On April 1, I put my new writing schedule into action.
I will be scribbling away every morning for at least an hour, between the hours of 6am and 8am, for the foreseeable future. This is only possible because of the earlier sunrises but I’m literally seizing the dawn of the day to get this book in the bag.
This morning, I managed to add 1700 words to my total, and I’m mightily pleased about that.
Last week, when I decided that this was the only way forward (I didn’t write myself a contract but at the same time, mentally, I think I did), I wrote around 3,000 words over four days.
My aim is to write 5,000 to 7,000 words a week. If possible, I don’t want to be writing at the weekends.
Why? Well, I write a lot for my day job, and one thing I’m desperately trying to get to grips with this year is BALANCE.
Writing in caps because it’s so important I don’t burn myself out. I had a wobble the week before last when my battery got too low.
To that end, yesterday, I spent the day reading. I’m trying to find a way back to my luddite Sundays of yore, and this was a step in the right direction.
I’ve almost finished Daisy Jones & The Six, by Taylor Jenkins-Reid, after it was recommended to me by one of the writers, in my writers group.
I’ve seen the streaming series with the fabulous Riley Keough, and am enjoying the book just as much. I now desperately want to waft around Laurel Canyon in a kaftan, circa ‘78.
Eventually, I put the book down and went for a short walk in the sunshine. I woke up this morning feeling refreshed, thanks to a decent chunk of time away from my assortment of screens.
And silly thought this sounds, as I write, I’ve been making myself belly laugh.
Published authors - is this a good thing?
It’s great therapy for me but does it make for a great novel? The book is an absurdist modern comedy, so laughing is pretty integral to the process (I think?).
Anyway, as you can probably tell, I’m on a bit of a roll. Let’s see if I can keep the momentum going through to August 1, which is my deadline for a first draft. The vomit draft, as we call it at writers group.
I’m anticipating a terrifying word salad but salads are easier to refine than imaginary manuscripts.
Put that on a t-shirt!
Happy writing - and if you’re UK-based, I hope you’re also enjoying the sunshine. What a difference it makes!
Lisa
Lisa, I think the laughing is great! Humor is tough to write, so good! And you're managing to write steadily, so important. Re Taylor Jenkins-Reid, for a quick enjoyable (to me) novel I liked The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It's an LA town book - you will gobble it up—after your Laurel Canyon experience ):
Wafting around Laurel Canyon in a caftan really sounds like both an ideal lifestyle and also a great memoir title.