Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Oh How I Love to Write; Let Me Count the Hours...

Patti Nielson has challenged writers to keep track of how many hours a day we write for one week. She put the challenge forth this way:

My intention was not to get people to write more, but to see how much time we actually spend and see if everyday we can increase it. Not to the point where it takes over our lives, but to the point where we feel is manageable in our lives.

You can still sign up if you want. Go here and add your name to the list, or just join in.

I'm curious how much I write. Especially days like yesterday, where the beginning of the day seemed to hold so much promise and by the end, it all seemed to have evaporated. Where does the time go? Getting three kids up, fed, packed and off to school, the gym, a shower, writing two blog posts, catching up on blogs I missed, lunch, replying to emails, a half hour left and the kids start straggling back in, piano lessons are on us and homework and dinner and off to bed. The day is done.

Where does it go?

Maybe the better challenge for me is to count the minutes I'm NOT writing and figure out what I'm doing with them!!

It felt yesterday like I hardly wrote at all. 30 minutes before the kids came home, 20 minutes while dinner was simmering and the kids were having down time, and then 20 minutes after dinner and bedtimes. It seemed like not much. One hour and ten minutes. But in that time I added nearly 1,000 words to the novel I'm now revising, and I've done less on days where I had lots of time to write.

Today I'm hoping will be even better. I've got coffee. I'm finishing a Bible study this morning and then cracking open the WIP for more serious revisions. This challenge is a challenge for me to turn off the internet, stop checking emails, and just write.

That's my hope anyway. How's your writing going?

7 comments:

  1. I know how you feel about time slipping away from you.

    I got 1.5 hours and only because I wrote at work during break, and lunch.

    Thanks for joining the challenge.

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  2. I think I need Patti's challenge! Thanks for the link. I'll keep my comment short so you have more time to write. Every little bit helps!

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  3. Maybe the better challenge for me is to count the minutes I'm NOT writing and figure out what I'm doing with them!!
    LOL, this is totally true for me too!

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  4. I'm doing Patti's challenge too.

    My Monday was awful too. So I really made an effort to put more time in since I'm being accountable. I had a great day today!

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  5. An hour and twenty minutes today. None yesterday. I figure I average about an hour a day on the weekdays. Five hours a week? Awesome. Did I really think I'd get this book done by the end of this year?

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  6. I think I have the opposite problem. I'm afraid to see how much time I spend writing in a day. I have two small kids so I'm sure it's too much.
    I can just be sort of an obsessive person.

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  7. I don't have any writing planned for this week other than my blog posts...I did this on purpose. I've been a bit stressed out (ROFL) about the house still not being back in order...This week the carpenters, painters and plumber were supposed to come and get everything finished. I believe it will be done by the end of the week (except for the plumber???). So I wanted to give myself the week just to clean and put our lives back to normal. We are going to do some reorganization and I am going to get a room that is just for me...I don't have to share it with anyone for any reason...I'm so excited! I haven't had my own room since I was 17 and lived with my Mom and Dad! Anyway, once life is tidy I'll be able to focus again...

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