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A month ago, I decided to nail down the fourth week of each month in order to concentrate solely upon my sequel, ‘A Vengeance of Angels.’
This hapless WIP had languished in my documents folder since January, having been overtaken by other pressing priorities. But now things are rolling again. Setting aside one week per month allows me to continue with the promotion of the first book, the editing of the paperback version, the creation of payment-per-project short stories and novellas and still allow me time to move the WIP forward.
Since I resolved to discipline my writing self, the Word count has risen from 21,000 to 29,500. Not a huge leap by any standards, but it’s progress. Add to that the research that I’ve put in and I feel that the pace is adequate to complete the sequel by the middle of nex year.
Sure, I’d love to complete it sooner, but I have so much paying work coming in that to finish it sooner would be to rush it and I prefer my novels to grow slowly – to marinate, as it were. If time allows, I can speed things up a little, but at the moment, it’s a case of finding time for everything – and keeping the (non shape-shifting) wolves at bay.
Have you made any big changes to your writing schedule that’s allowed you to be more prolific or more organised?
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Sep 16, 2013 @ 16:47:26
I like to take my time, too. Marinate is a good word. I read about these writers rolling out two books a year (and some, six or more) and I have no idea how it’s possible, unless it’s all plot and no style. Even then, plot is tricky, so I’m still scratching my head.
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Sep 17, 2013 @ 08:55:07
My first completed novel was written backwards – plot-wise, anyway. I knew how it was going to conclude and so all other events led up to that climax. Weird – but it got me out of my decades-long ‘never-ending-story’ rut.
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Aug 23, 2013 @ 23:43:05
I commit to one night a week, a solid three-hour chunk, and anything else I can fit in between is gravy. So yeah, slow-going, but any addition to the wordcount, however small, is progress, right?
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Aug 24, 2013 @ 11:49:35
Nicole,
You sound so organised. 😀 Wish I knew when I would have that sort of time to depend on. You say you write for three hours solid. Have you explored the Pomodoro method of writing yet?
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Aug 24, 2013 @ 19:34:17
My husband used the Pomodoro method for years (I think he’s fallen out of it now that he’s in an office environment and not working from home). I personally don’t like it for writing because I tend to go on a tear, write like crazy until I get the scene done and then take a break. Relying on fixed times would throw off my flow, you know what I mean? But I do take a few minutes during my natural lulls to check my phone, have a bite to eat, whatever. Those three hours are in a coffee shop so there aren’t the usual at-home distractions. Three hours actually isn’t that hard to eke out – I call it a date with my laptop and it gets scheduled into the calendar just like work and dates with the husband do. But I’m a night person – 8-11pm or 9-midnight is my best time. 🙂
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Aug 23, 2013 @ 14:51:31
I like the idea of ‘marinating’ our work. Yes, exactly. I have 3 half-written (well, quarter, really) manuscripts that have been marinating for way too long. But in the meantime, I’ve published two of my oldest, most prime, works, and after their promotions, I’m off to start grilling again. 🙂
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Aug 23, 2013 @ 14:54:27
Congrats on getting those older ones out! I have a sci-fi and a high fantasy novel languishing in the ‘to be completed’ folder from a decade and six years ago respectively. One day I may be able to do what you did and have them emerge blinking into the light of day…
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Aug 23, 2013 @ 14:58:17
Never doubt it!
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Aug 23, 2013 @ 13:43:56
Glad to hear you’re resisting the temptation to rush it. I’d agree entirely that good novels need to steep and ripen for some time like a fine cheese (or sock). Take the time and make it good rather than making it quick. My own writing ‘schedule’ – a laughable term in this case – remains as chaotic as ever, with an hour being snatched here and there around other projects. I did get on a roll for a week or two, but something always seems to set a trap.
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Aug 23, 2013 @ 13:48:09
I know exactly what you mean. I get to the point where I think ‘Now I can get back to my WIP’ only seconds before another contract lands ‘splat’ in my inbox. I can’t complain – it brings in the money, but it don’t ‘alf interfere with the plans, guv.
I think of my novel as a curry – it needs to soak up the flavours of the contemporary world plus any and all ideas that leak out of my tiny mind. To rush it would be to dunk the meat of the story in a sauce, drag it out and drop it into a polystyrene tray before serving it up.
😛
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Aug 23, 2013 @ 13:54:35
Easy tiger, that’s my preferred method of serving curry! Never had any complaints yet. Well, not many…
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Aug 23, 2013 @ 13:59:44
Once you scrape away the sauce, there’s very little underneath. Not my idea of a good meal. Perhaps beating the story with a tenderiser and butterflying it might help…
Hmm. Wouldn’t recommend it – anyone know a good laptop repairman?
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