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Friday, April 16, 2010

Oops where did the time go?

A question for authors both published and unpublished. How do you keep yourself on track with your writing?
I have to admit I allow myself to be distracted by things like a new Macbook, well I have to learn how to use it don't I? Another thing is housework. I know - I know - I must be desperate to use that as an excuse.

One day I am going to sit in my work chair with my Macbook in front of me, safe in the knowledge that all my housework is done, nobody is going to ring me, the dog is going to be happy to sleep for hours without asking to go out.  Then I'm going to write, write, write.

I know it's possible to do that when I'm at a writers retreat, but how do I manage at home?

How do you get yourself motivated? Love for you to leave a comment.

8 comments:

mowriter said...

I usually just pull my WIP up on screen and begin to scroll through the last place I'd written. Something always pops into my head and the next thing I know, I'm writing again.
Of course, I have pull it up or nothing happens. If I'm doing other tasks, it doesn't work.
Sometimes, nothing works. When that happens, it generally means I've got a problem in my writing somewhere and my inner muse is trying to warn me.
That's my take.
Cheers, Sue!
Dale Thompson

Zequeatta Jaques said...

Hey, Sue. For me, I can't work unless my house is clean. Knowing this, I don't even try to sit down and write until I have it done. But I do give myself deadlines for my writing otherwise, yes, there is always some excuse as to why I can't find the time to write.

Sue Perkins said...

Thanks Zequeatta and Dale. I don't have trouble when I sit down to write, I can usually dive in, it's getting to the point of opening up the file and starting. I have to clean house etc. first. Thanks for your comments

Liana Laverentz said...

We need to start an organization--Clean Houses Anonymous :) I, too, need to have my house to a certain level of clean before I can write. I find a kitchen timer works really well. Set it for an hour, or whatever time period best suits you. Do nothing but write for that hour. Or do nothing but clean for that hour. Then switch off. It creates a balance of sorts. But sometimes when you're writing, when the hour is over, you want another. So just take it...it's only an hour, and you can get back to cleaning when you're done!

Also, when I get stuck on a project, I find cleaning helps. It frees my mind to wander and sort things out.

Good luck to all! May both your houses and WIPS be sparkling :)

Liana Laverentz
www.lianalaverentz.com

Stephanie Burkhart said...

Sue,
Great post! At home it is HARD to get going because I got my 3 year old nagging me. I usually do my writing on my down time at work using paper and pen and then when I get to the computer at the house, I just type it in.

Diving in is usually good, but when I'm at the house, I usually go to the spare room and get to writing there. It usually takes my kids about an hour to find me.

hehe
Steph

Sue Perkins said...

Thanks for your comments and ideas. One day I actually left everything house related and dived into my writing. I got a lot done on my WIP, but I felt so guilty afterwards.

Patricia Stoltey said...

Hi Sue -- followed you here from your comment on Terry Odell's blog. I've tried an "at home writers' retreat" a couple of times that worked really well. I put the dates on my calendar, made no appointments or commitments, made sure the shopping and laundry were done, warned hubby to leave me alone unless I came out of my work space, and then wrote, wrote, wrote.

Things occasionally go wrong (like the neighbor scheduling his new roof installation so I had a day of pounding to deal with), but overall it has worked well.

Sue Perkins said...

Thanks for your comment Patricia. I've tried that - it doesn't work for me. However getting away from it all does. I usually go away to at least two writers retreats a year where all I do is write. My usual one has been cancelled for June so I'm going to go to a motel really out of the way for the weeked. Luckily it's off season then in NZ as it's our winter.