Writing Fulltime Part II

First things first. I want to announce the winner of my May contest for commenting on my blog or signing up through my website. And the winner is . . . Jennifer Ashley. Jennifer won a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card. Congratulations, Jennifer!

I will have another contest again in July, so watch for it. For this week, I will continue my thoughts on becoming a fulltime writer.

Alone: I’ve decided that being a writer means being alone. It’s not like going to work where there are other employees, customers, vendors etc., constantly moving in and out of your space. When I open the computer up in the morning, I am alone. However, once I connect to the internet, I have a multitude of people to converse with, bounce ideas off, and work with. What is nice is I can control when I “talk” with others and when I need to be “alone.”

Now for me, I have another possible challenge with this. My husband is retired. Yup, home all day if he wants. Actually, my becoming a fulltime writer has cramped his space a little, but it’s working out well. He doesn’t insist I break for lunch. In fact, he generally puts my lunch next to my computer so I can eat as I write. But I always make time for him. Taking a break from the computer and the creation of exciting characters and events helps rejuvenate me. And taking a break with him is much better than stopping to do laundry :-)

Days: One aspect of writing fulltime that I did not expect was my obliviousness to what day it is. Monday or Saturday or a holiday, I find it’s all irrelevant. The new importance is on the number of days it takes to finish writing or revising. I’ve started putting the date on my daily “To-Do” List to help me keep track of the time passing, along with crossing out the days on the calendar, but it is still the date I have targeted for a submission to go out that motivates me.

I know some writers can work eight hours a day, five days a week and take their weekends off to be with family. I find myself using the weekends to catch up on the writing goals I wanted to accomplish during the week and didn’t. I may need to shorten my daily To-Do Lists because even writers need to take a break. Which brings me to another concern, how do I take a vacation? Right now, it’s not as critical to worry about because I’m not under deadline. But from other writers I’ve spoken to, this can be tricky. Any advice on how to go about setting aside vacation time? I would very much appreciate ideas. Do you have any thoughts?

The Change to Writing Fulltime – Part I

I thought I’d share a few thoughts on a recent transition in my life; basically, I’ve gone from writing part-time to writing full time. Writing romance is my passion and I now have the ability to pursue it fully. I’m so excited! Many multi-published authors write full time, but not many of us who are yet to be published have the opportunity to do so. On the surface, it seems like a dream come true, and it is, but I’ve found that there are pitfalls just waiting to trip me up.

For example, it is easy, when I have all day, to put off doing the final edits on a manuscript until later. Before I know it, later is 10:17pm at night and I haven’t started them. The more time I have, the less I seem to accomplish and vice versa. Have you ever heard the old saying, “If you need something done, give it to a busy person?” It’s true. This means that somehow I have to create pressure for myself. This can get a little tricky.

Deadlines: As an unpublished writer, I have no editor expecting revisions by a certain date or an agent calling to see how far along I am on my current work in progress (WIP). So I have to create my own pressure, my own stress. Luckily, I’ve had a number of requests lately so my deadlines, while they are arbitrary, are at least actual projects that need to be sent out. Otherwise, it’s easy to research, or read, or promote for hours and not get the writing or revising done that I know needs to happen.

Other great deadline makers are contests, calls for conference workshop proposals, and critique partners. Thanks to these, this month I’ve sent out two contest entries, one workshop proposal, and multiple chapters to various critique partners in addition to my submissions. I have succeeded in “creating pressure” at least for this month :-)

Structure: Here is an area that I’m still exploring. When I worked outside the house, the structure was determined for me. I had to be at work by a certain time, had to check email, make calls, and attend meetings. Then I was able to come home and have dinner. My writing came before or after the work day.

Now the writing is the work day and adjusting to the new schedule is not easy. I still find myself writing a lot at night as if the darkness triggers the habit. In the morning, it is easier to answer emails and do research on the web or update my website. But I’ve heard it’s best to write just before going to sleep and as soon as you wake up. I’d like my schedule to change, but haven’t quite figured it all out yet. So, if anyone has any ideas, I could certainly use them. If you have any tricks of the trade, I'd love to read them. Please, comment to share :-)

Alexis

P.S. Everyone who comments on my blog or contacts me through my website in the month of May is being entered into a drawing for a $10 Barnes & Noble card.