What’s Your Writing Time Like?
Terry Odell
Image by 0fjd125gk87 from Pixabay
We’re four days into the new year, and by now, I’m sure everyone’s been inundated with posts about the good, the bad, and the ugly of 2022, and suggestions for a better 2023.
I’ll offer my take on why I don’t make resolutions, and that’s it on the subject of New Years, other than wishing everyone at TKZ a very positive one.
Okay … on with a more writerly offering. Another one of my questions about how people approach their writing.
Note: I’m talking about getting words down, not ideas. To me, that’s a different facet of the process.
I’ve got a writer friend who wants large chunks of time for fear she’ll get “on a roll” and then have to leave for lunch, an appointment, watching the football game, whatever, and lose momentum. She’ll say, “It’s almost lunchtime, so no point in starting now.” There’s nothing wrong with that. She produces and meets her deadlines, but her comment got me thinking about how other writers utilize time.
I’ll go first. Disclaimer: I’m a retired empty-nester with a husband who understands that I spend time at the keyboard. (In fact, I think he’s glad I do.)
My first activities of the day (which starts for me at about 5:30) include checking email, doing the Mini-Cross, playing Tiles, and chatting with one of my critique partners. Breakfast fits in there somewhere, along with crushing a few candies. Getting the “easy stuff” out of the way until I’m coherent. I can barely find the right keys for the crossword, so being productive first thing doesn’t work for me.
My first “writing” thing comes after I’ve finished my playtime. It’s probably around 7:30. I look at the marked up chapter from the previous night’s read. If I didn’t end a scene or chapter and had nothing to print, then I have nothing to tweak, which throws off my morning routine. I’ll reread to see where I left off and try to pick things up from there, but it takes longer to get into the story.
I know I’ll be interrupted for dog walkies around 9:30, but unlike my writer friend, instead of waiting until I get back, I try to move forward. Once I get going, I keep the manuscript open on the PC all day and work on it as time permits (which, as mentioned above, for an introverted, retired empty-nester is significant). If I have appointments, or need to cook dinner, or it’s laundry day, I write until it’s time to deal with them, take care of the chore, and return to the work. Looking at my productivity, I do better in the afternoon, as there seem to be fewer things needing my attention, so I can remain immersed in the story. But a goal of 500 words before lunch and at least 1000 words a day is my norm.
I know some people carry a notepad or recording device and are never not writing. They’ll write a paragraph, or a single sentence, utilizing time in waiting rooms, car pool pickup/dropoff lines, sporting events. If they’re plotters/outliners, they might work on a scene that’s way down the line. That doesn’t work for me. I write at my computer, and figure my word count output is justification enough for leaving the manuscript alone if I’m not around the house.
In a Q&A session with Nora Roberts, she says she works out 90 minutes a day and works in her office 6-8 hours a day. That’s her job, as she puts it, and she takes it seriously (obviously, to look at her output).
So, what kind of writer are you? Bits and pieces? Longer sessions? Dedicated hours for writing when nothing else is allowed to happen? Can you hop around the story as ideas hit, or are you (like me) extremely linear and everything hits the page in the order it happens in the story?
Bargain/BSP Time: The first book in my Mapleton series, Deadly Secrets, is perma-free, and the second book, Deadly Bones, is on sale for 99 cents this week only. My 11th book in this series, Deadly Relations, is about ready to go to my editor. I’m hoping it’ll be ready to go in time for Left Coast Crime in March—and hope to see some TKZers there.
Coming Soon! Deadly Relations.
Nothing Ever Happens in Mapleton … Until it Does
Gordon Hepler, Mapleton, Colorado’s Police Chief, is called away from a quiet Sunday with his wife to an emergency situation at the home he’s planning to sell. A man has chained himself to the front porch, threatening to set off an explosive.
Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”
When I get up each morning, I get a mug of coffee and commute (a 150-foot walk) from my house to the Hovel, my adobe office. I sit down at my business computer first to check and respond to emails, read my newsletters, check other websites, etc.
I also write my almost-daily Journal during this time. That variously includes quotes, a topic on the craft of writing or publishing, sometimes something about my freeing, non-process of writing, and links to articles around the internet I think my readers might find of interest. That’s usually my first 300 to 1500 words of the day, all nonfiction.
I take a break (15 minutes or so) up at the house, then come back to the Hovel, check for any other emails, then swivel my chair to face in the opposite direction and open my writing ‘puter. That signals my brain it’s time to play and have fun.
When I turn to my writing ‘puter, a cute little HP Probook 11 (I like the keyboard) attached to a 24″ monitor, the manuscript is already open, not to where I left off but where I started writing yesterday. I read over what I wrote (usually 2000 to 4000 words). I don’t read critically but simply as a reader, enjoying the story.
As I do that I allow my fingers to rest on the keyboard. My characters usually add or deepen some description, sometimes say more (dialogue) than they did originally, etc. That part feels like it usually takes around ten minutes or so, but I’m not sure.
When I get to the white space, I write the next sentence, then the next and the next and the next. This is my practice until the characters lead me through to the end of the story.
My sessions are usually an hour to an hour and a half, usually 1200 to 2000 words, which for me is both a scene and a chapter. I try to knock out three or four sessions of fiction every day. My daily word count goal is 3000 publishable words of fiction.
Thanks for sharing, Harvey. An admirable goal, and one you’ve been meeting. Having that brain signal is important, I think.
Good questions, Terry. Always interesting to learn how differently writers work.
I’m up early with coffee, answer email, check in at TKZ, and read educational and craft newsletters from Authors Guild, International Thriller Writers, Jane Friedman, Anne R. Allen and Ruth Harris, etc.
More coffee, then I reread the previous day’s work. I write lean so, on subsequent passes, I add muscle and meat to the skeleton, then on to the next scene. If I get stuck, I take a walk which always breaks loose the logjam.
Mid-morning is an exercise break of at least an hour of zumba and/or walking. Back to writing until lunchtime. Mornings are generally my most productive time.
Afternoon is for errands, business, and nonfiction writing stuff, like reviewing submissions from critique groups, working on articles, and forcing myself to do some marketing. Often I take another walk to loosen the kinks from too much time sitting at the computer.
If evenings are quiet, I’ll work in more writing.
I factor in time for interruptions like phone calls and visits with friends, esp. aging ones with medical problems.
While I don’t have a daily word count per se, my writing hours are usually productive enough that I’m satisfied with my progress.
Thanks for sharing, Debbie. Yours looks like a well-balanced routine (although I can’t imagine doing an hour of zumba. Walking the dog is my main exercise–which, given the terrain where I live, is generally exerting enough.)
I wake up around 5:30. Meditate. Write about 500-700 words on my morning page. My internal psychologist. I’m checking in with myself. Then it’s time to walk my dog. Then I prepare some tea and answer emails for 30 min. And then I write until I run out of steam. Every hour I take a little break. Late afternoon I work on marketing, social media, etc. 😊
Thanks, Olivia. Checking in with yourself sounds like a good way to find balance. And good that you take those little breaks. My watch buzzes me if I’ve been sitting too long. (Now, if I could just avoid the kitchen on those ‘get up an move’ minutes.)
Great post. Good questions, Terry. (especially at this time of year when some of us may be reassessing how to divide our precious time)
I’m a “chunker” – I like to find a time when I can get started and keep writing. When I’m in the zone, I’m more productive. Each time I stop, it takes some time to get revved up again. And mornings are my most productive time.
The way I handle those ideas that hit and need to be captured: I keep my expanded outline on GoogleDocs and open behind Scrivener. When something needs to be captured while it’s there, I jump to my expanded outline and write notes or even part of a scene in the appropriate place on my outline. Otherwise, I tend to be linear.
