I know this question has probably already been answered, but, how many hours per day do you approximately spend on writing and how long have you been working on your current WIP? Just wondering.
Rebecca
Rebecca
A quick question (how long do you spend writing?)
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I tend to go for bursts. I can have two-three weeks of writing flat-out at every opportunity I get, leave it for a week, go back with a more objective head, then edit two-three times over a two-week period.
With WIP's, I try not to get too attached to my work so I let them go after a few weeks (poetry and short stories). Saying that, I have a favourite novel I can't seem to let go of and it's been WIPing for a few years.
Good to meet you, Rebecca. And welcome to the cooler!!!!
With WIP's, I try not to get too attached to my work so I let them go after a few weeks (poetry and short stories). Saying that, I have a favourite novel I can't seem to let go of and it's been WIPing for a few years.
Good to meet you, Rebecca. And welcome to the cooler!!!!
Same here. Sometimes I'll sit here for 12 to 18 straight hours, and sometimes I'll take weeks off and do nothing. When I'm writing, I do two hours minimum every day
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It varies so much from project to project that I can't even come up with an average off the top of my head.
For my current WIP, I started the first draft about four weeks ago, and I'm no more than two weeks away from finishing it. Then I'll take a break from it (at least a week) before starting revisions and editing... and I never know how long those are going to take until I start them.
I only have two other completed novels. The first one took me about three months to write the first draft, but is still under revision (after more than a year), or more appropriately, has been shelved in favor of more productive projects. The second novel only took me three weeks to write the first draft, and another six weeks after that to revise/edit/allow others to read/critique. It is currently being queried.
And short fiction is a whole other ball game. But I'm guessing you were just referring to novels, so I won't go there.
Amount of time spent per day... quite a bit (I consider myself a full-time writer and work part-time--2 days per week--outside the home), but it's sporadic because I'm a wife and mother and Real Life tends to get in the way sometimes. There are rare occasions, however, where I am able to spend a solid stretch of two hours or more just writing and/or rewriting. But I gauge my productivity more on word count (for a first draft) and page count (for revisions and editing), rather than time.
For my current WIP, I started the first draft about four weeks ago, and I'm no more than two weeks away from finishing it. Then I'll take a break from it (at least a week) before starting revisions and editing... and I never know how long those are going to take until I start them.
I only have two other completed novels. The first one took me about three months to write the first draft, but is still under revision (after more than a year), or more appropriately, has been shelved in favor of more productive projects. The second novel only took me three weeks to write the first draft, and another six weeks after that to revise/edit/allow others to read/critique. It is currently being queried.
And short fiction is a whole other ball game. But I'm guessing you were just referring to novels, so I won't go there.
Amount of time spent per day... quite a bit (I consider myself a full-time writer and work part-time--2 days per week--outside the home), but it's sporadic because I'm a wife and mother and Real Life tends to get in the way sometimes. There are rare occasions, however, where I am able to spend a solid stretch of two hours or more just writing and/or rewriting. But I gauge my productivity more on word count (for a first draft) and page count (for revisions and editing), rather than time.
I write from 9 pm until I get too tired. Sometimes I go until 2 or 3 am, but most times I stop at 12-1 am. I edit earlier during the day occasionally, but I can't write anything new until nighttime and my kids are asleep.
I started writing a year ago, on Memorial Day weekend.
I started writing a year ago, on Memorial Day weekend.
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I grab my writing time when I can since I'm plowing through a course right now. I typically try to write ~1k words/day.
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About two hours on weekday evenings (other than Wednesdays and Fridays) and a good three hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
At the moment it's whenever I have a spare moment. Then I'll probably go through a spurt where I don't write at all.
I don't time myself on how long I sit here. I try to write at least five pages a day once I have everything planned out and researched. Sometimes I managed to hit 20 pages a day (happened twice on my WIP). Been working on this one since late August and I've already sent out queries and got a positive response from one of them. Fingers crossed!
If I'm at home and awake and not in the middle of a migraine, my laptop's on. I write in bursts until I get distracted, need a cuppa, have to visit the bathroom...
So...fits and starts throughout the day. I've never added it up to see how long I actually spend working, but I know it's not nearly long enough. Again, my problem is self-discipline.
So...fits and starts throughout the day. I've never added it up to see how long I actually spend working, but I know it's not nearly long enough. Again, my problem is self-discipline.
As much as I can find time to do. Sometimes it's only 30 minutes, other days it could be 10 hours. Once I managed to do 16 hours of writing. That was a good day.
