Time and Writing

Most writers find that getting time to write the things that they want to write, rather than simply some of the things that they get paid to write, can be a battle. Recently I've found that the more determined I am about getting the writing done, the more time I seem to have. Whether you want to make a career out of your writing, or you're just dabbling for now, you need to organise your time if you want to fit it in.

Not Writing

Many writers spend a good deal of their time actually avoiding writing anything, what they really want is to have written. Writing can be an entertaining and absorbing task, but when it comes time to edit and refine your writing, it can often seem a drag. If you let yourself be deceived about this, i.e., that rewriting and editing are boring, you might be missing the point.

Finding the Gems

One of the things about editing and rewriting is that this is often the time when you can hit gold, find the perfect word, the perfect ending to a scene, or rev up the action. In order to find the gems in your writing,  you have to deal with the sometimes tedious job of checking your grammar, spelling, scene and structure.

I've discovered that having more than one project on the go at any one time, means I'm less likely to avoid writing, because when I'm finding one piece of work tedious, there is something else to work on. Making time to write, and getting on with the writing is what separates those who finish a piece of work, from those who keep hoping that one day they will actually write a book.

Writing: Digging For the Gold

Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, one of the tasks that you have as editor of your own work, is to dig for the gold. A first draft is just what it says it is, your first ideas, impressions, character formations, which are, inevitably, always rough. If you want your writing, especially fiction or poetry, to resonate with readers, then you need to dig for the gold.

Real Writing is Re-Writing

If you have ever taken part in something like the monthly madness of NanoWrimo, then you'll know that in order to get the thing done, you have to give yourself permission to write rubbish. Getting the words down on the page is only the first part of a long piece of writing - anyone who's written a Ph.D. thesis will know that the rewriting is when the work really starts.

In first draft fiction, your characters are more like stick men, than living human beings, the task of the second and future drafts is fleshing out characters to make them appear as living, breathing beings. In real life people make mistakes, they sometimes do things for all the wrong reasons, that makes them normal. It's not always easy to accept that your hero or heroine is far from perfect. You often have to dig deep to get to the good stuff in both fiction and non-fiction. Re-writing and editing your own book is hard, painful work, you have to, as Mark Twain is reputed to have said, "Be ready to kill your darlings."

Cut the Good Stuff

If you find anything that you believe is fine writing, it is probably nowhere near as good as you think, what is fine writing anyway?. You have to be willing to cut some stuff that you originally believed was a mark of your genius as a writer - those things, I've found, are very often the opposite of what you think. Editing is the hard part of writing anything, it's when you put your words under the microscope; very often many of the words that were written the first time around, get cut, and cut again. Suddenly, your 100,000-word thesis or 80,000-word novel is reduced to half its original length, don't worry, you will find that once you've cut the extraneous detail, your writing will read much better, it will also give you the impetus to write new, better words before you start the process again.

When is it Done?

When is anything ever done? There does come a point where you have to say that something is as good as you can make it and send it off to beta readers or your editor. Editing is a gruelling task, but it's where the real writing, the writing that makes your work worth reading, is done. Are you digging for gold right now?

Writing Time

One of the things that most writers have to deal with if they're going to be productive, is protecting their writing time. It took me a long time to realise that writing was so important to me (my personal writing that is) that I needed to make time for it, often despite what others wanted from me. If you're a freelance writer, even on a minimal basis, it's easy to take that time because even other people regard it as work. When it comes to fiction or poetry, however, most other people think that you should use the time to spend with them, after all, it isn't actually work. It is up to you to persuade them otherwise.

Making Time

If you are ever going to enter that poetry competition, or finish a novel, then you need some time in which to do it.You have to make your friends and family understand, that writing a poem or a novel is extremely important to you, and you intend to set aside time for that purpose. Other people may not want to respect your time, which means that there will be occasions when you simply have to say no. While others may not see your writing as important, it is important to you and you need time to get it done.

What Are You Going to Drop?

Making time often means that you have to look at your schedule and decide where your writing is going to fit. If your schedule is already overloaded, then you have to decide what things you are going to drop - you may want to watch that tv programme but you need to write. Nowadays, with catch-up television and reruns, there's bound to be another opportunity for you to watch a programme.

