Sounds like us!

[Quillwitch]

Very funny and very enlightening story about how one goes about becoming a writer.
lynettefisher104

 

[Alistair Roberts]

There's a short answer, write.

 

[Quillwitch]

The real question is HOW. What´s your process like? Your hardships? Your quirky habits, maybe. I think we all have our own process and there are many ways of getting there, but there are those little things that seem to happen to all of us on the journey that makes us brothers and sisters in arms.

 

[Carol Rose]

1. Sit down at my desk each morning before the sun rises.
2. Check online banking and other tasky crap of everyday life.
3. Pimp out my favorite authors, blog sites, anyone who is a guest blogger on my site that day.
4. Any promo for my own books that's new - like a review I found or a new cover.
5. Check Litopia
6. Fart around on Facebook for an hour.
7. Open up the latest WIP.
8. Read over what I wrote the day before and edit it.
9. Mark down my word count needed for that day to reach my goal.
10. WRITE

 

[KG Christopher]

My goal at the moment is to try and write 2 chapters a week, about 8k words. I find it easier to write first thing in the morning, and like Carol says, we all have to do the daily 'juggling' so that takes up time.

 

[Carol Rose]

Forgot to add that's for a weekend day, or any day when I don't have to go to the day job. On the days I work, I sneak in writing whenever I can, and sometimes I don't make my word count for the day. No biggie since I don't have deadlines. I simply try again the next day. The only time I drop everything and push to make a deadline is when I have edits to return, because turning in those late would delay a scheduled release day.

 

[KG Christopher]

This motivates me.....

Pet Food - The Starter
Word Counts
Chapter Counts Start End

CP 3639 1st Dec 7th Dec

C1 2887 7th Dec 14th Dec

C2 3696 14th Dec 21st Dec

C3 2431 21st Dec 28th Dec

C4 3860 1st Jan 7th Jan

C5 4907 8th Jan 15th Jan

C6 2737 16th Jan 23rd Jan

C7 3468 24th Jan 29th Jan

C8 4303 29th Jan 3rd Feb

C9 4469 4th Feb 10th Feb

C10 4225 11th Feb 15th Feb

C11 4357 15th Feb 22nd Feb

C12 4937 22nd Feb 28th Feb

C13 2797 1st Mar 4th Mar

C14 0

C15 0

C16 0

C17 0

C18 0

C19 0

C20 0

CE 0

Total 52,713 1st Dec 4th Mar

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Thanks for sharing that, Quillwitch. Lynette Fisher is bound to get published, based on that blog post. I don't think though, the Yow yows would curse the landlocked for failing to rescue them, but they might dream of coming home, like this from Mark Knopfler...

Howlllll

 

[Quillwitch]

In case you guys haven´t read it, I love this section where she pokes fun of her own ignorance.

Story one –The day after I turned 40 and the felt the grim reaper counting my wrinkles I plunged into a mid-life crisis. This involved the decision to write a young adult story for my niece because her copy of Twilight was falling apart and I was sick of hearing about vampires. I completed said story (The other side of light) and marveled at my absolute cleverness, nay genius, and said niece obviously loved it because she loves me ( I am very lovable).
Immediately I found out how one goes about publishing works of utter genius and sent out a few submissions to agents…I wish I could apologise personally to them but I fear the restraining orders have not yet elapsed. Cringe.
As you will be unsurprised to hear the chapters thunked back onto my doormat with resounding “Seriously?” type responses.
I then found out about the Winchester Writing Conference. Something I could attend to meet like-minded people, attend some workshops and have 1:1 consultations where the poor victims behind their tables would have to read your chapters and give you feedback. Sounded good to me.

At this point I had no idea about the writing process, about the industry and how it worked. It was like being embraced into a really warm family who all understood the voices in your head and didn’t think you were odd, but at the same time thinking you had booked on a beginners course in French and found yourself in a degree course in Mandarin. Having said that, it was amazing and something I look forward to every year.
By this point I had seen for myself that ‘The other side of light’ needed setting aside and I had learned that there was this thing called a first draft (which you really aren’t supposed to show anyone) which this manuscript clearly was.
I was assaulted by story two, ‘Beautiful Evil’- and swapped to write this – took it to my first 1:1 with hope in my heart but the first comment of feedback made me cringe with a capital INGE…
“Do you have some aversion to indenting your paragraphs?”
ouch…
I had, for so long, only written emails that I had lost the art of paragraph etiquette. This was swiftly followed by
“Don’t you read?”
ouchie ouch!
The last comment, with a tight ‘please go away now’ smile, was
“but I like the premise,”
meaning I like the idea but I really wish someone else was writing it!!

 

[Alistair Roberts]

I try to write every day, but when I just can't do it, I swing over to editing. Time to do more editing

 

[Nicole Wilson]

Depends on what I'm working on. I don't write every day, but I do writing-related activities every day (be it editing, researching, outlining, etc.) If it's a work day, usually, after I come home from work, I do some kind of exercise (usually a run), shower, eat, read my Bible, then put my laptop or paper in front of me and do the writing/activity. If I'm having trouble focusing (which is more often than I'd like to admit), I'll disconnect my computer from the internet and switch off wifi and mobile data on my phone.

