Over the weekend I met with a local author who reminded me that creating deadlines is key to progress. I’m working on a new novel and had already begun to let the preparations slide. His story about a timeline he created for completing his book and how self-imposed deadlines enabled him to finish writing it were inspirational and a kick in the backside for me to do likewise. It’s not a glamorous approach, but it’s essential. Writing is a discipline best done consistently, and without direction and deadlines, it’s unlikely much will happen, even when there’s time. In The Writer’s Book of Hope, in the chapter on excuses, especially regarding time, Ralph Keyes says, “The very assumption that lots of free time is an asset for writers may be questionable. In some ways part-timers have an edge. Busy people organize their schedules more carefully and make better use of the few hours they do have to write.” So, where’s that schedule?
For a way to put today's musing into action, check out the writing tip at the top of the list. As always, let me know how it goes.
2 comments:
Thanks for posting. As someone with lots of free time, I can relate to what Ralph Keyes said. Time management is one of my weaknesses. Every day I struggle to manage my time and find that I often get distracted for hours. Lately, though I've been better at staying on task by relegating the function to the executive branch of my brain with the corner office and Cappuccino machine. For me, staying on task requires sheer willpower and makes my head hurt. When I was working full time, my life was structured and I only had a window of time available for writing. Though on the flip side, there were plenty of days I was too tired to write.
Thanks,
Lauren
Perfect observation! Sometimes it helps to vary the types of tasks, interspersing rewards to keep going.
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