The Day Job

Jake Reynolds said:
I started getting up an hour and a half earlier (5.45am) to squeeze in time every day before work. Then, throw in some all day saturday and I'm clocking up to 15 hours a week. The regularity of my sessions means that I can go to/from work thinking about what I write that morning, making my little notes on Evernote for revising the following day. I find the regular nature of it really beneficial for a writing, reflection, notes, edits, writing, reflection, notes, edit kind of routine.
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100% this. Doing something every day is essential in my opinion. It keeps your writing in your head, which will make writing so much easier. I was editing five pages a day, but I had to go off to shoot a film away for a couple of weeks, and had no time or opportunity to do any writing. I'm now back, and my writing is completely out of my head and I am finding it really hard to get started again.
 
I find that to keep myself going I always have to make myself write something every day. And I don't mean editing previous work or outlining chapters to come, I mean actually sitting at a keyboard and adding new words to the end of my current story. It's far to easy to get caught up in perfecting what I've already done, to the point that I settle into a comfortable rhythm and neglect creating anything new.
 
Coragem said:
Mr Overlord, I empathised with your post very much. Especially that last sentence.

And if your peculiar brand of humour carries over into your writing (and you can also do quality, precision, and consistency) you might go very far indeed.
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Thank you, Coragem. I try to season my writing with my peculiar brand of humour, and hope that the reader does not choke to death on it.

Quality, precision and consistency? Again, I try. One day I'll succeed.

And that Muse of mine will probably demand her percentage of the gross! :)
 
I always used to think Bernard Cornwell was writing without heart when he said you have to make your office boring and shy away from the beautiful world, but I realised over time that he was being practical. Getting the inspiration for your story happens from every day life and what prevents it from appearing on paper is a plethora of distractions. Controlling your writing environment and making it as distraction free as impossible is a massive help. Setting small goals so you've always got something to work towards really helps ("organic" writers may hate the idea of any kind of planning or structure, but that just shies away from accepting that the vast majority of story has underlying structure and there's nothing wrong with that). Playing our your scene in your mind before writing it, so you know you're writing something that works for the story... All little tricks that can add up to focus us enough to finish something :)
 
Clive R said:
It's meant to be an enjoyable aspect of your life, not life or death.
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Bowler1 said:
until then, its to relax and enjoy as a hobby.

Coragem I’m sure you can tell us why the human nature hates work we have to do, but will sometimes commit every other spare hour into voluntary pursuits without any concern at all. This is the route of your suffering – work!
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For me, just now, the above thoughts have helped massively. Thanks!!

A lot of my problem has been that since reducing the day job hours in order to write the writing did begin to seem like life or death, or at least like a piece of work I had to succeed in (or be "a failure").

I've written several notes and spread them around the house, telling me to think of writing as a treat, a pleasure, a hobby to look forward to. It didn't make me sit down and bang out several thousand words, but it has enabled me to enjoy writing again, and rediscover some creative sparkle, and feel MUCH better.

Coragem
 
I think the only circumstance I can't bare to write in is the "vacuum". Used to do the majority of my writing on the bus to/from work (just less than an hour each way), during work, or at the pub with friends. Pretty ignorant, I know, but when an idea comes to me there's no way I'd let it slip away without at least making a note of it. My phone has been invaluable for this.

Since being out of work, what I've posted here for the 300-/75-word challenges has been it. So that's 375 words since June. Apparently I get more done when I'm supposed to be doing something else, lol.
 
Weirdly, my favourite place to write has become the "Spartacus: Vengeance" catering tent, at 5am.
 
David Evil Overlord said:
And that Muse of mine will probably demand her percentage of the gross! :)
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Never neglect the Muse, she can be a cold-hearted ***** when she wants to be. :D

Dozmonic said:
Playing our your scene in your mind before writing it, so you know you're writing something that works for the story... All little tricks that can add up to focus us enough to finish something :)
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This is how my whole story came to exist, before being made redundant I was working in a slow paced job that gave me a lot of time to think. I often found myself day-dreaming about my story, fleshing it out in my mind. And it stuck there, I was so absorbed in it that I could often think of little else. So when I suddenly found I had the time to write, it tumbled out of my mind and onto the screen.

Of course it later went through several complete rewrites before I thought I had the story plot perfect.
 
Warren_Paul said:
I often found myself day-dreaming about my story, fleshing it out in my mind.
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This is probably common. I had about 2 years before I began writing, during which time my characters and plot were emerging in my head. At the time I couldn't begin writing because I was finishing a non-fiction book, and my day job was just crazy.

That said, once I began writing, once the characters began interacting, the story came to life in utterly unexpected ways.

