I’m guessing we’re all trying to see if we’re on track as far as scheduling different writing tasks.
For what it’s worth, here’s my average total for different activities. It varies some days, but my goal is always to finish by 2:00 p.m. (when my daughter gets off the school bus.) Some days I’m way off my goal, but most days I finish the brunt of it before 2:00.
Writing blogs: 30 minutes.
Social media:
Twitter: 10 minutes a day, tops
Facebook: 10 minutes a day, tops
Blogging (visiting blogs and answering comments): 1 1/2 hours
Daily writing: I usually write half a chapter a day. If this takes 30 minutes, I’m done in 30 minutes. If it takes 2 hours, I’m done in 2 hours.
Writing a book:
It takes me a little over a month to write a first draft.
To get the book into submission condition for my editor:
It takes a total of 3 months (including the 6 weeks it took to write the first draft.)
To get the book on the shelves:
It takes about 6-7 months for the publisher to release the book.
Promotion:
With my last release, I spent about 3 hours a day on promotional activities—this included my own blogging and visiting, but expanded into numerous guest blogs, tweets, Facebooking (even on my personal FB page). I also made (for me) lots of in-person appearances at bookstores and libraries and writing workshops in the two months following the release. We’ll say 24 hours worth (all together) of preparation and attendance at signings, etc.
How do you manage your time? Or do you feel like your time manages you? (Like I do some days!)
Elizabeth – I so admire your discipline and your ability to get your books done so quickly. My own schedule for book-writing has to iniclude a lot more time, because while my goal is being a crime fiction author “full-time,” I’m not in a position to do that right now, so I have a “day job.” At some point, I hope to be where you are – focusing on writing full-time.
You are such a rockstar. Only ten minutes a day on Twitter? I admire you! ;)
With all the distractions of the Internet at our fingertips, it takes determination to keep on task. Thanks for showing us how it gets done!
I tend to give myself an hour in the morning for twitter, facebook, emails and whatever else takes my fancy. The rest of my day is decided based on whatever I need to do though I always make a little time for writing. However writing is my second job and my other job takes precedent when it comes to the crunch. It sounds like you have a great system though.
Oh, so you’re supposed to have a PLAN? I hadn’t heard… ;)
Seriously, though, this is my weakness. I have a problem locking myself into schedules because it “stifles my freedom” (I’m not actually quoting anyone but my crazy personality). But maybe if I was more organized…
Thank you for the reality time check. Ugh.
Michele
SouthernCityMysteries
Wow, great schedule!
I usually try to spend less than a half-an-hour at a time on the computer doing blogs, facebook, twitter, etc. But I am on several times a day.
My new goal this year is 500 words a day, which so far seems to be working.
My big time issue is getting housecleaning done. Sigh.
I love your plan! I haven’t joined the FaceBook brigade yet, partially because I’ve heard it’s such a time drain. Glad to hear you don’t have to spend too much time to do it successfully :)
My math skills are a bit rusty, but by my calculations, you must wake up at 3:30 am and type 185 words per minute. And you must eat while you work!
Smart to disable the net while you’re writing. I think that’s why I write better in the evening — any email, networking, or wondering if I’m missing something is done by then.
I don’t have any of my social networks (all 2 of them!) set to interrupt me with updates, so I have to make the effort to go check. If I’m busy, I don’t check.
But I admire that you can draft a book that quickly. I can spend more hours a day writing, but it still takes longer to get to the end. Then again, you write much shorter than I do — but even for allowing for the extra 25K words, that still seems fast.
Then again, I’m not under contract, so no deadline, which makes it easy to go slow.
This was a very great and helpful post! I need to get better with my time management!
You and I are on the same wavelength. Just wrote a future post about this very thing. I am very conscious of time and how I use it, spend it, waste it. I don’t want to waste a single moment.
karen
I don´t manage time. Actually, I am torn between blogging and writing fiction, and far too often all those inspiring blogs win. On the other hand, I found my online writing course via a blog, and I have found several of the friends who read my Danish and English fiction for me via blogs, so …
I should limit my blogging time, though, especially if I really intend to write novels and not only flash fiction.
That’s a lot of time. Guess I need to prepare myself!
You’re amazingly organized. Wow. Thanks so much for sharing how you divide up your day. I’ll be chewing on this information for quite some time.
Elspeth
Some days the online stuff takes up too much of my time!
I tend to put even more hours into promotion. Add to the fact I’m a professional speaker, and I dump up to three more hours a day doing those aspects.
But writing a rough draft in one month? Wow, I wish I had that kind of time! I’m 6-14 months on a book! Now that’s rough draft and many edits, but still.
Wow.
Forty-hour day, anyone?
