Writing a book: how to maintain focus and discipline?
September 18, 2010 5:59 AM Subscribe
Writing a book: how to maintain focus and discipline?
I am writing my first book and am under an enormous pressure to meet my own deadlines and the publisher's. I have completed about 70% of the work and have a month to do the rest.
My problem is that I am always so tired since I have my 9-5 job to get on with plus the normal domestic chores. I think the time pressure and all my other responsibilities have almost led me to the point of a breakdown/writers' block.
I really have o get this done as it is crucial to my career. Do any published writers out there have advice around focusing on the task and getting the job done?
I am writing my first book and am under an enormous pressure to meet my own deadlines and the publisher's. I have completed about 70% of the work and have a month to do the rest.
My problem is that I am always so tired since I have my 9-5 job to get on with plus the normal domestic chores. I think the time pressure and all my other responsibilities have almost led me to the point of a breakdown/writers' block.
I really have o get this done as it is crucial to my career. Do any published writers out there have advice around focusing on the task and getting the job done?
Scheduling should help. Designate a certain time of the day (whatever will best fit in your scedule) as writing time, and only do writing during that time, no matter what other matters require your attention; you can attend to those things later. One advantage is that you can tell people, if they try to interrupt you, that this particular time of day is reserved for writing. As for being tired, that may be unavoidable if you have an excessive amount of work to do, and I can only suggest that you make sure you are getting enough sleep, and don't let seductive TV programs keep you up too late.
posted by grizzled at 6:42 AM on September 18, 2010
posted by grizzled at 6:42 AM on September 18, 2010
Can you take a couple of days off and NOT go to work and NOT write? Even a "mental health" sick day. Spend two days in bed watching crap TV or whatever your relaxation of choice is. You sound burned out.
On the domestic chores front, I suggest letting them go and eating a lot of takeout and then cleaning madly AFTER you finish the book. If they're already way out ahead of you, I recently confessed to my close friends that my chores were so far ahead of me I was seriously feeling like crying when confronting them (my husband broke a shoulder and I was both single-parenting -- he couldn't lift the baby -- and single-house-maintaining AND helping him ... and then my inlaws were due to arrive to my horrifically messy house) and my friends CAME OVER AND HELPED CLEAN MY HOUSE. Mostly they gave my kitchen a super-good scrubbing and swept and swiffered my floors, but with THAT out of the way the rest of it felt so much more manageable.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:47 AM on September 18, 2010
On the domestic chores front, I suggest letting them go and eating a lot of takeout and then cleaning madly AFTER you finish the book. If they're already way out ahead of you, I recently confessed to my close friends that my chores were so far ahead of me I was seriously feeling like crying when confronting them (my husband broke a shoulder and I was both single-parenting -- he couldn't lift the baby -- and single-house-maintaining AND helping him ... and then my inlaws were due to arrive to my horrifically messy house) and my friends CAME OVER AND HELPED CLEAN MY HOUSE. Mostly they gave my kitchen a super-good scrubbing and swept and swiffered my floors, but with THAT out of the way the rest of it felt so much more manageable.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:47 AM on September 18, 2010
Stop doing all but the most essential domestic chores. A dirty toilet never killed anyone. There's no law that says bedsheets have to be changed weekly. Personally, I haven't dusted my living room in a year. The only things that really need to be kept up with are anything that will pile up... dishes, laundry, cat poop. Or things that will starve... pets, kids, non-cooking husbands.
Even if you and/or your husband are fairly persnickety about housekeeping, how bad is it reasonably likely to get in a month? Also, if you have family around, this would be a good time to start delegating.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 7:09 AM on September 18, 2010
Even if you and/or your husband are fairly persnickety about housekeeping, how bad is it reasonably likely to get in a month? Also, if you have family around, this would be a good time to start delegating.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 7:09 AM on September 18, 2010
This is such a personal thing that all our answers may work for us but not you. Having said that the LAST thing I would do is take two days off from both work and the book and "recharge". It is the deadline and lack of progress causing the angst. To take two more days off a tight deadline to watch the Flintstones on TV would build up even more angst and guilt in my mind.
I think what you need to do is create accountability. You have it for the long term via the deadline, but you do not have it in shorter bursts. I would get a friend, relative, spouse, co-worker, whomever to act as your accountability. Tell them you will be sending them xxx amount of work each evening at 11 pm or whenever and you want them to look it iver quickly for making sense but more importantly you want them to make sure you send something everyday or they will do xxx. I would break my final month down to daily tasks and have a editor stand-in keeping tabs on you.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:36 AM on September 18, 2010
I think what you need to do is create accountability. You have it for the long term via the deadline, but you do not have it in shorter bursts. I would get a friend, relative, spouse, co-worker, whomever to act as your accountability. Tell them you will be sending them xxx amount of work each evening at 11 pm or whenever and you want them to look it iver quickly for making sense but more importantly you want them to make sure you send something everyday or they will do xxx. I would break my final month down to daily tasks and have a editor stand-in keeping tabs on you.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:36 AM on September 18, 2010
When I'm writing a book, I don't clean house, I don't do dishes, I don't cook dinner, I don't do laundry, nothing. My family has to fend for itself until the book gets finished. I also don't watch tv, read other books, or otherwise indulge in entertainment.
If you have to go to the 9-5, you just have to. But the rest of that stuff can wait until you're done. This is about making time to write; you have to give up something else.
My personal regimen is a minimum of 1000 words a day, every single day, until the book is finished. I can do more than 1k a day if I want to, but I don't carry a balance. Every day requires a new thousand.
