by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve mentioned before that I have a hard time sitting still. It makes me feel like I’m about five years old when I admit this, but it’s true.
This means I’ve tailored my writing routine around my restlessness.
I live by my timers (the one I use the most is a free online timer), writing straight through in short bursts of time until the bell rings. Then I usually will do either something fairly active (yard work, housework, take a walk….I have a list at the start of each day for what I need to accomplish in my non-writing time), or I’ll check in with some of my social media stuff (and I’ll set a timer to get off of social media, since it’s so easy to get sucked in there.)
I write before my kids get up—I give myself 30 minutes then.
If I’m on a tight deadline, I’ll write again in the morning, setting my timer for short periods of time until I finish that goal.
Then I write in the carpool line for about 30 minutes.
If I know that I’m going to do other things after I write, it helps me to focus on what I’m doing. It’s harder for me to know that I’m going to be writing for a couple of hours at a stretch. In fact, I won’t write for a couple of hours at a stretch unless it’s a true emergency (when I have simultaneous deadlines, for instance.) If I know I have to write for a couple of hours straight, I don’t stay at home: I’m at the library or a diner or something—I can’t stay at home with all the distractions and work.
Pros to writing this way:
Goals seem a lot less-intimidating.
I seem to get more accomplished because I’m keeping such tight track of my time. There’s no chance for social media to derail me.
I don’t get burned out.
I’ve gotten into the habit of picking up my story at a moment’s notice and working at it for anywhere from five to fifteen minutes. This is a useful skill to have. Who knows when you’ll have dead time in your day?
Cons to writing this way:
Sometimes transitions get squirrelly because I just jump right in.
I’ve found that I’m much more likely to write echoes into my writing. (Echoes are what my editors call repeating words or phrases on the same page or last couple of pages.) I think this is because a word from the previous session will stick in my head and I use it again, thinking I haven’t used it recently.
But still, even with the cons:
It all gets fixed in the edits.
So…how long are your writing sessions? Do you knock it all out at one time for a longer session? Do you break it into smaller, shorter sessions? Why have you chosen to do it that way?
I like writing in small chunks of time. At least when things are going well.
When things are not going well, I blame the small chunks of time. (Even though they are not going well in long chunks of time either. I feel like the short bursts should SOLVE something.)
First thing in the morning is usually my largest chunk of writing time. So I try to take advantage of it and usually write for an hour. But, I have a harder time focusing later in the day. So, I will usually write in smaller chunks of time then.
And it is a lot less intimidating to think: “I’m going to write for half an hour 4 times today” then to think “I’m going to write for 2 hours today” even if it’s really the same amount of time. But, if I try to write for 2 hours straight, I’d actually get less written than what I do in those half hour sessions.
Elizabeth – I really understand exactly where you’re coming from in terms of writing in small bursts. I do the same thing myself. It is true that sometimes the ‘flow’ is a little harder to achieve when you write that way, but it works for me. I find myself feeling more energetic about my writing too – more ‘into it’ – if I write in smaller dollops than if I write in extended sessions, too.
I write best first thing in the morning, after breakfast and after exercise. I don’t have a lot of outside responsibilities like children, so I can give myself big chunks of time, but I don’t usually take up those chunks as much as I’d like.
Karen
I prefer writing in a block of at least an hour. I get antsy if I feel like my time limit is coming up too soon. But, I have managed to double-task quite well, and can write while watching tv or waiting for a reply on an e-mail.
I write in long stretches. I have the time so I might as well take advantage of it!
I can write in short bursts, complete with echoes, but I prefer writing in longer sessions. Helps me to stay with the characters better.
We all try to write in the way that works best for us. It’s finding that way that’s hard.
Hi Elizabeth – I always like reading about your approach to the author’s world .. including blogging, social media et al …
I like to get most of my post done in one fell swoop – that can take a time – select the pictures etc .. I may well ‘tart’ it up before actually posting … the in between time is mulling and clarifying ..
Next year with changes and new projects – I’ll have to adapt to other methods – so great to read how you work it ..
Cheers – and happy Christmas prepartions in the time frame!! Hilary
The Daring Novelist–Yes, our poor writing is the fault of the little chunks! And our good writing is because we write in little chunks! :)
Paul–Now that’s a good trick! I can’t seem to be able to do that. I can only write with non-lyrical music in the background.
fallonbrownwrites–I’m like you in that way…I do focus better first thing before emails start coming in and the family wakes up. Although I don’t give myself that much time. I do get up before 5 here, but school starts so early that I don’t have all that much free time at that hour.
Exactly! It always amuses me that I can trick my own brain by saying things like “I’m only writing for 15 minutes a few times today” instead of saying “I’m writing for an hour.” Not sure what that says about the state of my brain…
Laura–That’s a luxury!
Hilary–Thanks so much for coming by.
What you’re doing with your posts sounds very organized and efficient. I *can* do that with my posts (and sometimes do), but haven’t lately. It seems to work better for blogging/articles/non fic for me than novels. Although that doesn’t really make any sense!
Good luck with your new projects!
Thanks! Yes, lots of wrapping to do…ha! And I need to finish up my list, too.
Margot–Yes! Much more energy and *sustained* energy. Sort of like sprinting. And good term for the con of it…the flow is off. The flow is definitely off when I’m writing this way. I work out the transitions later on.