I’m a lot like you in this department.I compartmentalize my time otherwise I’m such a webaholic I’ll blog and twitter and facebook my whole day away. I even took internet out of the house. I do my writing, editing, and reading at home with no distractions and then go to a nearby wifi cafe or the library for my scheduled internet sessions.
Marvin D Wilson
Like you, I break it out. I want to see how I’m spending it to make the most of it. For some odd reason I’ve stepped almost entirely away from Facebook and jumped into Twitter fairly strongly. Those social networking sites crack me up sometimes.
~ Wendy
I’ve had to work some with it, but I do have a schedule, and it seems to be working rather nicely.
I second Diane’s motion for a forty-hour day. Lately days seem to be about 5 or 6 hours – I look up and it’s 3 or 4 pm! And I start my day between 5 and 6!
I love your discipline. I want to be you when I grow up. :)
I need to be more structured with my computer time. I spend all day on the computer so at home….
PS Blogging the way I wish to do it, takes so much time.
Margot–Teaching is such an incredibly engrossing job. I’m amazed at how well you balance work, family, blogging (daily!), and writing. Whatever you’re doing seems to be working really well.
Winnie–I can pretty easily Just Say No to Twitter…but I do get a lot out of the 10 minutes I spend on there.
Cassandra–Oh, with a day job like teaching? Teaching is never really over, is it? My dad’s always been a teacher and he was always either coming up with a lesson plan, grading papers, or in the classroom. Before I got on deadline, my goal was a page a day. And that writing was pieced together..a little in the morning, a little at lunch, and a little at the end of the day. Some of it on sticky notes, too, in the car. But it was a goal I could meet.
Miriam–I’ve tried to follow FlyLady with the house cleaning schedule. Usually I do about 30 minutes a day of cleaning–and I treat it like my exercise time. I do it as fast as possible and run around the house. Literally.
Girl in My Own World–It’s tough, but once you have a plan (at least a plan to TRY to follow), it really does seem to help.
Michele–I used to feel that way, too. Then came the deluge!
Alex –It can probably be shortened a little with better time management. You could limit the number of blogs you visit or the number that you write. Blogging daily isn’t really necessary…3 times a week would save a ton of time, right there.
Jemi–You don’t have to spend much time on it. But you COULD spend your whole day on it, if you get sucked in!
Diane–Speaking would definitely take a lot of time and preparation. When I was regularly speaking a few months ago, I made sure to run through my presentation 5 or 6 times. Which took forever!
My books are 75,000 words or less…manageable in 6 weeks once you get into the groove of it.
Marvin–I like that idea. You really have it compartmentalized so the internet doesn’t interfere with your work time.
Wendy–That IS interesting. Twitter is a little too fragmented for me to do more than use it for business only. Facebook I enjoy socializing on, but really have to rein myself in.
Crystal–I’m glad your schedule is working out! I knew you were trying to introduce some balance to it.
Alan–Actually…I do eat while I work. :) And sometimes I do get up for the day at 3-ish. I can’t recommend those methods, though.
Chad–I don’t keep Twitter or FB up…I realized it was taking way too much of my time when I did that. And now I tend to disable my internet connection when I’m writing. No temptation that way!
You amaze me, but I think you’ve nailed it. As much as I love facebook, I don’t think it is the same bank for the buck…erm… minute… I see you everywhere, absolutely diligent, giving blog feedback, and in return we all feel warm and friendly, and you can be darn sure that is why this is one of my never miss blogs (that and the fabulous content, of course).
I’m amazed how fast you write! How many words do your books run? I’ve had ONE that I wrote in 6 weeks, but it was a mad rush of inspiration. I don’t think I could ever COUNT ON a first draft in less than 3 or 4, and to do that, I’d have to start with a NaNo type month to get the skeleton in place.
You’re much better at time management than I am. I keep a notepad on my desk where I write down what I need to get done, then mark things off as I go. That helps. I’ve cut back on tweeting. I do assign priorities to what I have to do. I really admire your discipline and focus.
Helen
Straight From Hel
I am fortunate with time. I don’ work outside the home. That being said, I still schedule like mad.
Writing blogs: 30 minutes. Social media: Twitter: 10 minutes a day, tops
Facebook: 10 minutes a day, tops
Blogging (visiting blogs and answering comments): 1 1/2 hours
(I’m the same as you, although, I do follow the blogs throughout the day…)
My novels average 90,000 words and I aim for 1000 a day so in three months I’m done the first draft. However, I will often edit other novels while I write. As long as I get done my 1000 words.
ann
Thanks for posting this. I always wonder how much time others spend on their writing. I’m glad to see how much time you spend on the social part of writing. The internet usually seems to distract me. I have a hard time balancing my writing time with household chores and making sure I spend quality time with my boys (both you are still young and not in school yet). It is a never ending…finding that balance.
