Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Writing Structure

Ha! You thought this post was going to be about plotting or outlining or something else story-structure related. But it is not. Today I'm talking about structuring your writing... life.

One of the most surprising discoveries I had about living my dream of working from home is that it is very difficult for me to actually... work.

Despite having a home office and plenty of time to dedicate to writing, I tend to find myself doing all sorts of other things when I should in fact be writing. It's strange really. I love to write. And it's not really that hard for me to hammer out 1k a day, and yet... frequently I find myself turning on the laptop and then... sorting clothes for a load of laundry, organizing my bookshelf, running to the store, reading the news, all with the thought in the back of my mind that I have ALL DAY to get my writing done, but these other things really should be done NOW.

Right. I am definitely one of those people who, the busier I am, the more I get done. If I can only squeeze in 30 minutes of writing in a day, I will write during that time. I work best with deadlines or when someone is waiting for something from me. I like having a list of things to do (okay, I like lists in general, if I'm being honest) but when the things I need to do are only for myself, I tend to falter. And then my dream life becomes, not quite a nightmare, but like one of those dreams where all you have to do is walk down the hall to the next room, but the hall keeps getting longer and you just keep walking and walking, but not reaching that room.

So. I'm going to try coming up with a strict schedule for myself. Something that has a lot on it, and a little time for writing. (I'm also going to finally start using Mac Freedom. I think.) I'm interested in knowing how those of you that have more "free" time available to write manage to actually write and not do something else. What are your tricks to staying focused?

2 comments:

amaris glass said...

*waits for the collective wisdom to flow in*

I have an awesome job that I love that has had a bit of downtime lately, and if I were the genius I always claim to be I'd be MUCH further along in my WIP than I am. Seriously. Like light-years ahead. And I wouldn't still be behind on emails (I feel certain I owe you one, Valerie...*goes and checks*...yep. Expect that missive soon!), or caught up on Grey's Anatomy.

Grrr.

*continues waiting for collective wisdom to come pouring in*

Valerie Kemp said...

LOL! Sadly there seems to be no wisdom here. Probably because that whole Butt In Chair thing really works. But how to get there...

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