Time Managment is not my forte. Not even close. In fact it is probably the single largest factor in the smallness of my paychecks. Scheduling, making lists, sticking to them...I know, at least in theory how to do these things, but they still never seem to happen. About the only way I can really motivate myself to maximize my output is with some sort of external deadline. I can write a 50,000 word book in two weeks. I've done it. So why did a 65K book take me a year? Who knows?I am lucky enough to not have a regular out-of the house job anymore. My kids are teens, old enough to feed themselves, and my father who lives nearby absorbs a lot of the chauffering duties. I am convinced that all of us benefit from this arrangement, so I don't feel too guilty about it. But like any other person who works at their dining room table or couch (I don't have a desk--nowhere to put it) I find myself at the beck and call of family. My friends know better. Besides, most of them have real jobs. I try to sneak in a couple of hours a week doing exercise classes at the local pool, but then a one-hour class ends up taking three by the time you get ready and get home. Some days it's easier to "forget."
Balancing promotion and writing is probably the most difficult knife-edge to walk in this crazy business. I freely admit, I haven't found the right mix yet. Chats are time-consuming but necessary, and so, IMHO is the occasional "water-cooler" conversation with writer friends. That's necessary for my sanity. Writing is a lonely business with lots of emotional highs and lows. If I didn't have a chance to talk to others who understand, I would truly go nuts. Then there are blogs. Many of my friends manage them every day. I have trouble with once a week. And then there's MySpace (have one) and FaceBook (don't have one) and all those other things that eat, eat, eat away at our precious writing time. Today, for instance I have two all-day chats on loops, and another tomorrow. The exposure is great, but OY! I have three WIP's and am getting nowhere on any of them.
These and other great de-motivator posters are available at: http://www.despair.com/
Cindy, I feel your pain and am in the same sinking boat. LOL. Somehow, I know you'll break free to win.
ReplyDeleteLOL:) I know what you mean...my promo chats always seem to coincide with the busiest day of the week! And I sadly neglect my MySpace page. I also forgot to update my website, but no one seemed to notice it!
ReplyDeleteGreat post and one I can recently relate to.
ReplyDeletelol, I spend a good deal of time on MySpace, but have time slotted out just for that. The thing that nearly toppled my balancing act of a schedule was the chat loops. I signed up on a rather high volume one and realized it was eating up most of freetime and working up a healthy appetite for my freetime.
The de-motivator posters are awesome. :D
Ahhhh. I am soooo there with you Cindy. Every time I realize I'm signed up for a chat I think...okay, there's the whole day just BLOWN. Realistically, I know that's not completely true because sometimes sales will occur from those. I have a friend who can WRITE while she does these chats and I honestly don't know how she DOES it!!! I love myspace as a networking tool and try to limit that to one hour per week (it used to be MORE).
ReplyDeleteAs to WIP's and finishing. I'm having a problem with a WIP that's taking far longer than it should and I think it's a simple matter of not being as "into it" as I should be. If the story really grabs me, I can fly with it. Finish quickly. Sometimes it's not in the cards.
Excellent post!
Heh. Definitely need the watercooler experience. We all need a sounding board. So where are you today, Miss Cindy?
ReplyDeleteCould be the very reason I don't do all day chats. I mean it is now 11:31a and I have been blogging, emailing, and business stuff all morning. I need to write. Ack.
ReplyDeleteWell, I was at the pool being good, at least from an exercise point of view. Today I'm on the Novelsisterhood loop and the Hussies loop for their proomo free-for-all days, and maybe trying to sneak in some work on one of the WIPs.
ReplyDelete