Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Two Minute Break

I finished edits on Tiger's Mate today on my lunch break at work and sent it out.  Tomorrow I'm getting right back into A Tiger's Courage, the next book in this fantasy romance series.  I working on the 2nd draft of that book and hope to complete it before the end of April.

Finishing the book at work today is something I didn't used to be able to do.  In the early years of my writing career if I didn't get a stretch of time of a couple of hours I wouldn't even attempt to delve into my current project.  When my first book was accepted for publication I was already four books down the road from when I had completed that one.

Suddenly I needed to do promotion.  I had to start a website, begin blogging, join Facebook, and all sorts of other things.  After a book is contracted there are still many things to be done in the months between signing the contract and the book being released.  But I still wanted to work on the book I'd interrupted to begin promotion.

Besides learning to juggle different projects, I also learned to use those little slots of time. on my lunch break, while dinner is cooking, between loads of laundry and make the most of them.  I can visit a number of blogs while fixing dinner.  I can write a blog while waiting for a load of laundry to dry.  And today I finished edits on a book at lunch. 

I think most writers laboring at day jobs have learned to use every little bit of time or else we'd never get anything done.

How long a period of time do you need to get into your writer persona?  Do you fit writing work into your breaks on your day job?

11 comments:

Alex Ong said...

Yeah, these days I have no other choice then to fit little moments of writing during the rare lulls at my day job.

Alex
Breakfast Every Hour

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I write in little spurts on occasion. I like a stretch of time, but it only takes a minute for me to slip into writing mode.

Golden Eagle said...

Congratulations on finishing your edits!

I need around a half hour of time to get into my writing groove--I hate having less time than that to work on any current drafts, although it's easier with editing.

Melissa said...

Congratulations on finishing your edits!! That is SO exciting!! I can get into my writing persona really easily....but I need a lot of time to stay there or I get frustrated!

The Happy Whisk said...

Woohoo! Go you. Great job. Nice to get those done.

Cate Masters said...

Congrats on finishing edits and starting a new novel Susan!
I am slow to get into writer mode, I admit, and if something interrupts my momentum it can be tough to get back into it.

Anonymous said...

yay! edits over!
It does take me a little while - usually at least half an hour of social media surfing and gathering my thoughts.
With small children... I have to accept that I get inturruped at times

Helen Ginger said...

I do try to fit in writing breaks, but I rarely seem to actually get to write. If I can find a stretch of time, all I need is quiet.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I began writing in large spans, but by the third book, I'd become a bits & pieces writer. Sometimes it's challenging to dive in when I only have ten minutes, but I do it.
And you have an award today, Susan.

Ava Quinn said...

Woo hoo! Edits done!

I used to fit time in to write whenever and wherever, but my writing momentum as a whole has been interrupted.

Glad you're finding the time and energy to get all those writing things done!

Anonymous said...

I'm in writer's mode pretty much 24/7. If I could write ten hours a day I would. I love to write and blog and such. But I have a fam and such so I do the best I can at writing and that's all I can do.