My situation...

Pauldavid · Oct 26, 2012

Hi,

my name is Paul - I'm a newbie.

Over the last 3 years I've had each of my 3 non-fiction book proposals reach the aquisition meetings of various publishers - none have got picked up but each has had really great feedback.

With my latest idea I still have it with another 8 publishers and some possible interest from groups in Europe which is exciting.

I was encourgaged to send it away prior to finishing which was against my better judgement. It doesn't seem to have made any real difference but a couple of the smaller publishers who have raised the possibility of an e-book were surprised I'd contacted them without being finished.

The project is about 40% complete now but my plan at the moment is to finish it over the next few months and send off again in Feb / March 2013.

I work full time and when I'm home all I want to do is finish the book - I guess what I'm asking is what advice do you have on the work / writing / life balance?

amschilling · Oct 26, 2012

Carve out five minute chunks where you can. I work full time, have a young kid, etc. When she's brushing her teeth? I write. When I'm on lunch break at work? Write. There are lots of tiny gaps in a day where we stare at the internet or TV. Just sacrifice a couple of those and you've got a start.

It's slow, but you get used to it and you make progress.

I also stay up an hour later than I used to, so that I can get once nice chunk of writing time. Some writers I know get up half an hour early. I usually run through ideas in the car while I'm commuting, too.

People can adjust to writing in tiny increments once they're in the habit (note: I think this is true for most, if not ideal. May not work for every writer). You can also write in the oddest places--my kid's sports practice is one place I never thought I'd schlep my laptop, but I do. And it works. So try a bunch of things and see what you can make into a habit. Good luck!

Quentin Nokov · Oct 26, 2012

I'm still working on this! ;D I only work part-time which helps, but I work at a computer and when I get home the last thing I want to do is sit and stare at a computer! I also get so busy during the summer with the garden and fall with cutting wood.

I find winter is my best time to write and can write a lot, but once the weather starts changing I'm outside and don't get much done at all!

I try to write in between breaks. Like while my dad sharpens the chainsaws I come in and write a few sentences. His signal that we're ready to get going is him starting up the tractor ;D

I can't manage my time very well, but I'm trying! Sometimes I wake up a little bit earlier. I don't do well writing at night. :-/

danrupe · Oct 27, 2012

I agree with Amy regarding taking advantage of micro-breaks. I would recommend having an outline or mindmap of your story handy during these breaks so you can capture ideas you don't have time to flesh out.

that redhead · Oct 27, 2012

I'm a single parent with a full-time job. Long stretches of writing/revising are a luxury. Even when I *am* sitting at the computer, a lot of the time I'm thinking about other things I need to be doing.

sigh.

I've found it helps if I carry a padfolio in my bag at all times. If I'm in writing mode, I can put down sentences and ideas and outlines (once, in a boring training session, I got a whole chapter written!) If I'm revising, I carry around a printed copy of several chapters, and edit when I'm waiting for my son, or at lunch, or whenever I have a few minutes. Going old school like this helps me make the most of time that would have been wasted.

And, as the others mentioned, I try to get up a 1/2 hour earlier in the mornings. Now that it's getting cooler, it's becoming hard to get out of my nice warm bed.

RN Hill · Oct 29, 2012

My BlackBerry is my best friend for writing. I spend two hours in commute every day, and when an idea pops into my head, I can get it down in Voice Notes. I even take the phone with me when I'm running so that if I get an idea, I don't lose it.

Then . . . I tend to write when I should be doing other things, like grading papers.

ishtar'sgate · Oct 29, 2012

Pauldavid said:
Hi,

I work full time and when I'm home all I want to do is finish the book - I guess what I'm asking is what advice do you have on the work / writing / life balance?

Although I'm past this stage I remember it well. I had two small children and a fulltime job as a paralegal. I got up very early (about 4:30 am) and wrote until everyone else got out of bed. I brought my lunch and wrote over my lunch hour. I worked out a schedule with my husband so that he'd look after the kids on specific evenings so I could write after supper. He'd made me a little room under the stairs with a door and a lock on the door as little people always NEED you when you're writing. This was a good plan for me but it wouldn't be for everyone.

Tigerlilly79 · Oct 29, 2012

I make myself a schedule

and I write for at least two hours before I go to bed. I do everything I need to do aorund the house then put on some music and just write. On the days that I'm off, I double that time. It's hard, but I know if I don't force myself to make the time it'll never get done.

Susan Coffin · Oct 29, 2012

Paul!

I'm a cat-mom of two children, work full-time, and have a busy life with a long-term beau, and I still find time to write. It really is all about balance. For example, I will play on here for a bit, and then I will write for a few hours before bed. I also make sure I get my reading in each day before bed.

WeaselFire · Oct 30, 2012

The first thing I noticed was that you had responses to proposals and now have part of the book done. In my non-fiction, I've never written anything until a proposal was accepted and I had a contract. It may be different for what you're publishing, but it seemed unusual to me.

That said, you got part of it done, do the same thing to finish the rest if you have to.

Jeff

My situation...

Pauldavid

amschilling

Quentin Nokov

King of the Kitties

danrupe

Think think think...

that redhead

RN Hill

ishtar'sgate

living in the past

Tigerlilly79

Maybe I should see someone . . .

Susan Coffin

Tell it like it Is

WeaselFire

Benefactor Member