Barring a looming deadline, I write five hours per day, broken into two sessions or two and a half hours. I have lunch, and then take a long walk between sessions. I usually work on novels during one session, and short stories or articles in the other.
How long have I been working on my current project? It's hard to say because I have a bunch of ongoing projects. I can say that I started the novel that's closest to completion about five weeks ago. It should be ready to go in another six weeks.
How long have I been working on my current project? It's hard to say because I have a bunch of ongoing projects. I can say that I started the novel that's closest to completion about five weeks ago. It should be ready to go in another six weeks.
If I remember correctly, I started my current WIP in Tuesday or Wednesday this week (I'd have to look it up in my posts in the Finish The Damn Book Challenge to give an exact date) and then my other WIP I started yesterday. I work on my stuff nearly from the time I get up from the time I go to bed. I take a few breaks here and then to watch a few TV shows one or two but I'm pretty much working on them all day.
Magali.
Magali.
You and Dean Koontz.
I have a burn out point, and if I go more than five hours per day for an extended period, I know I will eventually crash and burn.
johnnysannie
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Nice if you have the stamina and freedom to do so.
I write about 5-6 hours per day, usually split between morning and afternoon. If I have a big deadline straight ahead or I'm really cooking, I may write more than that.
But I have a family, three kids and a husband (plus a widowed senior citizen mom) and so I have to balance that aspect of my life with the writing, just like working moms anywhere.
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Hours?
Maybe in a month all the time will add up to hours. 2 maybe.
And I have several different WIPs I'm working on. One is 3 years in the making. The one I'm subbing has taken probably 7 years. I'm thinking of breaking out another that I started back in 1980.
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Anywhere from 8-16 hours a day, 5-6 days a week.
ETA: I just started on my current WIP today. The last took about 2 months, which is longer than usual because I was traveling for 3 weeks and was ill for a while. A WIP usually takes me 2-3 weeks.
ETA: I just started on my current WIP today. The last took about 2 months, which is longer than usual because I was traveling for 3 weeks and was ill for a while. A WIP usually takes me 2-3 weeks.
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I spend about an hour and a half a day. More when I don't have anything going on. I write until I hit my wordcount goal for the day, and it typically takes about 90 minutes.
I've been working on my current WIP for a couple of weeks now.
I've been working on my current WIP for a couple of weeks now.
I write 3-6 hours a day most days. More than that just starts to burn me out.
I don't keep track of how many hours I spend on each project. A lot, lol.
I don't keep track of how many hours I spend on each project. A lot, lol.
I'm not on a deadline, so I sit at the keyboard and type when I have words ready to be put down.
Mind you, I don't count that as the ONLY time I'm writing. Writing is so much more than just typing words into a file. It's all the time dedicated to figuring things out, to creation--all the brain work that has to happen before those words can be typed.
Honestly, I'd say about 60-70% of my waking time is spent doing something connected to my MIP, but I only spend maybe 2-4 hours a week typing words into a file.
Mind you, I don't count that as the ONLY time I'm writing. Writing is so much more than just typing words into a file. It's all the time dedicated to figuring things out, to creation--all the brain work that has to happen before those words can be typed.
Honestly, I'd say about 60-70% of my waking time is spent doing something connected to my MIP, but I only spend maybe 2-4 hours a week typing words into a file.
Four hours a day, five days a week, more in the last hideous weeks of revision.
But right now I'm just in the immersion phase of a new novel, so those four hours are spent reading, hunting up stimuli, idling, tidying the desk, scribbling notes and what-if-ing. My favourite, favourite, favourite part of the job
But right now I'm just in the immersion phase of a new novel, so those four hours are spent reading, hunting up stimuli, idling, tidying the desk, scribbling notes and what-if-ing. My favourite, favourite, favourite part of the job
I work full time, so when I have a WIP, I try to write for at least two hours scattered through the day, and when I get my two days off through the week, I sit and write for five to seven hours at a stretch, and if I'm not too burned out or if my hands don't hurt to badly, I'll keep going when I get home.
My last three projects took me four months, four months, and a month and a half; with that, I decided to take a break before starting my next project, so I've been catching up on editing and reading other things.
My last three projects took me four months, four months, and a month and a half; with that, I decided to take a break before starting my next project, so I've been catching up on editing and reading other things.
I'm a student, but I write for 1-3 hours a night, every night, once I've committed to a project. My latest novel took 4.5 months.
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