Good luck with Deadly Relations.
Thanks, Steve. I use sticky notes for my ideas. Lo-tech, and I don’t need to be online. I have a foamcore board against the wall, and I can drag it to my desk when I’m working. I’ve given it the ever-so-clever name of “idea board.”
Clever or not, I like the concept. I may even have such an item amongst the clutter under the piano. Or I may buy a cheapo white board. I need to get organized this year and empty my in-box.
I’ll call it, whatever form it takes, my “idea board.”
I find I prefer chunking, too, Steve, though I think about focusing more on a short writing sprint session and salting those throughout the day, but I always end up going for a longer swath of time.
I write best in the evenings when the day’s work is done. That said, I’ve been trying to do more during the day, and have been succeeding with producing more words. I have to do bits and pieces or else I get nothing done. And I have to have background noise, TV or music, so when I want to pause a moment, there’s something to entertain me.
Thanks for sharing, Azali
I’m an early-to-bed person, so normally, I’ve finished my writing by dinnertime. I do my reviewing in bed, but that’s not ‘writing time.’ I used to have special playlists for my writing, but no more. I like it quiet.
Thanks for posing these questions, Terry. It’s interesting to see how everyone uses their time.
I write six days a week. My usual morning routine includes breakfast, a little reading, checking in on TKZ and handling email. If the rest of the morning is free, that’s my time to write. My goal this year is 1000 words / day. (However, Harvey’s got me thinking about trying to add a few more words to that.)
My schedule is fluid, though. because I have one morning class each week, and I run intervals at the track on another morning. On those days, I write when I can. I tend to write scenes as they come to me, and that may not be linear.
I reserve an hour or so a day for exercising. That’s usually in the late afternoon when I begin to feel tired.
Happy New Year and best of luck with Deadly Relations!
Kay, I like that you are flexible with your writing schedule. Gives you more opportunities to write, and is less stressful. I find having a rigid schedule helpful, but it can also be a source of stress.
Thanks, Kay. Deadly Relations goes to my editor at the end of the week, so my working time is more “unwriting” than writing these days. I tend to write too ‘blatherly’ in the first draft.
I like seeing how others handle their writing, and it’s especially interesting to see how physical activity plays into everyone’s schedule.
Most days, I feed and clean all my furred and feathered babies, inside and out, between 6:30-7 and hit my desk by 7:30 a.m. Rather than be distracted by email or social media, I immediately open my manuscript and read the previous day’s work, then continue forward. After the story’s jibbing again and I’m back in my story world, words flowing, I’ll hop over to check my email and TKZ around 10:30ish. Unless, of course, I’m having too much fun, then I’ll wait till noon. If my husband leaves early for work, I’ll hit my desk much earlier, around 6 a.m. I start running out of steam about 4 p.m., when I’ll jump on social media or read till I need to make supper.
If it’s a new manuscript, I also write on my phone while watching TV at night with the hubby. Can’t let good ideas escape! LOL
Oh, to answer your other question, I write linear. Can’t jump around.
I admire a brain that can be coherent (along with connecting with fingers) first thing in the morning. And anyone who can have any productivity of any kind on a phone. I need my two monitors and a full-size keyboard to do anything other than text my kids or make an actual phone call. And I do most of my telephoning from my landline, so cell calls are rare.
I’m also a retired empty nester, and my morning routine is similar to yours. I play on my iPad until its time to start my day. DH and I go out to exercise 3 days a week, in the morning, so the writing waits until I get home on those days. From there, I’m fairly unstructured. I sit at the computer, open the WIP. If I owe my critique partners a crit, I’ll get that off my plate first so there isn’t something distracting me in the back of my mind. Then I write until I find myself wandering – getting up for no particular reason. I shoot for 1k words a day, but depending on other distractions or sharper focus, often write considerably more. I find I’m most productive those mornings we don’t go out to exercise, but that doesn’t mean I’m not equally productive afternoons when the rest of my schedule frees up from “chores.”
