A Day of Writing
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to do something that I haven't been able to in quite a while:
Spend an entire day writing and editing my work!
Any writer who also works a day job, (or has kids, or any other number of full-time responsibilities), knows that writing time often has to be carved out wherever we can find it. Normally my writing schedule during the week is limited to 1-2 hours per day (sometimes less, sometimes more). Longer periods of time are an option on weekends, as long as the husband and I don't have anything planned.
When I realized I had an entire day to devote to writing, I was pretty excited! I also knew if I didn't at least come up with a rough outline for what I wanted to accomplish, I could get quickly sucked down an editing rabbit hole. Anyone else out there who gets easily caught up in editing knows what I'm talking about. Making a few quick changes suddenly becomes "This entire chapter needs to be re-written now!" and before you know it, you've lost all the time set aside working on something that could have waited until the first draft was complete.
It's a bit of a problem.
Since I already have the basic outline for my Book Project #1, the first item on my agenda was to pack up my laptop and get out of the house for a while. While I can write just fine from home, I also know that changing location can really stimulate the imagination. I made the quick drive to a neighboring town, to a cafe with some excellent breakfast options, and staked out a corner table for a few hours. That time was incredibly productive. I was able to scan through the material I'd written previously for Book Project #1, and pinpoint where I'd left off in the outline.
From the cafe, I went back home to check on the pups (Sam is still working on his crate training skills, so I didn't want to be gone too long), and the weather was too nice to not go outside. Did I mention that we've recently had our back deck redone? It's the perfect spot to sit outside to read, or write, or have a few friends over. I'd love to share a picture, but I still need to get the iron patio furniture repainted. We'll wait for the full effect!
I spent the rest of the day outside, and I almost couldn't believe how much I was able to accomplish. I doubled my word count goal for the day, and I'm feeling very good about the direction this book is taking. As much as I want to share more detail about the book with you, dear Writing Desk readers, I think for now it's best to wait at least until the first draft is complete. That way I'll hopefully have a better idea of when publication might be possible. There's still much to consider with self publishing vs. traditional, and which avenue I'll want to pursue. That's one reason I'm so glad to be doing this author interview series, to learn what their experiences were like with either or both publishing options.
A day like this wouldn't have been complete without some sneaky reading time thrown in. On a recent trip to the library, I found another book in James Patterson's Alex Cross series that I hadn't gotten to read yet ("I, Alex Cross"). I'm about halfway through now!
As the busy summer activities continue to wind down, I hope to have more days like this as we move into fall. Especially once we've made the final touches to our new outdoor space.
Where do you other authors out there prefer to do your writing? Are you able to hole up in your home writing office/cave for hours on end, or do you need the stimulation that comes with a new location? I'd love to know!
Spend an entire day writing and editing my work!
 |
| Nothing like facing that piece of paper...or screen. (Not my laptop.) |
Any writer who also works a day job, (or has kids, or any other number of full-time responsibilities), knows that writing time often has to be carved out wherever we can find it. Normally my writing schedule during the week is limited to 1-2 hours per day (sometimes less, sometimes more). Longer periods of time are an option on weekends, as long as the husband and I don't have anything planned.
 |
| Breakfast of writers! (That is my laptop, ha!) |
It's a bit of a problem.
Since I already have the basic outline for my Book Project #1, the first item on my agenda was to pack up my laptop and get out of the house for a while. While I can write just fine from home, I also know that changing location can really stimulate the imagination. I made the quick drive to a neighboring town, to a cafe with some excellent breakfast options, and staked out a corner table for a few hours. That time was incredibly productive. I was able to scan through the material I'd written previously for Book Project #1, and pinpoint where I'd left off in the outline.
 |
| Not a bad way to end the day! |
I spent the rest of the day outside, and I almost couldn't believe how much I was able to accomplish. I doubled my word count goal for the day, and I'm feeling very good about the direction this book is taking. As much as I want to share more detail about the book with you, dear Writing Desk readers, I think for now it's best to wait at least until the first draft is complete. That way I'll hopefully have a better idea of when publication might be possible. There's still much to consider with self publishing vs. traditional, and which avenue I'll want to pursue. That's one reason I'm so glad to be doing this author interview series, to learn what their experiences were like with either or both publishing options.
A day like this wouldn't have been complete without some sneaky reading time thrown in. On a recent trip to the library, I found another book in James Patterson's Alex Cross series that I hadn't gotten to read yet ("I, Alex Cross"). I'm about halfway through now!
As the busy summer activities continue to wind down, I hope to have more days like this as we move into fall. Especially once we've made the final touches to our new outdoor space.
Where do you other authors out there prefer to do your writing? Are you able to hole up in your home writing office/cave for hours on end, or do you need the stimulation that comes with a new location? I'd love to know!
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