{"id":3646,"date":"2013-07-03T16:48:20","date_gmt":"2013-07-03T16:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawrencecconnolly.com\/archive\/?p=3646"},"modified":"2023-07-29T20:12:05","modified_gmt":"2023-07-30T00:12:05","slug":"time-management-for-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawrencecconnolly.com\/archive\/2013\/07\/03\/time-management-for-writers\/","title":{"rendered":"Time Management for Writers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WPF<\/a>Writing is all about anticipation. A writer spends months writing a book that might see publication in a year, might garner good reviews sometime after that, and eventually \u2013 over the course of a decade \u2013 might contribute to a body of work that will define a career. It is, as fantasy author Jim C. Hines<\/a> has said, \u201ca marathon, and very much about long-term persistence.\u201d\"Time<\/a><\/p>\n

And therein lies the central dilemma for writers in the 21st<\/sup> century, for in an age of social media, why spend months writing a book that might get noticed in a year when you can take a  few seconds to write Facebook posts that generate likes, pokes, shares, and comments within minutes?<\/p>\n

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to ponder this question in a presentation for Seton Hill\u2019s In Your Write Mind<\/a> workshops, part of a retreat that runs concurrently with the University\u2019s summer residency in Writing Popular Fiction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During our time together, the attendees and I considered how easy it is to waste time while writing. Such wasn\u2019t the case in the days of typewriters and postmen who only rang twice. Back then, a writer could close the door, roll a sheet of blank paper into the platen, and work without interruption. Today it\u2019s a different story, one that the people at StayFocusd<\/a> \u2013 a time-management app for writers \u2013 sum up this way:<\/p>\n

\"StayFocusd_300x300\"<\/a>You sit down at the computer, and you swear you’ll be productive.  Next thing you know, it’s twelve hours later. You’ve checked your email, updated your Facebook status, browsed the trending topics on Twitter, read your RSS feeds, looked up your favorite band on Wikipedia, vanity googled yourself, cyber-stalked your ex, looked at all your high-school crushes’ Facebook photos, watered your plants on Farmville, and lost a week’s pay playing online poker. <\/i><\/p>\n

What you haven’t done is WORK.<\/i><\/p>\n

Sound familiar?<\/p>\n

Of course, you might not need an app to channel your writing behavior. It\u2019s all about being honest about how you are spending your writing time.<\/p>\n

Along the way, we discussed the importance of minimizing interruptions, taking short breaks, and setting firm quitting times. I usually allow time at the end of a session for a Q&A discussion, but the presentation\u2019s 50-minute window left little room for that. Instead, I encouraged the attendees to submit questions and comments for consideration on this blog, and so \u2013 at the risk of creating one more digital diversion in your writing day \u2013 here are a few of the questions and comments I received.<\/p>\n

Do you have any advice for English teachers who write? How can you find time for your own work when your life seems to revolve around assessing the work of others?<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

I think that the same time-management guidelines that make for a productive writing session can also aid those of us who juggle full-time teaching with professional writing. Give yourself two-to-three hours at the end of the day to read and grade papers at your desk. Set a firm quitting time, and leave when you hit it. Don\u2019t take work home. If you aren\u2019t able to finish the day\u2019s work, go in early the next day and wrap it up then. By doing this, you should be able to reserve a solid 90 minutes for writing in your home office. And let\u2019s not forget that teachers generally have as many as 180 non-teaching days during the course of the year, which is time that can be devoted to full-time writing. Teaching and writing are both demanding professions, but with a little planning they can work together quite well.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I recommend treating yourself if you hit your writing goal for the day. Allow yourself to do or eat something you enjoy. Reward yourself for getting the writing done first.<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Excellent advice. In this way, potential distractions become incentives for getting the job done first. <\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I recommend using the program Write or Die.<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Thanks for the suggestions. Here\u2019s a link for those who are interested: Write or Die<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As an aside, I must admit that I have always had a problem with the phrase \u201cwrite or die,\u201d which implies that writing is somehow unpleasant. I think \u201cwrite and live\u201d makes for a much better dictum. Don\u2019t you?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019ve gotten really good at writing X-number of words and completing goals. Editing, however, is another matter. I can\u2019t figure a way to quantify editing in a way that\u2019s as satisfying.<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Ah, yes. Editing! That\u2019s a topic that I addressed at length in my Sunday presentation for the WPF program. We\u2019ll cover it in my next blog post. Provided, of course, I can find the time. <\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Until then, keep focused, keep writing . . . and (if time permits) rock on!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Writing is all about anticipation. A writer spends months writing a book that might see publication in a year, might garner good reviews sometime after that, and eventually \u2013 over the course of a decade \u2013 might contribute to a body of work that will define a career. It is, as fantasy author Jim C. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-cat-21st-centuryscop","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[58,488,489,487,178],"class_list":["post-3646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-21st-centuryscop","category-appearances","tag-in-your-write-mind","tag-seton-hill","tag-stayfocusd","tag-time-management-for-writers","tag-writing-popular-fiction"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t