ROW80-1 check in - 03/11 - Schedule for writing
March 11, 2013
Apparently some writers schedule a fixed time each day for writing, some even just working Monday to Friday. Do any of youse guys/all y'all do that?
I think the last time I went into an office to a 9-5 M-F job was about 14 years ago. After that I was a teleworker for a while, then a consultant, then retired. I wasn't big on schedules back then, definitely am not now. When I was retired I just wandered from sparkly thing to sparkly thing - and laughed when anyone asked if I was keeping busy. Now that I'm a writer I have a lot of 'writerly' things I want to get done. I tried setting aside fixed times each day but quickly dropped that as looking too much like a real job. Now I just schedule the top of my list - editing for now - and let the rest just happen. And it seems to do just that - here I am after midnight blogging. Did some editing today, then off for a walk, then to my local to listen to music and do some reading for a course. Coffee shop after, and catch up reading writerly blogs. Tonight - lots of work on the course.
I suppose I could try to track all my hours to see what I actually get done each day, but I would have to schedule that as a task first. Not going to happen.
Status:
- Editing - Gave my characters some real names, not I have to give them some real personalities. The main characters are OK, but some of the others could do with some variety and depth. Scanning through, finding all my in-text notes and dealing with them. I have several people willing to do a read through so need to get this first novel out there.
- Writing - I did a short (250 word) essay for a course. The essay was to 'make the familiar strange', to look at something from the detached eye of an ethnographer 'discovering' it. I'll post after the peer review is done and I get feedback.
- Other
- Finished Week 2 of my online Aboriginal Worldview and Education course. It's fascinating - several hours of videos a week, lots of links other sites and extra material, quizzes, assignments, and a very active discussion forum. Like all these courses tens of thousands have signed up. It's only a four week course, but I'm sure will be offered again.
- I should note that the weather is consistently above freezing during the day. Sun and/or showers are dissolving all this snow quickly - we were even out on a patio Saturday, in a cleared space near the wall. The rest was a foot of snow though. Better weather now to get out and walk - as long as I avoid too much pub time.
I don't neccessarily write every single day....I write when it strikes me. I think about my characters when I am deep in meditation. I connect to my vision when I least expect it to. I don't write every day, but I carry my stories with me every day, and I guess that's the same thing. I'm writing in my head even when I go on walks.
Posted by: Marla Rose Brady | March 11, 2013 at 01:51 PM
I write every day. I feel that just as an athlete must work out on a regular basis, a writer must keep their writerly muscles in shape.
I also find that I'm a lot happier when I write each day. I get edgy and depressed when I don't keep up with it.
You recently stopped by my blog - thank you! Nice to meet you. :)
~Tui
Posted by: Mentalmosaic | March 11, 2013 at 10:25 PM