Writing on a schedule

One of the hardest things for a writer like me is keeping to a schedule. I have wonderful intentions. I'll write X amount of pages per day and finish that book in X amount of time. But then--oh, no--life intervenes, and often in a big way. We all have those things in our lives which pull us from our imaginary world where we are in control of the universe and thrust us into the reality of life where we are often unable to control people or events. So how do we schedule our writing time? I like what Merline Lovelace says, and that is that if you write five pages a day, you can write five books a year. Wow, five pages. I can do that. Okay, not every day, because sometimes life jumps up and grabs me by the throat and won't let go. Knowing how my life goes, here's how I plan. I figure five days a week at ten pages a day. Then I subtract a day a week for life--more if there's a holiday. Forty pages a week means that in ten weeks I have a book. That doesn't take into account plotting, research, editing, polishing, etc. So add three weeks. That's thirteen weeks. This means, I can do four books a year, barring major disasters among family and self. Four books! Now to keep my tush in the chair, email off, and get those fingers flying across the keys.

Mysteries of the Universe

Maybe saying the universe is a bit overstated, but mysteries in general, including romantic suspense, are the subject. I also am thinking of learning as a never ending mystery. I just finished an online class taught by Roxanne St. Claire on writing romantic suspense. This particular class was very helpful. Publishing is a rapidly evolving field and authors must constantly evolve with it. As writers, we have to stretch ourselves, expand our knowledge, try new subgenre and genre. My current WIP (work in progress) is a mystery and it's a big challenge because it is a cooperative effort with another author. I'm doing the rough draft now and it's been a challenge. We agreed on an outline, a road map for the book, before I started the draft. I find myself wondering with each detour--is this all right?--but I've resisted firing questions at each turn because this is the rough draft, and we'll be editing it later. This duo effort and Roxanne St. Claire's online class both remind me that there is always a new way to express our craft, a new technique to be learned, a new opportunity to stretch our minds. To evolve--not only as a writer, but as a constant personal mystery-in-progress.

Value of Encouragement

Writing is a lonely profession, especially if one is a full-time writer. At home in his or her office, a writer immerses him/herself in the worlds being created. No matter how introverted or agoraphobic we are, each of us needs interaction with others who have similar interests and goals. Fellow writers understand how important and real our characters are to us, and how each novel peels away a part of the author's soul and exposes it to the world. Email loops help us keep in touch, but we eventually need face-to-face nurturing. That's why writers groups--at least good groups--are so beneficial. We meet, talk about writing, laugh about everyday things, and rekindle our creativity. We go home refreshed and eager to resume working on a current project. Our friends rejoice with us in our triumphs, share our pain from a rejection, and encourage us to keep writing. Thank goodness for Romance Writers of America chapters!