Dividing the Workday

Writing is a job. Sure, it can be a hobby. It can be a calling. But if you want to make an income writing full-time, it needs to be treated as work.

Starting with my Butt In Chair call to action, I really pushed myself this week to be a tough boss. 2,500 words a day is my goal (but 2,000 is acceptable). That’s 10,000 to 12,500 words of first draft material in a week. This last week, I hit my all-time best: over 14,000 words.

One thing I’ve learned over the last few weeks is to normalize my work experience. It’s great to sit down in a chair and be super excited about the scene I’m about to write, but if that’s balanced with other days where I lack the motivation then I’m on a rollercoaster ride for no reason. I’m starting to learn to just sit and write and not consider my motivation. This ends up being more productive for me, since it’s not about waiting until I find my muse, it’s just about getting serious and getting to work.

This is really exhilarating and pushed me past the halfway point of my latest novel. It’s the sequel in the Sycamore series, and it’s tentatively titled The Moonwitch. I’ll probably announce the details to my mailing list next month.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.