Working
August 21st 2008 23:12
I've been working a lot lately and working very actively on my writing, specifically on the book Jihad (in the previous post). It's coming along nicely and it flows, but at times it's a bit slow. I've spent about 20-30 hours this week working on it, and why? Because I love my work and I have a deadline.
I get a newsletter from the writer Holly Lisle. She has some opinions on writing, planning, and editing that I do not share. (Her mind organizes writing into scenes. I can't do that.) She also is a bit of a workaholic, but I understand where she's coming from. Although her organization and her style of work is generally not mine, she does have some good ideas and is clearly devoted to her work.
One thing she stresses in her articles on writing is that writing is work. If you want to make a living off of your writing, you have to work your ass off, and this usually includes working your ass off at a day job. But when it doesn't, it means being able to write pretty much day in and day out. Sometimes your workload will be heavier than it is at other times.
But you need to be willing to put in the work. When I have a deadline I write every day in spurts, especially since we got a very distracting video game recently. I write for an hour, then I do something else for an hour, or two hours some days. Not necessarily that timeline (I've spent a few hours on the computer now... but I haven't had it all week), but something along those lines.
I don't work every day unless working to a tight deadline. Why? Because it screws with my creative juices. I generally take my weekends off. Of course, despite the deadline, I'm taking this whole weekend off (anime convention). But I write as often as I can.
Writing is work. If you want to make a living off of it you have to think of it like any other job; you have to be willing to work at it day in and day out. Even when I'm not technically writing, I'm role playing, which improves writing style anyway. I'm always up to something creative, and that, I think, is the important thing.
If you want to write, you have to be willing to work. Holly Lisle is working 60 hours a week on a course she's writing. (I'm going to have to do a blog on her site someday. Whenever I next mention her, somebody remind me to do that.) I'm working I-don't-keep-track-of-hours-t hank-you-very-much. But I am writing every day for an hour or for a few hours. Writing is a big part of my life. It has to be.
A writer will sometimes have to work that 60 hours, even sometimes 80 hours a week in order to keep themselves eating and sleeping with a roof over their head. Making a living as a writer is not easy. Writing a book is not easy. Editing a book is DEFINITELY not easy. Getting a book published is even less so.
There will probably be more on the work aspect of writing in the near future, as I slave away over novels which I have tight deadlines on for publication.
I get a newsletter from the writer Holly Lisle. She has some opinions on writing, planning, and editing that I do not share. (Her mind organizes writing into scenes. I can't do that.) She also is a bit of a workaholic, but I understand where she's coming from. Although her organization and her style of work is generally not mine, she does have some good ideas and is clearly devoted to her work.
One thing she stresses in her articles on writing is that writing is work. If you want to make a living off of your writing, you have to work your ass off, and this usually includes working your ass off at a day job. But when it doesn't, it means being able to write pretty much day in and day out. Sometimes your workload will be heavier than it is at other times.
But you need to be willing to put in the work. When I have a deadline I write every day in spurts, especially since we got a very distracting video game recently. I write for an hour, then I do something else for an hour, or two hours some days. Not necessarily that timeline (I've spent a few hours on the computer now... but I haven't had it all week), but something along those lines.
I don't work every day unless working to a tight deadline. Why? Because it screws with my creative juices. I generally take my weekends off. Of course, despite the deadline, I'm taking this whole weekend off (anime convention). But I write as often as I can.
Writing is work. If you want to make a living off of it you have to think of it like any other job; you have to be willing to work at it day in and day out. Even when I'm not technically writing, I'm role playing, which improves writing style anyway. I'm always up to something creative, and that, I think, is the important thing.
If you want to write, you have to be willing to work. Holly Lisle is working 60 hours a week on a course she's writing. (I'm going to have to do a blog on her site someday. Whenever I next mention her, somebody remind me to do that.) I'm working I-don't-keep-track-of-hours-t hank-you-very-much. But I am writing every day for an hour or for a few hours. Writing is a big part of my life. It has to be.
A writer will sometimes have to work that 60 hours, even sometimes 80 hours a week in order to keep themselves eating and sleeping with a roof over their head. Making a living as a writer is not easy. Writing a book is not easy. Editing a book is DEFINITELY not easy. Getting a book published is even less so.
There will probably be more on the work aspect of writing in the near future, as I slave away over novels which I have tight deadlines on for publication.
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Comment by Wayne Tully
Blogger Coach
Draw Fantasy Art
SuperBlogging
Good luck with your writing projects!
Comment by Jenn Hollowell
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Reality Mom
Good luck with all you're doing!
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
Thanks!
Personally, I love writing and would be so, so happy if it was the only job I needed to have.
Writing all day is great if you can keep it up. Even a few hours with breaks in the middle is great.
~Dianna
Jenn,
Thanks.
It's true, a lot of writers don't look at it as a job when they should. If you want to write for fun, go ahead. If you want to write for friends/family, that's great. But if you want to make money or especially a living out of it, you're going to need to treat it like a job.
I'm probably going to burn out for a couple weeks after November, but so far I'm fine. (No I'm not, I'm out of it, exhausted, in pain, but it was worth it. Anime convention.)
~Dianna