Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Just keep going

I've been griping a lot about my currently available amount of time lately. (Ask anyone who's volunteered to host me for my blog tour.)

And just to make sure that everyone understands what I'm talking about:

Since the beginning of January, I have been working full days and then some, and then spent the remainder in a place with no Internet. Which means that my usual schedule of doing my work and finishing and then going over into writing has pretty much fallen by the way-side.

I'm hoping that this will change in the near future as we fall into more of a routine. (And we no longer have to rent a place with no internet reception.) But in the meantime, I think my expected writing time has been reduced by two thirds.

No, I'm not kidding.

BUT!

I'm still getting stuff done. A lot of stuff. Two weeks into February and I've written and/or edited the equivalent of almost 40k words. I probably would have been there already but for a work function that kept me up until midnight on Thursday, but anyway.

I think this rate of output, given the amount of time I've had available, is impressive enough for me to sound like I know where I'm coming from.

Because I bet there are quite a few of you who are thinking: How in the heck is she managing that?!

My answer comes down to something like this.

Just keep writing.

I mean, I could have been going into a blind panic about my entire schedule changing, but instead, I wrote. I could have complained about my lack of internet at night.

I wrote instead.

I could have worried about the fact that I have less time to get things done... But... you know... I got things done.

I'm not going to say it's easy. I've basically given up on my reading until I've 1) finished formatting Endless and 2) finished the rewrite I'm currently working on.

I've also swapped my whole writing routine around so that I can write at night and an hour every morning instead of in the late afternoon and early evening as I'm used to.

But write, I am writing. And apparently at an amazing rate.

So if you're in the same boat where you're struggling to find your usual writing time, don't give up. 

If you can find five minutes every day, write for five minutes. If you can find twenty minutes, write for twenty minutes. No, it might not be the hour you believe you need, but it adds up to a whole lot more than nothing if you keep waiting for that perfect hour to show up.

And there you have it. My secret to writing a lot of words.

How much time in a day do you usually use to write? Have you ever needed to swap your routine around to fit your writing in? 


17 comments:

  1. Great inspiring post. It's like the Nike slogan, Just Do It. I write everyday, but not always on my W.I.P.
    I allow distractions to filter into my day. My writer group helps. We nudge each other on daily or weekly word counts. Stay strong!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree you have to be willing to change and not wait around for the perfect time. I do that with my walking... I can come up with excuses or I can just do it whenever I see the weather is decent. There is no perfect time for anything, congratulations on getting your writing done Misha xox ♡

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's a great outlook. I tend to let my lack of time (or just the want to sit around and do nothing after working all day) keep me from writing. What I really need to be doing is making myself write.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's a great out-put! I think I might be able to write more if I had limited internet access :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow! You are doing fabulously. And great advice. Every minute writing counts.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I must have missed your blog tour sign up. Hmm. Have to remedy that. Anyhow, I hear you about writing. Around the new baby my writing time has been almost non existent. What I found was working consistently was getting up at 6 so I had two hours before starting the school day with the kids. Then I'd get in at least 1 solid hour of writing before having to direct them. I also squeeze time in after the school day is done if I have the brainpower. (Between 3 and 4 PM.) It's not a ton of time, but it's something, and you're right. We just have keep pushing forward.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congrats on doing so well! And you're correct, of course - ultimately you just have to write. :) Thanks for the encouragement!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, you are doing well!

    I suspect I waste more of my writing time than I actually use. I will try to do better.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Glad to hear you are finding time to write. Very inspiring post!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I asked to change my work schedule just to get more writing time in. The kids prevent me from doing anything productive at home, so now I go to work early 4 days a week and get off early the 5th day. Then I stay at work and write. It works out well.

    Best of luck getting your writing in!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Pressing forward wherever and whenever a writer can, only makes sense. Keep pressing on, Misha.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Keep fighting! Glad that you're getting some writing in still. I'm in the same struggle myself:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your volume is staggering! I don't think I could shut my inner editor up long enough to write like that. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is wonderful. When life gets rough, I cut out some leisurely activities, have a document open and type on it when I can, and do whatever else I can to get the writing done.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I don't have a usual time. Right now I'm rewriting, and I do it whenever I can squeeze it in. Some days are definitely better than others.

    This post is so inspiring, and 40K is amazing! Thanks for the pep talk.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm proud of you for accomplishing so much. It can be hard to balance everything.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting! I love to read what you think.

Feel free to ignore the check-box saying "Prove you're not a robot." My word verification is off, but I moderate comments to posts older than two weeks.