I was never the kid who did homework on Friday nights until
I had to be.
Early in my schooling years, I’d live it up (usually with
pizza and a movie) on Friday and Saturday nights and then spend my Sundays
scrambling to finish writing papers or doing math problems while beating myself
up for not doing my assignments earlier.
This all changed very quickly when my long-time gymnastics
habit turned into an actual competitive team commitment. Soon came 25-hour
weeks in the gym to go on top of all my school work and other extracurricular
activities like volunteering and, I don’t know, being a 12-year-old kid.
Suddenly, my schedule was my life.
In order to get everything done, I finally had to be the kid
who sat in her room working on algebra problems until 10 p.m. Friday night. I
didn’t care if this made me a total nerd because doing my homework on Friday
night meant I could do what I wanted the rest of the weekend. Hang out with my
friends all day Saturday, go shopping with my mom, watch the Chiefs game with
my dad, play with my little sister, head to the gym for a little extra work on
my own Saturday mornings.
The sky was the limit, as long as my work was out of the way.
Thus, work before play became my motto back in middle school
when it was a must. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to do all the things
I wanted to do.
And it’s still my motto today.
Basically, my fiction is my “fun stuff.” What I want to sit
down and savor. I don’t want to feel rushed. Or pressured by my other commitments
to finish a scene, hit a word count, or whatever. So, I get other things
finished first, and save my fiction for last.
This isn’t an easy task because these days, I also live and
die by my schedule. It is PACKED. I have a full-time job, a family, a habit of
ultrarunning. I have freelance—both writing and editing—and blogs like this one
and the one I do over at Mysteristas.
And, of course, I have my own writing habit.
Add all those things together, and I am one very busy
person.
I can manage it all, but I need to have a hierarchy going or
I get in trouble. So, just like when I was back in middle school, it’s always
work before play.
My full-time job comes first. Then my paid writing and
editing gigs. Then my regular unpaid gigs like this one. And then, finally, comes
my “fun” writing.
(Obviously, family comes before ALL those things, but this
blog is about work.)
Therefore, to stay sane/on top of things, I’ve got to get my
paid obligations finished before my unpaid ones.
Not the most fun thing to do in the world, to be honest. I’d
much rather spend all my extra minutes tweaking my work in progress, but, I’m
an adult, and therefore I’m going to finish my freelance first.
Every. Single.
Time.
That said, actually sticking to my motto is especially hard
when I’m in the thick of a project (like now) and can feel the words crowding
center stage in my mind.
But, it must be done.
And once it’s done, I’ll have my fun—without all the other
things I have to do hanging over my head.
How do you prioritize your writing life?
I'm most productive in the morning. AFTER a cup of coffee. Rarely do I work after the noon hour. My attention is diverted to lesser priorities, and my writing concentration is spent by then. The only exception, I've found, is if I have a deadline, and I'm revising. Then, I go all day if I must. In what stage is your novel these days, Sarah?
ReplyDeleteEB has mentioned a key point regarding productivity, and that is understanding when you are at the top of your game and when you are less "with it."
ReplyDeleteI am also a morning person and so tackle those things that need focus early. Things that can be done "whenever" I need to leave to later in the day -- even if they are the most interesting.
~ Jim
I also prefer to write work in the morning. I am a morning person, though I think with writing I like the morning mostly because if I work on any of my fiction at night, I stay up thinking about it long after I put it away. Somehow, I don't have that problem with my non-fic freelance:)
ReplyDeleteE.B. - I have one project that I'll finish the first draft of this week (fingers crossed) and another that I'm co-writing that we hope to have done by the beginning of February. We shall see.
Sarah, didn't mention that she's a machine at getting tons of stuff done. I marvel at how much this woman accomplishes in a single day.
ReplyDeleteFor me, to fit in my fiction, I have to prioritize. I've mostly given up my freelance writing because the time it took wasn't worth the money I was paid. Of course, that means a tighter budget and looking at the thrift store before I buy something new, but it is so worth it because living lean and mean and keeping a low nut means every morning Monday through Friday between 9 and noon, I write. To make this work with the rest of my life, I work on the weekends at a paid job, have given up TV completely and don't read as many books as I would like. Of course, none of this would be possible without a partner who believes in my writing career enough to work full time while I don't have to. In order to thank him for this, I never squander that valuable writing time.
I'm amazed at how much fit in your life, Sarah. I agree that's it's important to prioritize and schedule. What throws me off track is a crisis (I've had to deal with a number of those the last few years). I've been able to continue writing by being flexible and managing my expectations.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck finishing your first draft this week!
Sorry about the Chiefs loss to the Broncos last night.
I used to have a boss who described our work as "drinking water from a fire hydrant." Anything can become overwhelming if not properly managed. A coworker reminds me that the easiest way to accomplish a goal is to break it into smaller tasks. I guess the key is to organize those smaller tasks well and hopefully have the time to complete them satisfactorily. Thanks for all the good advice about how to do those things, from Sarah and all who have commented!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I hear you. I homeschool my three kids. Because that's the reason I don't work full-time outside the home, it comes first. Then I tutor part-time...as much as half-time, when I'm busy. Writing comes after that, usually until one or two in the morning. Exercise is taking a back seat right now, and hoo boy, can I tell. Nice to know I have company, but I'm always glad when I see you stealing down time here and there...
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteSarah, I'm amazed at all you do especially with a small child at home.
As for me, when I have my morning cup of coffee before my oatmeal, I write in my journal, a rough draft of my blog or a poem or read TIME. Because I have to do morning barn chores after breakfast and then take a morning walk. After that if it's warmer weather I work outside or run some errands. I don't sit down to work on my book or short stories until after lunch. Evenings are for reading unless I have somewhere to go.
So true about figuring out the most productive time. My best time is after lunch (go figure!) and afternoon into evening. Very hard to get these hours to myself, but when I do I get a lot done.
ReplyDeleteUltramarathoning! Are you able to plot as you run?
I do plot while I run, Shari! I also end up tripping while running and plotting, but I'll take that hazard:)
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to know how you all shoe-horn it in!