 

[Quillwitch]

Depends on what I'm working on. I don't write every day, but I do writing-related activities every day (be it editing, researching, outlining, etc.) If it's a work day, usually, after I come home from work, I do some kind of exercise (usually a run), shower, eat, read my Bible, then put my laptop or paper in front of me and do the writing/activity. If I'm having trouble focusing (which is more often than I'd like to admit), I'll disconnect my computer from the internet and switch off wifi and mobile data on my phone.

After doing all that, how much time is left over for writing? Home many minutes or hours do you write a day, Nicole?

 

[Nicole Wilson]

After doing all that, how much time is left over for writing? Home many minutes or hours do you write a day, Nicole?

I usually have a 2 or 3 hours to get everything on my to-do list done. Luckily, I'm married to an author, so he gets that I need that time to do writing stuff (as does he).

 

[Quillwitch]

I usually have a 2 or 3 hours to get everything on my to-do list done. Luckily, I'm married to an author, so he gets that I need that time to do writing stuff (as does he).

That helps plenty!

 

[Matnov]

There's a short answer, write.

Then re-write. And re-write again. And again. And again. And...you get the picture.

 

[Quillwitch]

I´m kind of getting the feeling that nobody, save maybe one of you has followed the link. Well, no problem. I like everyone´s answer´s I just think it odd that this post seemed to have missed the mark. tee hee...

 

[KG Christopher]

I´m kind of getting the feeling that nobody, save maybe one of you has followed the link. Well, no problem. I like everyone´s answer´s I just think it odd that this post seemed to have missed the mark. tee hee...

I have a policy on links that Litopians put up, I will only comment if I have read the article.

The piece about hitting 40 and feeling 'the need to write' I can relate to 100%. But for me it was the end of a work contract in my 51st year. Storming into the directors office calling him an 'arrogant French nomark who knows nothing about middleware.' and deciding that at some stage I may have to get another job, but for the next 6 months, I'm gonna at least keep a promise to my children and write the stories down.'

 

[Carol Rose]

I´m kind of getting the feeling that nobody, save maybe one of you has followed the link. Well, no problem. I like everyone´s answer´s I just think it odd that this post seemed to have missed the mark. tee hee...

I read it. It simply didn't grab me the way it grabbed you, probably because I've read posts like this dozens and dozens of times. Nothing new for me to juggle time with my husband, caring for my our child, housework, day job demands, and my desire to write. I've been doing it for years.

I completed my first novel in 2000, but wasn't published until 2011, the year I turned 54. So yeah, the post was another of those been there... done that kinds of things for me. She also doesn't seem to have written anything else since then, and the blog post is two years old so I was like meh... okay. Whatever. It's nothing personal against you @Quillwitch. Everyone will have a different take on posts like this.

 

[Quillwitch]

No problem. I just found it weird that people were answering a question that wasn´t posed. I thought maybe they hadn´t realized that I was referring to a post. I believe you were the only one who actually followed the post.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

I thought we were supposed to answer a question that hadn't been posted! Isn't that normal?

 

[Jason Byrne]

I thought we were supposed to answer a question that hadn't been posted! Isn't that normal?

The The War Of The Oaken Bucket. That's which one.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

No problem. I just found it weird that people were answering a question that wasn´t posed. I thought maybe they hadn´t realized that I was referring to a post. I believe you were the only one who actually followed the post.

I read and responded.

 

[Quillwitch]

I thought we were supposed to answer a question that hadn't been posted! Isn't that normal?

Of course! My bad.

 

[Quillwitch]

I read and responded.

Oh, that´s right, it was you!! Sorry, and thanks.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

One's always gotta check out the Quillwitch

 

[Peggy Lou]

I write in fits and starts. Somedays the ideas come and I have to write them. Then there are the fallow days. I usually do other things on those days, read more and edit what I've written. Not perhaps the most disciplined way to do it, but I've realised I cannot set a timetable.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I write in fits and starts. Somedays the ideas come and I have to write them. Then there are the fallow days. I usually do other things on those days, read more and edit what I've written. Not perhaps the most disciplined way to do it, but I've realised I cannot set a timetable.

I'm the same way. If it doesn't come naturally, leave it. There's always something to do, apart from creative writing—editing being a constant presence.

 

[Peggy Lou]

Good to have company.

 

[Quillwitch]

I write in fits and starts. Somedays the ideas come and I have to write them. Then there are the fallow days. I usually do other things on those days, read more and edit what I've written. Not perhaps the most disciplined way to do it, but I've realised I cannot set a timetable.

That´s pretty much the way I do it too. I don´t think there us a right or wrong way of doing it. We all do what we can, when we can. Discipline is overrated.

 

[Nicole Wilson]

I'm impressed by you guys. I can't just write "when I feel like it" because I would never get anything done. There are too many books and movies and TV shows for me to watch instead. I have to be disciplined. When I'm in my few months of writing, I set a word count of 5,000 a week and do my darnedest to hit it or make it up next week.