Last
month I blogged about Maybe This Time
and babies in romance novels. Today I
thought I’d give you a peek at a typical day in my life while I was writing the
book.
Dateline: Wednesday. I like to rise early but if I haven’t had enough
sleep the writing suffers. So, no alarms for me. However, I have an early gym
class. It’s a struggle to get up because the night before I’ve been
to Toastmasters. But this is my favorite instructor so I push myself, bleary-eyed out the door at 7.30 am.
After
the gym, I have coffee with my friends from the class. Having satisfied my need
for human contact, I go home, have a shower and read the front page of the
newspaper while I eat breakfast. Then I get myself another coffee and head for the
computer.
So far the
life of a romance novelist is really glamorous, isn’t it? I wish the clichés were true
and it was all feather boas and bon
bons.
No
sooner do I sit down than Sparky, my Jack Russell terrier, puts his paw on my
knee and gives me his best pitiful puppy dog look. I scratch his ears and
promise a walk before lunch.
I
should go straight to my work in progress but every writer has rituals. I check
my email. Who knows, maybe I’ve won the lottery. I check out Facebook: click ‘like,
like, like,’ chuckle at a post, watch a video, make a few comments. I try to
think up a witty, interesting post but my brain is blank. Just as well. Don’t
want to use up all my creativity.
Finally
I open my work in progress and try to pick up where I left off yesterday. Some
days the writing flows like a stream in spring flood. Other days it trickles as
I feel my way through the story. When the writing slows it usually means I
need to go deeper into the characters or else fast forward to where something
interesting happens. Today my characters aren’t cooperating. They insist on
standing around making inane conversation about nothing much.
I
put on Intense Creativity, a
BrainSync tape by Kelly Howell. Usually it sparks the flow of words and ideas. My brain is resisting being stimulated today.
A
cup of tea might help. While the water boils I read page two of the newspaper.
Cup
in hand I go back to work. Might just check out Writer Unboxed while I’m drinking the tea. After all, you can’t
drink and type at the same time.
Okay,
where was I? Hero and heroine are standing around talking about horses eating
grass. Yawn. These two need to do
something. It’s way too soon for the first kiss. They’re not even sure they
like each other yet. Hmm, maybe the problem is too much ambivalence.
I’ll
let my subconscious ruminate on that while I play a game of Solitaire. Just one
game, though. Okay, maybe two. That was a fast game so I squeeze in a third.
Stop it!
Must. Write.
I
have a daily goal of 2000-3000 words. I won’t quit until I reach that goal. I
look to my Muse, hoping for inspiration. Nope. She’s got nothing for me. She must
be asleep.
I
hurry the hero and heroine along to the next scene. Later I’ll either rework the
dud scene or cut it. Finally, something clicks in my brain! When I next look at
the clock I’ve written six pages.
Sparky
looks hopeful when I get up but by now I’m hungry. Later, puppy, sorry. I eat tuna
salad and read page three of the paper. Because it was a gym day and I’m behind
schedule I don’t allow myself my usual twenty minutes of reading after lunch.
Sob.
Back
to the computer. Quick email, Twitter and Facebook check. I manage to write
another five pages I’m happy with before I take a break to walk the dog. The
fresh air is full of delicious scents after a rain. It feels good to stretch my
legs and straighten my hunched shoulders. It is a good life being a writer.
Back
in the office I update my website, do more email and some Toastmaster stuff
then call it quits. It’s been a good writing day. I’ve reached my quota at
2,300 words, and most of them I’ll probably keep. Plus I’ve left my characters in
a good jumping off place for tomorrow.
What
makes a good day for you, writing or otherwise?
Comment to go in the draw to
win a copy of Maybe This Time.
www.joankilby.com
20 comments:
Joan, your day sounds much like mine. I usually get two good blasts of writing, though not always 5 or 6 pages.
Ro, I don't always make my word count. Life intervenes too often. But it's good to have a goal, right?
My life follows certain patterns. Here's a mish mash of what I do. I wake up when I wake up, usually early. I think about driving to the beach to walk, but instead lay in the bed thinking I don't want to get up. Finally get up out of bed, throw some clothes on, brush my teeth and I'm out the door to the office. Order a breakfast sandwich and carbonated water, think about going to the pool at lunch, deal with clients, deal with employees, edit reports, eat lunch at my desk, talk to colleagues, talk to resource agency people, before I know it I've talked the day away, dealt with fires and it's after 5 and only now I'm able to get some work done that I needed to get done yesterday! Sometimes I have a meeting for organizations I belong too, otherwise, I'm at work usually around 10 to 12 hrs yet it seems like I get about 2 hrs of "real" work accomplished!
Snookie, you are one busy lady! I'm sure you accomplish more than you think you do. But it would be nice to have that walk on the beach and swim at lunch, wouldn't it. Only because my dog makes me do I get a walk every day.
I don't write, so in general, a good day is one that hums along beautifully.
Hi Mary, I hope you had a humdinger of a day, today.
Mine didn't start out so well as I'd scheduled this blog but somehow didn't post it for first thing in the morning.
To me a good day is a day I spend with someone special. Or just have a good talk with a loved one. A day I spend some time with my cats, read a good book, eat a nice meal... A good day is a day I'm not feeling sad, lonely or depressed, a day like tosay :)
A good day is when my favorite teams win and I don;t have to work. Vacations are good days too.
A good day for me is when I have a handle on my technical writing projects at work.
A really good day would be if I ever get my house clean.
Just one game of solitaire? As my grandmother would say "impossible".
My husband heard this from one of his customers and it has become a favorite of ours. " A good day is when both the sun and I get up in the morning".
A good day for me is being able to get up and move around okay. With my severe RA you never know when it's going to flare up. Also if I can have a few uninterrupted hours to read thats a good day for me.
Jo's Daughter, I'm glad you're having a good day today! I like all of the things you consider good.
Tammy, Watching your team win certainly can give you a lift.
BW, accomplishing something always feels good. That's why housework isn't satisfying to me. It needs to be done again and again. :)
Kaelee, my grandmother was a big solitaire player, too. It's addictive! It is easier to get up when the sun is shining.
Linda, I'm sorry to hear you suffer from RA. My mother had that, too. It's very painful and limiting. But you can always read. Any day I get in a good read is a good day.
If I can get my paid work done, as well as my house paperwork, that is a good day. If I can find time to work on something on my "to-do list", that is a great day.
Joan, I love your description of your writing day. It's so hard to get started sometimes, isn't it? I feel that opening the manuscript and forcing myself to concentrate is half the battle!
By the way, I love the pic of Sparky! If you ever need less distraction, do send him to me for a week and I'll look after him.
Laney4, sometimes I add things to my 'to do' lists that I've already done just for the pleasure of crossing them off.
Annie, so nice to see you here! Sparky is such a cutie I couldn't give him up, even for a day. I know what you mean about getting started. Once I'm writing, I'm fine. It's just opening that file and committing to the story that's hard. I don't know why. Maybe because once I'm there, I know I won't leave for awhile.
The winner of the draw for a copy of Maybe This Time is (drum roll) BW! Congratulations, BW. Please send me your postal address to joan@joankilby.com and I'll send you a copy of my book.
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