Friday, November 9, 2007

What Works?

I've been thinking about the vastly different approaches to writing I and various author friends of mine use.

One writes 10,000 words a day, five days a week, no matter what. She believes in treating her writing like her day job and putting in the hours accordingly.

One has an office away from her home specifically for her writing (clearly this is an author who already sells nicely so she can afford it!). She thinks it's best to separate her home life from her writing life so she can be "all business" without any distractions.

One keeps the entire book running around in her head until three or four weeks before deadline and then pulls as many all-nighters as it takes to get it written in one shot. She thinks an author can't write every single day because you have to be living life and experiencing things to write about.

All three of these women are successful bestselling authors.

I find these different philosophies encouraging because I'm still trying to find my stride. I think I'd like to write every day, at least a chapter or, for a really crazy day, a scene, but some days the distractions of my life pull me inevitably away from my desk.

I think maybe I need a laptop. I think I should head down to the local coffee shop and park myself in the corner for a couple hours every day, plug in my ipod, and pour out the words. I find it hard to sit and write for concentrated periods of time here because something else is always demanding my attention (the laundry, the kitchen, the ridiculously large pile of ironing) and I can't seem to ignore it. Going to a coffee shop would be a way to have an "office" away from home where I could quickly get into a "writing only" mindset.

We'll see what my hubby has to say about getting me a laptop. = )

8 comments:

  1. I get my new laptop next week sometime so you can have mine. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh now I'm totally excited!!

    Yay! =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yay for handmedown laptops!

    *laughs* I was about to say, I'm about to get a new laptop here soon. Mine is still in good shape, it's just pushing three years old.

    You'll hit your stride, it's hard sometimes when you're working two other jobs! (heck I have trouble with just one)

    K

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bad thing is, I always make fun of the nerds that sit in coffee shops for hours on end. Now it would be better to go to borders or barnes and nobles and sit in one of the comfy chairs!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mal-

    A. I am not a nerd.

    B. I will sit wherever I please.

    C. You make fun of me at your own risk (and we both know I can kill you with a thought).

    = )

    I actually like the idea of Barnes and Nobles but I don't want to drive to Cool Springs when I can pop over to Spring Hill instead.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Pop over? Come on oh loquacious one.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You dare insult me when I'm lying in bed with pnemonia??

    You have some nerve, oh Dead One.

    Let's see...

    I don't particularly relish the thought of entering my prehistoric , child-friendly vehicle to embark on the somewhat arduous journey to the lovely location of Cool Springs when I could instead invest a mere five minutes of my precious time on the admittedly brief trek from my gracious abode to the local purveyor of brewed caffienated beverages.

    Better? *said with plenty of attitude, pnemonia nonwithstanding*

    ReplyDelete

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