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| Writing life? Sure. But sometimes, you stop and hug your dog. |
A week or two ago, someone on my NFforKids listserv asked how we all work on our writing. I responded, and several people encouraged me to post it on my blog. So here it is. Hope it proves no way and every way is the right way to be a writer. : ) Just do it!
THE POST
Because being a writer is my day job -- and my only source of income -- I
do something writer related every single day, rain or shine, holiday or
non-holiday, for at least ten hours a day. I am almost always on
deadline for something or I won't make my bills. So I juggle it all as
efficiently as I can.
I wake up when I wake up, now that both my girls are able to drive cars
of their own to get where they need to be. If my body says I need 8
hours, I sleep 8 hours. If it says I need 12, I sleep 12. I am very
flexible with sleep when I'm at home because that pattern seems to keep
me from getting sick. Rest is really important to my writing life.
Once I'm awake, I start by checking my email, because email will
determine my priorities for that day. I juggle at least 4 projects at
any given time -- proposals to backlist. And every book deserves
attention.
A lot of my email is school visit related, but that's part of the job.
So I coordinate those first. I do between 40 and 60 school visits a
year, so that's pretty time consuming, from invitation to completion.
But it helps pay the bills, and it sells lots of books. A lot of my
email is in response to interview requests, as well. So tending to that
correspondence immediately is terribly important. Most of my books
take about 4 years to research and write, with a huge uptick toward
their submission deadlines and their release dates.
Research fills the rest of my hours -- some for projects sold, some for
projects about to be pitched to acquiring editors at various houses. I
do a LOT of research long before the book sells to be sure I have enough
information to merit a book. Some say that's risky, and maybe it is.
But nothing ventured, nothing gained. I have yet to do research on a
book idea without selling it, eventually, with only one exception, and I
still haven't given up on that project. I'll sell it, eventually.
I don't write actual book text as efficiently when I'm traveling for
school visits, but I do write in hotels and I absolutely do revisions in
hotels. I am pretty tired after a full day of school visits, so I'll
sometimes take a 40 minute nap right after school, write until bedtime,
then wake up for the next day's school events. I am far slower with
original text in hotel rooms than I am at home, but I can and do make it
happen.
I also promote my books on social media, but I do more toward building
and keeping my professional relationships strong. I'm lucky, because a
lot of the librarians i visit become real friends to me. So when I talk
to them on Facebook -- when I ask about their kids or their vacations
-- I really do CARE about their lives, not because they buy my books but
because we've connected in a real way. But that also keeps my career
healthy.
Chris Crutcher always says there is nothing in this life that is not
about human connection and relationships. I absolutely agree with him.
So I attend to those relationship every day, in all my writer
capacities. The work makes me happy...not rich, but happy. So I feel
really lucky to have that opportunity. Lucky, but REALLY hard working,
too.
I could probably take more days off, if I wanted to. But I get too
antsy to take a whole day off. I do play video games to break up the
day a little. When I finish part of one project, I'll pay a game to
clear my head -- to prepare my mind to do something else. So as odd as
it sounds, playing is part of my writing process. I have to play little
tricks on myself to keep all the balls I'm juggling in the air. So
far, so good.
If I have any advice for others, it's write every day, even if it's just
a little bit. Be flexible with yourself, because every one of us will
forge our own path, our own way. A glimpse at someone else's process is
informative, but what works for me might not work for you, and vice
versa. So use other people's patterns to help you understand your way
is GOOD for YOU. If you don't have a process yet, try a few on for
size, then customize them for you lifestyle. Before my girls were
grown, my babies were top priority, and I still managed to build a
career.
One last thing, writing friends keep you sane. Never overlook the value
of friends who do what you do -- who take it seriously. They are armor
against all those people who ask when you'll write a real book or ask,
"How you written anything I've heard of?" People outside the circle
will still ask those dumb questions. But your writing friends will make
it easier NOT to resort to violence in response. : )
Hope this helps!
Kelly
Kelly Milner Halls
Children's Writer
www.wondersofweird.com
