There’s More to Writing Than Just Writing by Annette Dashofy

Over twenty years ago, when I first decided to focus on my lifelong passion of writing fiction for publication, I had a vision of what my days as an author would look like. I would spend the mornings creating prose, then spend my afternoons with my feet up, reading the latest bestsellers to keep up with the trends. 

I confess, on rare days, this fantasy comes true. Maybe one day out of the month, if I’m lucky. 

All these years (and 19 books) later, it has struck me that a large part of life as a full-time novelist has very little to do with writing.

 Most days, yes, I write. Often seven days a week. But that’s only for an hour or two.

Unless I’m approaching a deadline, in which case I write until I’m unable to focus on the computer screen or spell even the simplest words. 

The rest of the day, my time is spent on the business of writing, but not necessarily the creation of pages or chapters. 

My mornings begin with checking and responding to emails. Or deleting and blocking the handful of AI-generated scams, which gush over one of my books while pointing out how crappy they are doing in the area of sales or reviews. And how THEY could help me with that. For a small fee. 

Then I switch to social media, where I create posts for myself on Facebook and Instagram, and for Sisters in Crime on SinC LinC and Bluesky. You see, I’m on SinC’s social media committee, which is one of my side gigs to support the organization that has been supporting me for most of my writing life. 

With my online tasks complete, I switch to drafting my current WIP until lunchtime. After lunch, my days are always full, but with a variety of chores. Because much of being a writer doesn’t involve writing. 

What does it involve? Researching podcasts or blogs where I might be able to snag a guest spot. Writing guest posts for blogs that have agreed to let me post. Researching topics involved in my WIP.  Attending writing group meetings, book club meetings, critique group meetings, etc. Speaking of my critique group meeting, during the week leading up to our monthly gathering, I’m reading and editing pages from my critique buddies. 

I’m always contemplating future stories, jotting down thoughts in a notebook, or plotting in my head. Yes, sometimes “writing” looks a lot like staring out the window. 

If I have a writing conference coming up, I’ll spend weeks working on my presentations. 

Some days, I put aside a few hours to watch a webinar or catch up on reading articles about either writing or a topic I want to write about. Or take an online course. 

Yes, I do read quite a bit, but I’m often reading a book that I’ve been asked to blurb prior to its release. Lately, I’ve had the privilege of being a conversation partner to an author who is visiting our city. (I was chosen as James Patterson’s conversation partner several years back!) This is always fun, but I do my homework. Not just reading the book but also checking out the author’s website and watching other interviews they’ve done on YouTube. 

Then there’s the chore of preparing marketing material for my books to help my agent shop them around the publishing world. I just love writing synopses (said no author ever!) 

And, yes, on rare occasions, I put aside an afternoon to put my feet up and read the hottest new release to see what trends I need to pay attention to. Hey, I never said I didn’t love my job. Overall, it’s pretty amazing and a lot of fun. 

Fellow Writers Who Kill, what non-writing tasks have I missed? And readers, what visions do you have about what a writer’s life is really like?