Social media, SEO, marketing and writingFinding the Right Place and Time to Write
If you have a daily job, it’s clear that the only time you will have for your writing is either early in the morning or in the evening. You may be too exhausted in the evening, so that leaves the morning as probably your best time.
You need some time for recreation and plain relaxation. Many authors find their best time for work by experimenting with different schedules. You can do the same.
You could, for example, get in two hours of writing in the early morning hours before going to your job. Many authors have turned out fine books using such a schedule. A plus about morning work is that your mind is fresh.
Another option is working from eight or nine at night to midnight. A worthy and realistic goal is about three hours a day at least for your writing. If there is no way you can devote three hours a day to it, then you will have to settle for an hour or so in the morning and evening. You should try both. You could of course do an hour in the morning and one or two at night.
It is vitally important that you work in the same place and at the same time each day. At least most authors believe this is important. Your mind will learn that you mean to work at that time and in that place. Training your mind in good work techniques is very helpful.
The mind becomes used to a routine and cooperates better than it would if you wrote at a different time and place each day. Some lucky authors can write no matter where they are or what time of day or night it is. John O’Hara, who was very successful, wrote all night.
Some authors work hard Monday through Friday and then totally relax during the weekend. Others work the same hours at their writing desk seven days a week.
Some authors don’t go on clock time; they set a certain number of pages to do per day as a goal. Some days they may get their pages early, but on others it may take them more than three hours. Three or four pages a day is a realistic goal for many authors. Others go for more. George Sand’s thirty pages a night was incredible, but one wonders how many pages of that output had to be thrown out.
A long break from your writing routine may cause difficulty in getting started again. There are natural rhythms in writing. This is one reason why many authors like to work every day when doing a book. A week or two away from writing, or even a weekend, may interrupt your normal rhythm or cycle.
The right place to write will also come by experimenting. Some authors rent hotel rooms without windows so there are no distractions. They even remove the telephones. You can try your kitchen table, a desk in a study, a formal office, the seashore, a cabin in the mountains, or wherever. Go with wherever the words seem to flow best. Again, remember that Mario Puzo wrote The Godfather on his kitchen table. Other authors have written on coffee tables while sitting on the carpet, on airplanes, boats, trains, and other places. Try some of them and go with the place you like best.
