Writing full-time ... ish

[katee]

I'm about to go spend 4 weeks in the US visiting my in-laws. Nights and weekends will be spent doing family things, but during the day it will just be me and my laptop ... perfect for writing!

I usually write for an hour a day, in between getting home from work and putting dinner on, so I'm quite excited that I'll have so much time to spend on my book. I'd say I'm just over halfway through writing the story. I have an outline I'm working to, so I know where I'm going, though recent re-reading of what I've written has exposed a rather large hole about 1/4 of the way through the story. My not-so-secret ambition is to finish the first draft of the entire novel while I'm on holidays.

But I'm also a little daunted ... I've never had such a large amount of time to just write. I suspect I'll spend a lot of time procrastinating. Any advice on how I can spend such a large chunk of time productively, and without burning out?

[emeraldcite]

No advice, but I see where you're coming from. When I have breaks and time on the weekends, I don't get as much done as I intend. Sometimes, I can crank out 1500 in an hour. Other times, I'll struggle to hit 500.

I don't get it. You can only force so much. Try doing it in blocks of time. If you take a break and refresh, you might eek out some more words.

[maestrowork]

But I'm also a little daunted ... I've never had such a large amount of time to just write. I suspect I'll spend a lot of time procrastinating. Any advice on how I can spend such a large chunk of time productively, and without burning out?

Find a place to write, where you won't procrastinate, preferrably somewhere without Internet access. Coffee shops are my preference -- I could spend a whole day there writing. It's fun (people watch when I'm bored), there are food and drinks, and vibes -- good writing vibes. And I feel like I'm working yet it's not boring. I think the easiest way for me to procrastinate is when I get "bored." Being at an open space like a coffee shop keeps me from being bored.

[Tish Davidson]

I write for a living, and I have found I am most efficient when I divide my tasks. When I am fresh (as in not tired) I try to write new stuff. As the day goes on I move to editing old stuff. As evening draws near, I start researching on the computer, figuring out what I need to fill in the holes, add color and authenticity, etc. Sometimes I'm backfilling what I already wrote with research, but generally I try to research the section I am going to write the next day. I know you are writing fiction, but you still need to research, and it can get you in the mood if look up fashions from the time when your novel is set or visit the website of a town your novel's town is modeled on.

In between, I try to get outside and take walks. I have dogs, and they are always ready to go. I find that mild physical activity often clarifies a writing problem. Or take a long, warm shower. That has the same clarifying effect.
Of course, there is nothing like a looming deadline to clarify the mind, but you'll have to generate the deadline for yourself.

[pepperlandgirl]

I'm writing full time right now, which is a bit of a challenge because I'm easily distracted. I'll divide my day into chunks. I'm not a morning person, so I wake up around 10 and spend about 30 minutes "waking up" before I get to work. I set a goal to reach before lunch (usually 3K words) then take an ahour lunch break, and I can goof off all I want. Then I work for 2-3 hours in the afternoon and set another word goal (2-3K) before I allow myself a dinner break. I make dinner for myself and my husband, watch The Simpsons, etc. My dinner break is usually 2 hours. Then from around 7 to 12, I'll just write, unmindful of word count goals (though I still try for at least 2-3K).

By the end of the day, I've accomplished something, but I haven't gone out of my mind. Also, since I love to hang around message boards, setting word count goals gives me more flexibility (OK, I can read Absolute Write, but I have to write 3K words before lunch regardless...).

[stace001]

I write full-time now and I found it pretty hard going to begin with. I have an office at home, and when the story wasn't flowing, I found it far to easy to get up and do other stuff. After a few weeks of procrastinating and getting nothing done, I gave myself a huge slap for wasting so much time and now I have a routine i stick to. I drop my son at school in the morning, write for about 3 hours, stop for lunch for an hour, back to writing for another 3 hours, then my son comes home. i don't get much done once he returns, but when he's off to bed, i'm back to the computer and at it again. I think once i realised that i have to make the most of the time i have to write, i did.

[Monet]

I write full time. I find that it helps to set mini goals. I don't have time limits, because some chapters take more time than others, but I keep a note book where I mark a date when I finish the part (chapter, synopsis, draft, etc) I am working on for that goal. I really enjoy watching the date column fill in! In other words, I don't look at the huge amount of writing I want to get done, I look at it in small sections at a time.

For you, with only vacation time to write full time, I wouldn't put a lot of stress on yourself. Remember any writing you get done is going to be more than you would have gotten done in your regular writing period. If you don't put so much pressure 'I'm going to get the first draft done' on yourself, then you may find that you indeed do get that much done!

Take a breath, if writing becomes work, it isn't fun anymore!

[katee]

Thanks guys! These are all great suggestions. I really like the suggestion of breaking the time down into chunks - that's how I deal with any large task (including writing a novel!!) but I've never thought about doing that with my time off.

I'm also going to try focusing on different parts of my book when I'm bored / frustrated with whatever I'm doing. I've been concentrating so much on BICing that actually reviewing what I've written (which I've only started to do this week) feels like something else.

I'm not too sure whether I'll be able to get out of the house, though. I've only driven on the *ahem* wrong side of the road once, and it was kinda scary. But I'm sure there'll be a great nook in my in-laws' house to get comfortable in :)

[blackbird]

I usually try to go for 5-6 hrs a day, preferably in the mornings, but if not, anytime of day (even after midnight) works. I have, during really intense sessions, gone all day long (16 hrs straight) or all night till the sun comes up. However, after such intense sessions, I'm usually drained and find that it may be 2-3 weeks before I can bring myself to write again, if not longer. However, I don't necessarily consider those down times as non-productive, since those are the times I'm usually doing my best writing "in my head," just storing, sorting, and gathering material for the next onslaught.

But I do find that if I can be disciplined enough to stick to a 5-6 hr schedule (and no more) I don't wear myself out, and can get more done in a realtively short period of time (than if I procrastinate and try to do it all in one block). I think spacing it out in small chunks improves the overall quality of the work.
I might get just as much done in those all-nighters, but I usually have to end up going back and doing extensive edits.

[LightShadow]

Just write until it doesn't seem right to write. I usually squeeze in an hour here and an hour there. I work construction, though, so when it rains I get days on end. Sometimes I write for a few hours on those days, and sometimes for fourteen hours straight. Your mind knows when it's burning out, and sometimes too much time with a WIP can ruin the story. Keep it fresh, if your minds wants breaks, and break it into blocks of time. Every writer is different. Do what works best for you.

[chartreuse]

My advice would be to limit your actual writing time to about three hours a day, in one session or two depending on when you're at your peak. (I find that my best time to write is mornings - not early morning but from about 8 - 11. Since I have to work during the week, this is how I spend my weekend mornings.)

There are many other things you can do during the rest of your time that will contribute to your overall goal of writing. Reading, of course, is the one that comes to mind first. Walking is also good - helps the mind relax. I find I get many good ideas and solve many plot problems when I take walks.

In short, I would keep your writing sessions short enough so that you're sorry when you have to stop each day. I would also schedule a specific time each day, so that you're not constantly putting it off.