You are such a wonderful role model! I am getting better at budgeting my time but it still tends to get away from me. Though I don’t believe I could ever complete a manuscript so quickly, you’ve renewed my inspiration to work harder at gaining control and staying focused.
Hart–See, I think you write much quicker than I do. My books are only about 75,000 words. And I’m writing series, so I already have the characters and the setting, etc. in place…no trying to figure out the “regulars” in the book. And my plot follows a certain set order–I have the sleuth, the suspects, the victim(s), the clues/red herrings, a couple of suspenseful passages, a denouement, and the close. With your books, you’ve got a LOT going on…
Terry–It’s pretty fast for a first draft, but usually the first draft is really awful. It’s much better in another 6 weeks. :) I wouldn’t write that quickly if I weren’t under deadline, no. I can procrastinate with the best of them!
Helen–I’m a list queen, too. I have sticky notes that I keep track of for groceries (because grocery shopping was taking up so much of my time) and another sticky note for errands that need to be run. I try to knock those all out at the same time.
Ann–Staying at home definitely helps. Your books are longer than my 75,000 word ones. I also write LOTS of dialogue. This makes my writing flow quicker, for sure.
Kelly–That’s hard. My daughter was three when I wrote my first book. I wrote most of it during Sesame Street/Dora and during her naptime (when I really had other things to do). My son was in elementary school by then, and that helped. I did get her in a church preschool really early, which gave me a couple of mornings a week to write, get my house in order, etc. And I use the crockpot a WHOLE lot.
Karen–But then I always admire you for scheduling in time to think, to plan, to assess. Sometimes I think I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off.
Jane–Thanks! You know, I think it just comes quicker the more you do it. This is book 5 for me and so it’s almost a rhythm to me now.
Dorte–I think I could happily read blogs all day and not even think twice about it! You’re right, though, to get more done we have to really keep track of the amount of time we’re spending online.
Elspeth–Thanks! You do a lot in your day, too–your productivity in getting your games written is amazing.
Elizabeth, you are remarkably organized. *Applause* I don’t even want to go into how I manage my time. It’s such a scatterbrained, who-know’s-what’s-happening non-method that I’d paint myself a fool. But how nice to see other possible methods. Perhaps I should try it. Well, maybe some day I will. When I have time ;) lol!
It’s nice to see how I SHOULD organize my day. And a 1st draft in a month? Amazing!
My days tend to manage me, but I’m hoping with discipline I can change that. Interesting post. This will help me to schedule my time better.
Teresa–Well, some days it goes better than others. :) And you’re right–blogging *can* take a huge amount of time.
It takes you a little over a month to write a first draft? And you’re a mom with young kids?
Sigh.
Thanks for the break down on time. I try to be done by 3:45 when my son gets off the bus. Of course, if I actually mapped my time wasters (JigZone, etc.) I’d probably be more productive. Happy writing.
First draft in a little over a month. I’m impressed.
Mine is one thousand words a day if I’m in the heat of writing, two hours if I’m revising or wrangling. I try and blog most days but don’t stress about it. I also try and stay on top of blog visiting and commenting but not if I can’t. I have a job that is about twenty hours a week. Sometimes way more, sometimes less. The querying and all take up time but are seasonal if you get me. I look forward to the other duties of a published writer and I’m sure something will have to go.
I’m also very impressed that you can do a first draft in a month or so. That really is great discipline.
Elizabeth –Yeah, but now I’m wondering if I’m going to jinx myself. :)
Jan–I think you have a really sensible approach. Not stressing is key. I’m hoping I won’t get a bad case of burnout. Or that I’ll see it coming before it gets that bad!
Martin–Thanks! Hopefully I can keep it up…
Carolina–But it seems to work for you–you’re definitely getting things done! A lot of things.
Lorel–Thanks! :)
Mason–Good luck with it!
Patricia–Jim and Joyce Lavene are my mentors and they have 6 series right now. I feel like a slacker compared to them… :)
Tara–It’s tough, isn’t it? But it’s nice to be done with all the writing when they get home so we can devote our attention to the children. Not that they WANT that attention sometimes. :)
Thanks so much for sharing, even though I’m intimidated by your discipline.
I have to allow time for editing, with work arrivals unpredictable. However, I’m impressed by how you divide your time on social media. And stunned by how quickly you can finish a novel!
Kathy–Thanks. :) I think the discipline may possibly be desperation. :) Those deadlines…
I really admire your discipline, Elizabeth. Have to learn from you and pull myself out of the Facebook vortex- that is the greatest time-sink in my life. But again, what would I do without it.