I hope y’all will bear with me as I explore yet another productivity-related post this week (yes, I really am obsessed.) It’s on my mind a lot right now. :)
A couple of times this week I was reminded about the importance of writing-related tasks. Not writing…but either preparing to write (research, sketching out a mini-outline, scheduling time on the calendar to write), doing promo, learning how to do something that results in finding readers (a social media application, self-publishing information, etc.)
Once was during a conversation with another mom about the number of hours our sons were spending practicing their instruments for marching band. This week is a record 15 hours (of actual playing.)
The other mom asked me if I spend that much time writing in a week (she was thinking, in general, of the arts and practicing skills).
I told her that ordinarily I don’t write 15 hours in a week (although I’ve been under deadline crunches where I’ve written 6 hours a day. But fortunately, those don’t happen often.)
That wasn’t really completely true, though. I’m not usually putting text on a page for 15 hours a week usually, but I’m spending far more time than that on writing-related tasks—sketching out ideas, making lists of where I’d like to take a story, promoting books that are out, writing blog posts and guest posts, scheduling tweets while building my author platform, learning the ropes of e-publishing, etc.
Those are all important things. Although they’re not writing.
I’m definitely streamlining my writing-related tasks, as I mentioned in my post on Wednesday. I’ve got to keep my online time under control so that I can write as much as possible.
But, even streamlined, these writing-related tasks are still important and necessary.
Writer Camille LaGuire had an interesting post on necessary vs. productive on her blog, The Daring Novelist, this week. She defined necessary as:
…tasks which are necessary but not productive: Creating to do lists, dealing with email, research, studying, learning, practice, eating, sleeping, reading, sharpening pencils, shopping, filling out paperwork…. these are all necessary things. Some of them very necessary, and even immediately relevant to the task at hand. But they are not the task itself.
Camille goes on to say:
What’s necessary is necessary. Leave enough room for it. And leave slack in both the necessary and the productive parts of your schedule so that you have elbow room to work.
Although I know that no writing-related tasks are necessary if there’s not , at some point, some writing done, it still made me feel better to think that there is value in what I’m doing in the promo, the research into platforms and social media, etc. It supplements the writing. And, although I’m streamlining it all as much as I possibly can, it’s okay for me to realize its value and make time for it…and schedule some buffer time between it and other tasks.
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I don’t think we can shut off social media or industry research, etc., cold turkey…not for very long, anyway. Because they’re necessary to our writing, too.
What necessary tasks are a part of your writing day? Are you giving yourself enough time to do them? Do you feel guilty when you do them…even though they’re necessary?
Thanks for mentioning my post!
I’ve been thinking about this stuff a lot because I decided to start measuring my writing progress in minutes rather than words. I’m only counting productive time, but the result is broader. I’m re-learning how to focus on what I’m doing now, rather than worry about what else I should be doing.
It also makes me more aware of the different tasks I do — both on the clock and off — and how much time they take.
(I meant to do another productivity post today — on the difference between urgent and important, but I guess that will have to wait until Sunday night.)
Sometimes I find myself sneaking behind wifey as I’m supposed to be doing something like planting a shrub or painting trim. But I sneak away and write something for my MS. I say I have to go to the bathroom or something else.
My blog and other social networks I can put on hold. However, if I have an idea I absolutely, positively have to put in writing, then I will go to extremes to do it.
Elizabeth – Thanks to both you and Camille for reminding me of how important writing-related tasks are. Yes, I sometimes feel guilty for doing them, because as you say, they are not writing. And yet, they do make my writing better. For example, I feel that way about research. The other night I had a long conversation with a neighbour who’s a cop. Was it fun? Sure was. Did I feel guilty for taking that time? A little. But it was important for my writing. We were talking about police procedures and how the court system works. I need to know the way those things work to make my writing better.
Thanks Elizabeth – this post has made me feel a lot better about spending some of my ‘writing time’ on blog posts etc. Because I have a completely different day job (database manager in an art gallery) I have to fit my writing in around it, and I often feel I should be doing more actual writing in the time I have to spare. Sometimes I even feel guilty if I’ve edited for a couple of hours and not written any ‘new’ words! But I can see that updating my blog and maybe doing a little promotion on the web are important too.
I think about this a lot, too, and realize that writers are always writing, even if they are not putting words down on paper.
Karen
It’s the necessary tasks completed(I think) that allows our artistic efforts to become real.
Thanks, E,
Teresa
Stephen–That’s me, too. I’ll unplug and run off to a library or cafe if I need to get writing in. I won’t do that for social media..it’s a clear second. But still very important.
The Daring Novelist–I like your mindset with it. I used to account for my writing in terms of time, then I made the shift to words. I think I may make the shift back to time again.
I’ll look forward to your next post!
Sheila–Ooh…cool day job! I’d love to work in a gallery. :) And–editing is just as important as putting words on the page! I fling out all kinds of stuff in a first draft and if I didn’t edit later, the writing would never go anywhere. The blogging is very important, too–as a warm-up for writing, for getting support and encouragement for our writing, for networking, and for promo!
Yes, I feel guilty about performing writing-related tasks instead of writing. Yet…how can I not perform those tasks? I don’t have a publicist or a publisher or agent to do these things for me. I blog, I schedule virtual blog/book promo tours, I keep in touch with other authors and book bloggers, I do interviews – all these are essential tasks that must be completed in order to achieve some small measure of success.
What I don’t do – spend any time on Facebook, which is probably not wise, but too much FB would drive me insane.
Twitter is another story – I don’t get caught up in tweeting although I understand its relevance. The outreach is great, but is it ever a time-sink.
Living my life (with my family) comes first.
Since I’m working full-time, it feels like writing doesn’t get to be at the top of the list as much, so I’m glad to have the “writing-related tasks”. I can still feel connected to writing, and get inspired by writing (and reading) blog posts. When there IS a block of writing time available, I can get the best use out of it because I’ve recharged with those other tasks.
This is such a tough subject for me because I do struggle with it. I’ve learned to limit my social media time and to break it up into smaller time slots throughout the day. And writing time is writing time, I no longer allow myself to deviate as much as I used to.
I get in a few hours a day. My kids are at college so I don’t feel guilty if I take the time.
Hubby writes too so he understands. We both write in the same room so we are together, but in our own worlds so-to-speak.
Like blogging? I probably put too much time into that, but then, I don’t do a lot with othr social sites, so it’s my main source of promotion. Not that I promote my own books often…
I’m blogging like 2 hours a day now. I find it a bit too much. I should write more, in fact.
Every Savage Can Reproduce
So glad to know I’m not the only one who feels guilty whenever I focus on non-writing tasks! One task that is absolutely essential for me to do is a To-Do list. I work a full time job on top of my writing activities so those are super important to have. It streamlines my activities and helps me focus on what I absolutely have to do so I’ll feel more productive.