tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387590336118749686.post1827340717001610394..comments2024-01-15T09:35:54.734+00:00Comments on It Had Better Be Good: The Day After The Weekend BeforeYvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712024237175327405noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387590336118749686.post-19154098126041600162008-03-19T12:24:00.000+00:002008-03-19T12:24:00.000+00:00I have to write in the morning. I'm a complete was...I have to write in the morning. I'm a complete waste of space in the afternoon. Sometimes I might get a second wind, but it can't be guaranteed.<BR/>JJxJenny Beattiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00640209636605410939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387590336118749686.post-60770343674369427692008-03-18T21:19:00.000+00:002008-03-18T21:19:00.000+00:00Debs, having a word count is a great initial motiv...Debs, having a word count is a great initial motivator, and like you when I'm on a roll I just keep going until I keel over! I think after a rusty start I'm warming up...and I have the apartment to myself so I don't really have any distractions.Yvonnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10712024237175327405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387590336118749686.post-19855951569566121092008-03-18T20:32:00.000+00:002008-03-18T20:32:00.000+00:00I find that having a word count to reach gives me ...I find that having a word count to reach gives me the incentive to start with the writing and then when I get into it - unless I'm interrupted - I'll carry on for hours until something disturbs me and I snap out of it and drag myself away.<BR/><BR/>I definately think it helps having my writing space away from everything else though. I wouldn't find it so hard to get so involved if I had other things happening around me.Deborah Carr (Debs)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03223653554549707595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387590336118749686.post-66811421397550258532008-03-18T20:08:00.000+00:002008-03-18T20:08:00.000+00:00Jen, your workday sounds so familiar! I do miss ha...Jen, your workday sounds so familiar! I do miss having people around to bounce off and spend time with when I need a break. And you're absolutely right, getting away from the computer can be useful for ideas. <BR/><BR/>I sounds very like Anthony Trollope actually, quite jealous of my word count!<BR/><BR/>Beth, wow after dinner, that's pretty amazing. I'm usually winding down then.Yvonnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10712024237175327405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387590336118749686.post-61047144252925800792008-03-18T18:39:00.000+00:002008-03-18T18:39:00.000+00:00I can only write before lunch or after dinner. Th...I can only write before lunch or after dinner. The afternoon is strictly for admin, chores or errands. I like to think of it as a perk of the job - although sometimes I question my own wisdom when I'm still staring at my laptop at 1am! ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387590336118749686.post-64413795753688356312008-03-18T18:09:00.000+00:002008-03-18T18:09:00.000+00:00I'm with you on this one - and used to be in a sim...I'm with you on this one - and used to be in a similar line of work with the editing/writing. I'm much better off getting lots of creative/cognitive tasks done in the morning, even though I'm not an early bird by nature... Because I can guarantee that somewhere between 2pm and 3pm I'll hit the wall and suddenly become incapable of anything except the most mundane, routine admin tasks.<BR/><BR/>I usually deal with it by getting up and annoying other people to give myself a break or wandering off to get a cup of tea. It's amazing what great ideas sometimes surface when you toddle away from the computer. Or, if no light bulbs go 'ping' then at least I've had a break from my desk :-)<BR/><BR/>Funnily enough, I usually get a second wind around 4pm and can at least wrap things up in a coherent way for the day. That's the theory, at least! <BR/><BR/>Was it Anthony Trollope who would get up, hit his word count for the day and then walk away from it, regardless of where he was in the writing process/what fantastic idea sprang to mind? Blimey, wish I could do that!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387590336118749686.post-14676728496463485262008-03-18T14:03:00.000+00:002008-03-18T14:03:00.000+00:00Helen, thanks. The housework is a pain alright!Cal...Helen, thanks. The housework is a pain alright!<BR/><BR/>Cal, I wish I had your problem! I'm constantly thinking about my novel but it's rare that I just keep writing, the quality just goes down after a while and I need a break. I'm so impressed that you get so much done!Yvonnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10712024237175327405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387590336118749686.post-22431306417581413322008-03-18T13:52:00.000+00:002008-03-18T13:52:00.000+00:00I just read an interview with a published writer w...I just read an interview with a published writer who also writes for Doctor Who and other TV programmes and he said that rather than set himself a certain amount of time to write each day he sets a word count he needs to meet. So if he writes his 1,300 words in the morning. As he says "in what other profession could you complete your work and then go and spend the afternoon in the cinema or having a long lunch?" I think I've paraphrased him badly but I see his point. Do your writing and then either a) enjoy yourself or b) do your other household jobs etc.<BR/><BR/>I'm VERY bad at knowing when to stop writing. I might do my work count for the day and then return to my computer and do a bit more and a bit more and a bit more until it gets to bedtime and I realise I haven't really stopped (no wonder I get so exhausted!). For me it doesn't help that my desk is in the living room so, even when I should be watching TV and relaxing I can see the laptop out of the corner of my eye and feel guilty that I'm relaxing when I could do a bit more writing. <BR/><BR/>When I start writing novel #2 I'm going to try and be more disciplined (I may also move the desk back to the bedroom) and tell myself that I need to write X number of words per day and that's it. I'm not ALLOWED to write any more. Relaxing and thinking time is just as important as writing time (it's just taken me a while to realise that!)CL Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04650291635298634215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387590336118749686.post-33863518423368677552008-03-18T13:37:00.000+00:002008-03-18T13:37:00.000+00:00I tend to intersperse writing with other stuff thr...I tend to intersperse writing with other stuff throughout the day. If you're doing that amount in solid chunks then it sounds like you're doing really well. And sadly, housework etc does need doing from time to time! In fact the most useful thing I've done so far today is to unblock a drain! My life is so glamorous ...HelenMWaltershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16182100572365505905noreply@blogger.com