When interruptions do occur, I try to manage the frustration of being pulled from the creative flow by promising myself extra time to write later on, or the next day. Interruptions are infrequent those around me know that when I am in my writing space, I prefer not to be disturbed unless absolutely essential. I may just have time to check for any new reviews of my novels before – beep. Then I get to work: replying to emails, carrying out whatever tasks my publisher has requested I do, writing and scheduling blog and social media content (I blog twice a week, and post on my media channels at least once daily), and catching up with followers on Facebook and Twitter.
I dedicate one hour each morning to administration and marketing work, and I do that first, so that I am free to get lost in my novel.Īs the computer fires up, I set the timer on my phone to ensure I don’t go over time. What’s the first thing you do once you switch on your computer?
When I am between novels, editing the last one or preparing to write the next one, I may take more breaks or be away from my desk some days, researching and dreaming up ideas. I do this for the nine months, on average, it takes me to write a novel (writing a book is a lot like having a baby, I always say). Whenever possible, I follow a set structure for the day: admin/marketing hour at nine a.m., followed by writing through until six or seven o’clock in the evening, with an hour for lunch and sometimes a walk in the afternoon. I am quite disciplined with my writing I treat it as a job, which it is not… it is my life. It’s wonderful to now have the time and space to write daily. I only was able to give writing my full attention once my children had flown the nest and my company was more or less running itself. I have been doing so for some six years now, since I signed a publishing contract for my debut novel.įor years before that, I yearned to write full time, but my family’s needs came first, along with my property business. Yes, whenever possible I write Monday to Friday and even at week-ends when I can get away with it.
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