Thanks for sharing your process, Karla. Exercise is important, and I know if I don’t get to it early in the day (and the dog is a great reminder), I tend to skip it, which isn’t good. I, too, like to get ‘non-writing stuff out of the way.
I write 5-6 days a week, depending on whether I meet my daily word count. Right now it’s 1900 words a day to reach my deadline. For some reason, I’m having trouble getting up early–that’s always been my best time to write. But things change and I’m going with the flow.
1900 words a day is daunting for me, although there are many days I get well past it. Looming deadlines help! I think our body rhythms change from time to time.
Great post, Terry. I enjoy hearing how y’all organize your day.
I’m usually up by 5-5:30, drink water, then coffee up.
I have my daily schedule at my elbow. Deal with email first, because it annoys me when my inbox is cluttered.
Then I start the day’s work, which right now consists of getting my 2nd novel ready to go sometime this year-I’m working on front and back matter and thinking about the cover. After that, I’ll re-read the MS, then send it back to my editor for her magic.
I stop work around 2-3pm and have my first meal of the day. And 3 days a week we make a trek downtown to visit with my dad.
It works.
“it works.” The most important thing of all. Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful post and a great question, Terry.
I’m also fortunate in that I’m retired from the library and I have time for my writing. My routine: I wake around 6AM, brew tea while giving the cat his pills (pill assists/pockets are a godsend) and fresh wet food. I check TKZ and the news, like I’m doing now. May read a little fiction. Then, by 7AM I try and get in a pre-breakfast writing session.
My wife and I take a morning walk a bit after 8AM, just twenty minutes (a mile) and then I make breakfast for us. Some days, I’ll go back to the keyboard–usually for publishing or non-fiction reasons. Monday-Wednesday-Friday we do Zumba at 10, followed by weights, shower, lunch, and then I get into the writing room for my main session of the day, which will be from 1 or 1:30 until 4 or 4:30, sometimes a bit later.
Tuesdays and Thursdays and Saturday-Sunday we do Yoga at 11:30 for about a half hour. We sometimes puzzle Tuesday and Thursday after breakfast until Yoga, while Saturday-Sunday I write from 9:30-11:30. My wife typically makes lace, spins or knits in another room while I’m writing.
Today we are flipping the schedule because we have a lunch date with my wife’s parents, celebrating dad’s 81st birthday, so I’m getting in a session after breakfast, and another one after we return from the restaurant.
Have a wonderful week. Happy writing!
Sounds like you’ve got everything organized. Good for you, and thanks for sharing.
Like your friend, I prefer large chunks of time for writing and for researching. But of course that almost never happens. LOL! I’m also a morning person, but except for a Saturday morning, I almost never write in the morning because several other things have priority before I start the day job.
I admire people who can ad-hoc write while in waiting rooms but I can’t do that—both because I don’t pivot quickly for writing and because it’s cumbersome to carry a notebook around and these eyes don’t work on small devices. It is not my preference, but I end up writing in inconsistent bits & pieces.
The manuscript I had the most awesome time writing was back in 2011/2012 over roughly a 5 month period. That is the one time in my life I was able to write fairly consistently. Clearly life was smoother then & I had more available free time.
With trepidation, this year I set an objective of 3k words a week (500 words, 6 days/week). The downside I’m already noticing is if I don’t have a detailed plan in mind, I end up writing ‘fluff’ to meet my word count—scenes that I can almost guarantee will get cut in revision. But I decided to err on dealing with the fluff until I can re-arrange my schedule in a functional way that lets me get better organized for my writing.
BK. Getting the brain and the time to cooperate can be difficult. I’d say ‘write the fluff and cut it later.’ You can’t fix a blank page. FWIW, the current WIP is about 4300 words leaner than when I first typed “The End.”