If writing is important then you have to assess how important it actually is, if you're not willing to give up something else in order to get your writing done, then perhaps writing isn't really for you. The one clear thing that's ever been said about writing is that 'writers write." Many people would like to see something they have written in a bookstore or up on Kindle, but unless they're prepared to put in the work that is never going to happen. Only you can decide if writing is important enough for you to make time for it.

10K a Day Saturday

Well, I didn't post yesterday because Friday's are a bit hectic around here. Earlier in the week, I signed up for the 10k in a day challenge, where you aim to get 10k or as much as possible done on your work in progress. I've made a good start with almost 2,000 words in the last hour and a half, so not bad going. If you are working on a large piece of work, whether its a novel, a collection of short stories or even a Master's or Ph.D. thesis, this is a good way of getting in some focused writing.

Preparation for 10K

Ten K in a day may seem like an awful lot of words, I've taken the challenge a few times, and like many others got some focused writing done, but never reached the 10k, I hope to change that today. You need to be well prepared for a focused writing task like this. It's a good idea to have at least some notion of where you think your WIP is going before you start. I've found that the more of an idea I have of where the text is going, the more likely it is that I'll get a good number of words down.

NanoWrimo

If any of you have ever taken the NanoWrimo challenge, you'll know that you need to make time. Scheduling your time for a whole month ahead may be difficult, I know that it is for me because I still have a certain amount of family responsibilities. Scheduling a day is much easier than a month, even if you  don't reach the 10k target, you will still get a good deal of focused writing done. If you are taking the challenge today, then give me a shout, either here or on Twitter. Happy writing.

Get Serious About Writing Time

It has been a long while since I blogged here, or anywhere else for that matter, but I have been writing, both freelance work for regular clients, some academic writing, and my own writing. Although there is rarely a day when I don't write something, I've decided that I need to make time for blogging again:

a) because it can mean connections with other writers,
b) because I've realised how much I miss blogging, and more importantly
c) because I hope to help and inspire those just getting started with their writing.

I hope to be able to write posts here that will entertain, help, and hopefully inspire other writers, especially those of you just starting out on your writing career.I'm currently waiting for my cover designer to produce the cover for the second Lambeth Croak Novel after almost three years. Apart from client work I'm half-way through the third book in the Lambeth Croak series and hope to have that completed by the end of the year. I have finally got some work done, about 25% of a draft of a Victorian crime novel, so there is plenty to be getting on with.

In addition to the above, a few weeks ago I signed up for Terri Main's Course Write Your Novel Your Way, and that story is set in 1920's London and the main character is a supporter of women's suffrage who wants to find out who killed her guardian and employer - her efforts are hampered by a handsome but insufferable police inspector. So that is where things are at now. With so much going on, I've realised that I need to be ruthless when it comes to television watching, too much reading and too much chatter, so I intend to make time for all my projects. If you haven't read it, then grab a copy of Terri Main's Time Management for Writers, it is a realistic and manageable way of keeping up with a variety of writing projects.

Writing Time

Recently, I have had to revise my relationship with writing and am now trying to give equal weight to the various projects and to my renewed venture in blogging, as I do to my freelance and academic work. A friend of mine is currently writing a novel, set in the present but intertwined with the past, and including American Indians - she also writes poetry, as I do, and we are members of the same writing group her in Derby, so there is plenty to talk about. Just recently, we've both come to the conclusion that we need to be more disciplined overall when it comes to our writing - the plan is to write for a set amount of time on our various projects each day - so I'll keep you posted on this

What I Love About Writing

If you love writing, whether you've always written or are just getting started then your reasons may be different from mine or anyone else's for that matter. What I love is the freedom it gives to go anywhere and be in the midst of anything, without ever moving from either your notebook or your computer. I have always written, whether it was the rhymes and silly plays I wrote as a child, the set pieces I did as part of my first degree, my later academic writing, client work, or the stories and poems that I write now. What do you love about writing? You could leave a comment and I'll get back to you.