For those who need noise to work … well, we're all different. My poor brain can't multi-task at all. I know people who do amazing work while listening to music, or even talkie radio, but noise drives me nuts -- for me it makes thoughts slip away like they're in a leaky bucket.

Mind you, while I need quiet to actually write, I'd say I get my best ideas while I'm out walking or jogging.

Coragem.
 
writing is my "outlet" I have found that with no life to let out, I have nothing to write. I am looking forward to getting back to work so that my floodplain of thought will be gathered back into a channel again.
I agree that time mismanagement is part of my current 'non-writing' phase (I havent even turned on the computer for a few days, and when I have it is to run straight to the internet not open a word document and type anything that I have been thinking about.) but that extends to all of my life for the moment, not just writing.
When I was gone almost 9hr/day I made time for at least 3hr/day of socialized writing (which is how i started writing) most often eating at the computer as I wrote. on my breaks at work I would roll ideas around in my head and flesh out my characters personalities so that when I got home to my character sheets and noodles I could dive in with both feet.
now I spend random moments thinking about the world I want to write in and making mental lists of things to research that 90% of the time I forget or dont do.

long post shorter: if I felt pinched for time I would manage it better and write more. because there are almost no demands on my time i waif about like a lost soul rearranging my nirvana space for want of something more tangible to do.
 
Well, my day job peters out on the 31st leaving me (theoretically) much more time for writing (I got nearly a chapter done in the unemployment office).

Unfortunately I've got several tens of thousands of words which are written longhand already; what takes time with me is typing it into the computer (yes, I am looking into dictation software, but it's 'spensive, and I'm poor).

And what is probably going to happen is a short burst of getting more written, then apathetic lethargy for a while, returning to a rate which is probably no higher than now, when I have no time even to welcome people into the Chrons, or red-pen deface people's critique submissions.
 
chrispenycate said:
Well, my day job peters out on the 31st leaving me (theoretically) much more time for writing (I got nearly a chapter done in the unemployment office).
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Sorry to hear that, Crispy. :(

chrispenycate said:
Unfortunately I've got several tens of thousands of words which are written longhand already; what takes time with me is typing it into the computer (yes, I am looking into dictation software, but it's 'spensive, and I'm poor).
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While dictation software is all good for getting thoughts onto paper, I found through experience that it has trouble understanding accents, training it to your voice is a very difficult thing to do, from experience.

I think there is a few free ones around, but not sure how good they are. But now that I think about it, I'm sure Microsoft built speech recognition into word at one point, will have to look into it.

*wanders off to check up on theory*

I'm back! Yes, by default Windows Vista and Windows 7 have voice recognition built into it, you get to it by going: Start Menu --> All Programs --> Accessories --> Ease of Use --> Speech Recognition.

After running through a setup process you will be able to use your computer by voice with a mic, including dictating into Word 2007 or later - or even just Wordpad (if you don't have Word). (Word 2003 has it's own standalone system for voice recognition).

The other option is to get a family member type it for you. But in the end, you do get better at typing the more you do it, or at least that's what I found, but that may be just me.


chrispenycate said:
And what is probably going to happen is a short burst of getting more written, then apathetic lethargy for a while, returning to a rate which is probably no higher than now, when I have no time even to welcome people into the Chrons, or red-pen deface people's critique submissions.
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Just do what you can, unless your working to a contract there is no set pace to keep to, whether it be writing or critiquing, and I'm sure everyone appreciates what you have been able to do so far. :)
 
chrispenycate said:
And what is probably going to happen is a short burst of getting more written, then apathetic lethargy for a while, returning to a rate which is probably no higher than now, when I have no time even to welcome people into the Chrons, or red-pen deface people's critique submissions.
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I often find myself repeating mistakes and getting into ruts. Thinking I can't change and anticipating failure before I even begin.

BUT it's all a case of mental attitude. Fight that "apathetic lethargy"!

Personally I've gone so far as to stick notes around the house to keep my head in check -- to remind myself to disallow negative thinking, and focus only on what I do (not what I fail to do), and believe in myself.

When I get my head in check, when I believe I will do well, when I refuse to allow a pessimistic attitude to defeat me before I've even begun, I do surprise myself.

Coragem.

P.S., Chris, it's great that you have the handwritten stuff there at all. Maybe putting onto computer is the ideal thing for further honing it? I think voice recognition can work well (Terry Pratchett has been using it since his Alzheimer's diagnosis, and I believe David Weber uses it since breaking his hand). Otherwise, of course, the more you type the faster and easier it becomes -- although if your revising a novel, carefully honing your work, you don't want to type fast anyway.
 
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