Creating a Writing Schedule

It is one thing to decide that you are going to write a book. I wonder how many people out there in the big bad world have made that decision. Of course, it is another thing entirely to actually go about doing it.

There are a lot of challenges in attempting this mammoth task. One challenge that I knew would be especially difficult for me is that of self-discipline. I have always been a bit of a 'Lady of Leisure', as my Dad calls it (preferring a bath to a hike up the mountain; putting creativity above tidiness on the personal priorities ladder; always unknowingly favouring the most expensive wine at a blind tasting... funny how I somehow ended up cycling and living in a tent for six months...), and making myself sit down every day to 'work' would always have its challenges. Of course, there are days where I am a fountain of creativity, where words, images and ideas spring from me faster than my pen can handle. But for every one of those days there is another where the sight of a blank piece of paper is enough to bring on a migraine.

And so, I have created a daily 'work' schedule (I don't think I will ever be able to call writing 'work' without putting it in quotation marks...), which acts as a timetable for my writing. Of course, if I am having a fountainous day, I can go above and beyond the call of duty, and so the schedule really exists for those days when I would really rather stride the five metres to the bed, slump down and pull the blankets high up over my head.

This is what my first 'work' schedule looked like:

Keep in mind that this is for the days where I am struggling. This is the minimum.

Since then, I have realised that 'writing' is too broad a term. For instance, if I am researching a particular aspect of my story, I will be actively reading and taking notes. This schedule makes me feel, though it is obviously entirely unwarranted, that such research is not keeping with the plan.

Also, I am learning that I can't simply focus on my novel 24 hours a day. The books that I am reading, for instance, are those that inspire me, and as such, my brain doesn't switch off. I know I'm not going to be one of these idiot savants that can churn out their first novel in two weeks, so I need to ensure that I don't burn out. Passion and self-discipline is necessary, but I think that any form of writing will be beneficial. And really, I know that I am useless in the mornings.

And so, here is my new 'work' schedule:

I have read that a lot of writers provide themselves with some kind of reward, the same way that a usual job provides money as a reward. My immediate thought was that the 2000-word-minimum section of the day would be the most difficult, so I would reward myself each time I managed this. But how? Chocolate? But what if I am doing really well? I don't want to become an addict again... and anyhow, Dunc and I are planning a detox... So money? Throw two Francs in a jar every time I do it? But... we don't have an income at the moment. Compromise - I will focus on just feeling proud and telling myself I'm awesome, until Dunc lands a job and we have an income again. Then I'll do the two-Franc-jar business.

Interesting to note that yoga has been moved to later in the day. Did I say already that I am useless in the mornings? For some reason, I always feel much more inclined to do my yoga early afternoon. I know this is much less beneficial, but it's better than not doing it at all.

Okay. It's 1.20pm. Time to start cooking lunch, pick up my Herman Melville and do a few stretches.