I don't go to bed until those words are done. Writing crap words is acceptable- you can revise crap, you can't revise nothing.
And if you think you can't sit down and do 1000 words because of all the distractions, then I suggest that you go to Write or Die, and set it to kamikaze mode.
You'd be amazed at how quickly words come when the program threatens to delete them for you.
posted by headspace at 9:12 AM on September 18, 2010 [4 favorites]
If you have to go to the 9-5, you just have to. But the rest of that stuff can wait until you're done. This is about making time to write; you have to give up something else.
My personal regimen is a minimum of 1000 words a day, every single day, until the book is finished. I can do more than 1k a day if I want to, but I don't carry a balance. Every day requires a new thousand.
I don't go to bed until those words are done. Writing crap words is acceptable- you can revise crap, you can't revise nothing.
And if you think you can't sit down and do 1000 words because of all the distractions, then I suggest that you go to Write or Die, and set it to kamikaze mode.
You'd be amazed at how quickly words come when the program threatens to delete them for you.
posted by headspace at 9:12 AM on September 18, 2010 [4 favorites]
Just keep starting. You're 70% there - in the homestretch.
Exercise/diet/variety and the dirty toilet could all help you get through. OTOH, you might get an idea for a chapter opening while in the shower or cleaning the toilet... When that happens, start another chapter and run with it. Just start and you'll find yourself finishing.
I've never reproduced, but had an agent tell me that finishing a book is like giving birth. After 9 months of preparation and a few hours of labor you're wiped out, but extremely happy/relieved/proud (and not quite sure what to do next). The goal is just to get to that point.
Remember that you'll be done in a month and then life gets back to normal. It'll actually seem like you have a few extra hours in the day (you don't have to write, plus you've probably been extra efficient when you're not writing so you'll have time to write...). Yes, it's tough and possibly not sustainable to live like this forever - but you're almost there and you're doing something cool.
On preview: I do exactly what headspace said regarding 1000 (possibly crappy) words
posted by powpow at 9:14 AM on September 18, 2010
Exercise/diet/variety and the dirty toilet could all help you get through. OTOH, you might get an idea for a chapter opening while in the shower or cleaning the toilet... When that happens, start another chapter and run with it. Just start and you'll find yourself finishing.
I've never reproduced, but had an agent tell me that finishing a book is like giving birth. After 9 months of preparation and a few hours of labor you're wiped out, but extremely happy/relieved/proud (and not quite sure what to do next). The goal is just to get to that point.
Remember that you'll be done in a month and then life gets back to normal. It'll actually seem like you have a few extra hours in the day (you don't have to write, plus you've probably been extra efficient when you're not writing so you'll have time to write...). Yes, it's tough and possibly not sustainable to live like this forever - but you're almost there and you're doing something cool.
On preview: I do exactly what headspace said regarding 1000 (possibly crappy) words
posted by powpow at 9:14 AM on September 18, 2010
Can you carve out any writing-time out of the day? I wrote a novel by always stopping in cafés on my way home from work and writing for an hour or two before getting home. Having a routine like that does wonders.
posted by Kattullus at 1:49 PM on September 18, 2010
posted by Kattullus at 1:49 PM on September 18, 2010
7 Rules for Maximizing Your Creative Output
posted by neuron at 5:39 PM on September 18, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by neuron at 5:39 PM on September 18, 2010 [2 favorites]
Wow. I signed on to post a VERY similar AskMe, and found this question, posted not quite a day ago. I don't know if I have anything new to add, but it's nice to know I'm not the only one struggling with this. Thanks to all for the suggestions - they'll help me as well.
posted by deadmessenger at 12:01 PM on September 19, 2010
posted by deadmessenger at 12:01 PM on September 19, 2010
I have a day job and a small business so can identify fairly closely with your situation.
You need to first break down how many hours you need to complete the work. Divide those up sensibly by weekend/weekday.
Identify if you're a morning or evening person. I'm a morning person. I start the day job at 7.30 but if I wake at 5 I get going at my work then (I have a short commute and leave the house just before 7). I try very very hard not to work after 9pm as my concentration goes then. Try to schedule at least some writing time when you're at your best.
Can you take a couple of days off the day job? I'm lucky in that I work flexitime but you might be able to. Work that whole day or days. You'll get loads done and it's so cool only having the one job (I recently took a week off the day job to concentrate on the business, but I did know in advance when I was going to have a peak in my workflow, which helped)
Do a gantt chart. Put on it what you plan to write, when. Colour in or write in when you do the particular bit of work.
Good luck!
posted by LyzzyBee at 1:56 PM on September 20, 2010
You need to first break down how many hours you need to complete the work. Divide those up sensibly by weekend/weekday.
Identify if you're a morning or evening person. I'm a morning person. I start the day job at 7.30 but if I wake at 5 I get going at my work then (I have a short commute and leave the house just before 7). I try very very hard not to work after 9pm as my concentration goes then. Try to schedule at least some writing time when you're at your best.
Can you take a couple of days off the day job? I'm lucky in that I work flexitime but you might be able to. Work that whole day or days. You'll get loads done and it's so cool only having the one job (I recently took a week off the day job to concentrate on the business, but I did know in advance when I was going to have a peak in my workflow, which helped)
Do a gantt chart. Put on it what you plan to write, when. Colour in or write in when you do the particular bit of work.
Good luck!
posted by LyzzyBee at 1:56 PM on September 20, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by NoraCharles at 6:39 AM on September 18, 2010