Time for Writing +

Writing can be very time-consuming on its own, especially when your muse is honoring you with many great ideas. I’ll sometimes write for five or six hours a day on my days off, while plugging away at a manuscript during my downtime at the hotel. Other times it is more like two or three hours.

But writing isn’t all there is to being a writer. There’s so much more that we do.

• marketing/promotion
• editing
• social media
• website/blog work
• idea generation
• keeping things organized
• graphics for the blog and social media, ebook cover creation

We have to find time to do all of these things. I have three days in a row off from work each week, in which I have more concentrated time to spend on my writing activities. On these days, this is what my time might look like:

Morning:

I wake up slowly, meditate, do my stretches – or a yoga session (if the weather isn’t good), meditate, journal, and go for a walk (if the weather is good). Then I either go to Aroma Joe’s for breakfast, or I make my tea and breakfast and enjoy the meal while reading a little.

Then it is time to write for a while. I’ll do so either at Aroma Joe’s, at the park, or at home. This could be anywhere from two to six hours of writing, depending on my creativity level for the day. I try to stop at least once an hour when writing during the morning hours to take some steps, do stretches, or even a mini workout. I do stop for lunch after a few hours.

Afternoon:

If I’m still writing, I am also still taking little breaks each hour – to clean. I’ll take a break to vacuum, another to do dishes, and still another to clean the bathroom. Or whatever my chores are for the day.

Then, after dinner, I’ll move onto creating an ebook cover or other graphic before doing some editing on a previous story. After writing, finding a photo for, and editing a blog post, I’ll publish it share on my social and/or professional networking platforms, and then I’ll do a little more promoting of something I have already published.

Evening:

I usually spend time checking my blogs and documenting ideas for future projects after checking my email, then I clean up my work area before calling it quits. I like to relax at  night when I am home.

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As you can see, those are some pretty busy days. They don;t all look exactly the same, but this is a pretty accurate description. When I’m feeling too worn out, I take a personal day. And during nice weather, I will often take a half or full day a week off to go on a hike.

Shannon