing often turns into a few weeks for me, and then it can be a struggle to get back into.
I always think of it in these terms: You wouldn't send a footballer out to play in the cup final if he hadn't been training, warming up and playing on some sort of regular basis. He'd be lacking physical and mental experience. He'd make mistakes, be daunted by the occasion and probably do himself an injury.
Warm up, write and stay in the game, there's too much competition waiting to take your place if you don't keep up.
At the moment, as it has been for the last 7-8 years, my writing fits in around my family, and their health committments, but I'm hoping the move to senior school will allow me to expand how much I can do.
I like Silent Tony's idea of setting his own deadlines, I think if I know something has to be done by a certain time rather than whenever I get it finished I'll be more inclined to knuckle down and do it. I know I also have to decide which is more important, writing or Coronation Street (well it is rather good at the moment.)
As for MP (and I agree with Tony it's a great name) I think you're right when you say that one day away from writing leads to two then three and so on. I go for days sometimes without finding the time to write so the first thing I will do is make time to write something - anything every day. Maybe I should start a blog - but I don't really know where to start on that one.
If you don't like what you put up take it down the following week. Just use it as a personal progress chart and a writing exercise notepad.
Zoe, setting myself goals does help, but they're not carved in stone. As someone so rightly said, real life has a habit of intruding (for example I've just had a bout of illness that put paid to everything I'd planned to do) and there's not much we can do when it does. I tend to look at my week ahead and then set realistic goals, so that if I know I've got a busy week, I don't set myself as much to do writing wise and if I haven't got much on I try and get more writing done. But I also count staring into space whilst thinking up a story as writing ... ;-)
But I don't have children at home now, and only myself and hubby to care for, so it is much easier for me. That might be why I was writing for ten years before I got anywhere. I had to wait for the kids to leave home ;-)
Think of a scene you're having difficulty with - could be the main scene in short story, or a part of a book. Give yourself 20 minutes and splurge it all down was the advice given. No correcting allowed, mis-spellings allowed, horrible handwriting allowed - yes, slosh it out on a notepad.
When the alarm goes, stop. You'll be pleased with the fact that (a) you've attacked something deemed difficult (b) you found time to write and (c) it came out miles better than you thought it would and gave you something to work with!
Madame Porridge - I, too, love your user-name. You sound as though you've just got the train back from Hogwarts.