Elizabeth,
I know exactly what you’re saying. Learning to write in small blocks of time is an essential skill. Doing NaNo taught me to value these little windows of opportunity. I learned, for instance, that I can consistently crank out 450 words in 15 minutes. I plan accordingly. I agree with you on the “cons” and another one is (at least for me) it takes a few minutes to immerse myself in the story and the POV character. Thanks for an insightful post.
I usually go in short bursts too – maybe that’s why the echoes are always, always there!! :)
I’ve gotten used to the short time frames & don’t even think of them as a problem for the most part!
Karen–Sounds like the perfect routine!
Carol–That makes sense to me…I do have to work at keeping the characters fresh in my mind.
It is hard to figure out. Helps to try a bunch of different approaches, I think.
I tend to write for several hours in the evening. And I still get echoes. That’s not right!
Interesting. If I’ve already started a piece then writing in small chunks can be really productive (with the caveats you mention). But if I’m brainstorming a story or new piece, I neeeeeed a big chunk of uninterrupted time, so I can bully my brain into making choices.
Alex–Those pesky echoes! :)
Julie–Ohh…yes, brainstorming. I’m with you on that. I’ll keep going and going with brainstorming. But funnily enough, I don’t feel restless when I’m brainstorming.
cgblake–That’s a terrific word count for 15 minutes! Yes, I know what you mean about picking back up with the story. Sometimes if I stop writing in the middle of a sentence, it makes it much easier (as crazy as that sounds…)
Interesting post. I figured out something similar over the last six months. The two most critical points are putting a timer on social media and getting up to walk around if you’ve been at it more than an hour.
Interesting sidenote: The famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright said the same thing in 1936: never try to create for more than an hour or two. Get up and sweep something. You think better after you’ve swept something.
Peace, Seeley
Jemi–I just come to expect the echoes now…and leave them in until the edits.
I usually write in small bits at a time.
http://www.modernworld4.blogspot.com
You know what? This really speaks to me. I actually feel guilty when I get restless and want to do something else. I think I’ll forgive myself for this restlessness, and use your timer idea!
This sounds like something I ought to try! I need to settle myself lately to get to working on my first draft rewrite and it’s been tough. I tend to need to get up or move onto something else, and I really really want this rewrite done!
I have two very young children at home with me most of the time. Every time I write I have to assume it can/will be interrupted by something more urgent… So I either write in short bursts or not at all, most of the time. Once or twice a week a short burst will miraculously last an hour or two and that’s always exciting. I have gotten very good at picking up where I left off and if the flow is a bit messy, you’re absolutely right, that is a problem for another (editing) day!
The goal is to write 1,000 words a day. Some days, that means an hour. Others, it means all day in chunks. What day will today be? Who knows?
I have a hard time sitting still too, Elizabeth! (You should see me at my office, I often look like I’m about to spontaneously combust, and stand up for *something* about every 30 minutes.)
Because I work full time I do my writing first thing in the morning before going to the office I get about 50-80 minutes in, depending on which office I have to get to and how fast I’m moving getting ready for work. I stand up and walk tot he kitchen for more coffee four to six times during that period :-)
I also sometimes write at night, while watching tv. Not the best way to do it, but do I get more writing done when I do this? Yes I do.
Gina–Glad there are other writers like me!
Julie–I’ve just come to accept it and work around it. :) Not *embrace* it, exactly, just accept it.
Seeley–I think it’s better for our health, too. Writers are in danger of being *too* sedentary. I do try to mix it up. And social media can be a bear to pull away from…good point. Timers help a lot there.
Ha! Frank would look at my front porch and think I needed to get my broom out. :) Excellent advice from a creative architect.
Nicole–Try the timer approach and see if it works. You could even work *up* to longer stretches. So start at 5 minutes on the timer…and just open the document. Then 7 minutes and figure out where you want to start your edits–at the beginning? Do a pass through the doc just for typos? Do a pass to add description or check descriptions for characters for consistencey? Then another 8 minutes to read over a scene…you get the idea. Might work?
Amy–Oh my. Yes, I remember those days. I’d put Sesame Street on (bless that Big Bird) and would grab 15 minutes. Good for you for making it happen–it’s so crazy when they’re little.
Dina–The nice thing is how flexible you’re being with it. If it doesn’t work one way, you’re trying another.
Emily–Ha! This is why I was such a bad bank employee. I was always the one who couldn’t sit still during the meeting and asked why the info couldn’t just be emailed to us all. (And this was in 1995, so people in the meeting kept asking me “What are you talking about…email?!”)
More coffee is always needed. :)
I think if our process works…keep doing it!
I can sit still but am distracted by all the non-“writing” (i.e. marketing, blogging, social networking) things we do as writers. While technically it’s sometimes still writing, it’s not adding to the wordcount on my next novel. I like the way you set goals with lists. My challenge is to stick to the time allotted for each of the tasks on the list. Great advice though and will see how short writing sessions go!
Kellie–That’s a huge distraction, isn’t it?
I’ve gotten better with my to-do list since I started breaking it up into small tasks to complete a bigger project. So, on my to-do, instead of “wrap presents,” I’ll have “pull out all wrapping paper, tissue paper, bows, tags, tape, and scissors.” Then the next time I take a break, I’ll go to the next item on the list “wrap 2 presents.” I feel like I’m accomplishing more (even though I’m probably not–ha!)