Using your Writing Time well.
Published on Jul 29 2011 | Filed under: For Writers
I think there is always that age old struggle in us writers. What do we work on today? We want to be working on that brand new idea because its practically spilling out of us and god it would be so much fun to write it! But, now that we’re here and have the time to actually write, we should be working on finishing that project. The project being for me the sequel to my completed novel. The problem is we can always force ourselves to work on it, even teach ourselves (over time with lots of discipline) to be inspired by it, but that doesn’t stop us from working on those other little things in our hearts and heads.
For me there are several things and, quite frankly, they’re not little. There is the Death of Eliana, my little girl novel that will be my next project when the Embraced by Darkness series is done (if it ever will be). There is the vampire novel called Want that started as a short story a couple of years back that I have finished the outline to (in my head) that I can’t wait to attack. There is the little novel I finished a long time ago called He Called Her Baby that springs up from time to time as such a waste if I don’t go back to it. And lets not forget my apocalyptic very commercial novel that will be about zombies (or something) that I keep dreaming about. Try not to think about it if you dreamed about it the night before: not possible. Not to mention how badly I would like to get back to writing a little bit of poetry. Not much ya know, just a little. Last year I wrote what I consider the two greatest poems I may ever write, I finally found my voice as a poet and would love to someday produce a chap book in that voice. In fact I honestly believe that I now have the ability to actually write some really decent poetry. . . And I’m not even going to get into that book of short stories I would like to write someday (honestly though I can’t stop thinking of a short story I started working on in my heart this winter, something that keeps coming up depending on the music I’m listening too, something that keeps telling me it could be great.)
So, what do we chose to work on?
Ok, so its time to make our writing time a little bit more business-like. I know, we all hate that, but we do need order in our lives at some point. We can’t always be those thoughts-to-the-wind artists or the real fact remains that we probably won’t get near as much done as we would like to and, lets face it, none of us are getting any younger. So if we’re gonna start taking this seriously, start really focusing on becoming professional writers, we need some kind of structure. So, here is my thought process on the whole thing: I will have more time to write if my writing makes enough money for me to be able to quit my job. Ok, check, so I need to focus on the writing project I have in my life that is either nearest completion or has the biggest chance of making me a professional writer. Ok, so the poetry book is out then as we all know statistically there is a reason why the phrase exists of “Starving Poets”. So, the short story book than also slips to the curb side for the exact same reason: unless you’re Stephen King or Billy Collins chances are low that your poetry book or your short story collection are ever going to replace your day job. Ok, so that leaves my novels to consider.
There is the apocalyptic book in my head that doesn’t even exist there in an out line form: that’s out, ton of work that might be for nothing.
There is He Called Her Baby. Not really a book I’m all that inspired about, something I have been planning to work on out of boredom someday when I didn’t have any other books in the hopper. So, that’s out.
There is my vampire book Want that has an outline finished (in my head any way) I love this story but because I have so few words on paper it would literally be starting a novel from scratch. So, that’s out.
There is The Death of Eliana that, quite frankly, is not all that commercial. I think it could do well on a smaller audience or from an already popular writer but not as a beginning novel. My only grunt about not working on this one is that it is a completed novel that just needs to be re-written but, that’s out.
So, that leaves Embraced by Darkness, my beast (as always) the first book is done with my editor finishing up the last of her work on it right now. And I am 44,000 words into the sequel as we speak, the fact remains: the sooner I get that sequel done the better. And I’ve already wrote over 10,000 words in the last two weeks alone. Granted, I am a little burned out, but that is absolutely beside the point. Embraced by Darkness remains my best hope.
But Still…
Oh I know, I’m still thinking about all those other things I would like to work on, especially that short story. And I’m here to say that I will still work on them and, when I’m bursting, I will sit down and write that story, putting Embraced by Darkness aside, because I have no choice. And you shouldn’t stop yourself when you are really inspired by something because you and I both know that that is when we are at our most brilliant. Still, I urge you to prioritize your writing lives that you might get the most out of yourself.
