Stop Writing. Right Now!

what happens when you dont write person-731165_960_720Between 2011 and 2017 I wrote and published seven books. I’m not a fast writer, in fact compared to many authors I write quite slowly. I ponder and I stare out of windows. Then, I write and I rewrite. In fact, my methodology is to start over at the beginning of my work-in-progress each time I sit down to write. I know, it’s masochistic, but it’s what I do.

During those years, writing became an almost daily part of my life. I even quit my day job for a short period of time to write full-time. When that didn’t go as planned and I went back to the daily grind, I still managed to put some words together and create some books. I’d put in my eight-hour days at the office and I’d write on days off and evenings. It worked out fine. Then, last year I stopped writing. No more fiction. No more made-up stories spilling from my head onto the paper. I just stopped. Continue reading “Stop Writing. Right Now!”

Top 5 Ways Authors Can Better Deal with Time

Time Management Tips for authors time-488112_640For authors, especially those who hold a day job in addition to writing, one of the hardest things is finding time to write, edit, publish, and market all the ideas they have.

I think time can feel like an enemy trying to keep us from getting what we need done. However, it’s not true. Time has no feelings and no agenda. Time is what it is, and that’s it. Time constraints start to feel stressful because of the way we interact with them. So, I thought I’d offer a few tips on how to view time so you see how much you’re getting out of the limited time you have each day. Continue reading “Top 5 Ways Authors Can Better Deal with Time”

A Part-time Writer’s Vacation

I go to an office five days a week in exchange for a regular paycheck and a limited amount of vacation time. Most of my vacations are spent with family and friends, but occasionally I take a few days just for myself, for that coveted stretch of uninterrupted writing time. This is hard to explain to a colleague. The conversation usually goes something like this:

“What are you going to do on vacation?”

“I plan to write.”

Pregnant pause.

“Yeah, but what are you going to do for fun?”

It’s at this point that I realize I shouldn’t tell more of the truth. So I’ll answer with a vague, “Oh, take long walks and hang by the pool–you know, relax.” Then my colleagues can sigh with relief that I am normal after all. They never have to know that what I’m really going to do is pretend that I quit my job to be a full-time novelist because I have a huge and devoted fan base clamoring for my next title. Continue reading “A Part-time Writer’s Vacation”