How I Write
I've been asked many times what my process is for writing. I blogged before that I wrote over 500,000 words last year (and that's not including the verbiage here on my blog). And that's with working full-time up to August, and 30 hours a week after that. *And* being president of my local RWA chapter.
I'm not reporting this to toot my own horn (not totally, anyway. I mean... Hell. That's quite an accomplishment, ain't it?!?) but to share *how* I do it.
First of all, I have to say that I am driven. I want to make my writing career a success and so, for the time being, I am completely focused on being able to write. My early morning is spent answering emails and putting my blog up. Once I get home from work in the afternoon, I try to have my behind parked behind the computer no later than 4:30 p.m. I write until at least 7 p.m., sometimes later if I still have enough creative juice left.
When I get stuck, I switch gears to another project--I usually have at least two going on at one time, plus my blog story. If that doesn't work, I may take a day or two off because it just means I've blown a fuse and need to recharge.
Right now I have a dragon shifter novella in the works (about half-way done), and a full-length werewolf novel (just started, under 5,000 words written so far).
If you're an author, how do you do it?
3 comments:
You're awesome, Sherrill. And you're always so helpful. That makes for good karma.
Like you, I have a full time job and I write every spare minute I find.
Probably because I haven't written as much as you, I find I'm slower and hesitate more to find the right words. Each book seems to be easier in some ways and harder in others. The technical aspects seem to get easier (no small task since English is my second language). But what gets harder are the nuances, those little details in a story that make a good novel a memorable one.
I'm very proud of you, Sherrill. You're an inspiration.
Oh, Maria, you're such a sweetie. I'm glad you can find inspiration in watching me sweat and toil. LOL
I have to say, the fact that I have such a kick-ass critique group has really helped me tremendously.
One thing I would say is don't worry about the exact right words. Sometimes if I can't think of a word--not even one that can act as a filler--I'll just type a couple of Xs ("xx") and highlight them so I can find them later. That's especially important if I'm in the zone and the words are flowing.
Of course, I always have the web page of a thesaurus open, too... *G*
Oh, and let me add, Maria, that I admire the fact you can write a book in a language that isn't your first language. :)
Post a Comment