Under Payed

If you were to map out how much time you spend on research and writing; would it be worth it? In truth I probably make around $0.10 an hour if I am lucky. I spend a lot of time both researching and polishing my material. This makes writing for dollars somewhat frustrating. But we didn't get into this to become billionaires did we? No writing is a passion. Writers don't choose to write, it chooses them. I write to survive, get the voices out of my head and be heard. Why do you write?

The "Write" Setup

In order to produce creatively the setup is the key. If you have the ideas without the setup then you only have the ideas. I have worked like this before, it's frustrating. In order to maximize on your space it you should focus on five important aspects;

1. Privacy - Whether you work better in public or private the best way to maximize your creative output is to reduce distractions. Probably not a good idea to have that Playstation 3 in your office where you work. Also family, they need to know when it is your time to write. It can be as simple as a closed door or as complex as a monthly time schedule on your fridge. At any rate they need to know what times to leave you alone.
2. Research - Your references should be right at your finger tips. Dictionaries, The Elements of Style, hell even old copies of writers digest. I have turned a large portion of my office into a working library. That way if I have anything from pharmacological texts to the Encyclopedia Britannica right behind me. The internet does wonders for the consolidation of information but just remember if that connection goes down you will be screwed.
3. Comfort - The majority of your time will probably be spent hunched over hunting and pecking away at a keyboard. Your chair should be comfortable. Your monitor should relieve eye strain. Your keyboard shouldn't cause any discomfort to your wrist. But most of these factors vary from person to person so a lot of this one is down to personal choice.
4. Organization - Every office is messy. I am not talking about overall cleanliness. Hear I am referring to your writing. There are times when I have had up to thirty documents open spread out over two computers. You must have a good filing system in order to keep track of current projects. You don't want to end up editing the same manuscript four or five times because you forgot what folder you saved it to.
5. You - This is the most important aspect of your writing space; you. It must be tailored to your needs and wants. Everybody is different so go crazy. If you work best at a desk behind your living room couch while your family is home then go for it. If you work best in solitude try that. Decorate and then redecorate. If you start to suffer from writers block move your desk to another wall. Get attached to your office, its an essential part of you as a writer.

Writing is Deleting

When your egg timer goes off and it's time to stop writing for the day don't stop just yet. Read through the pages of what you wrote and find your favorite part. Look for the sentence, paragraph. page or chapter that screams masterpiece. Read and reread that one part as many times as it takes for you to feel fantastic about being its creator. Embrace your inner megalomaniac. Done yet? Okay now highlight and delete that part. Now read what you wrote, does it stand alone? If not make it. You should be able to remove any part of your story and still have a story. And don't forget the words of Faulkner; "Kill your darlings."

A Carrot On A Stick

It's time to talk about having goals. Having day dreams of crowded book signings and readings is great. But how will you get there without laying out a path for yourself? Goals. When your career path specifically goes through the dark woods of creativity it is easy to get lost along the way. Unless you give yourself clear cut goals both short term and long term you will not succeed in this field. So where should you start mapping your path to success?

Word Count - This is a very basic starting point. Pick a word count for yourself to hit every day. I try never to write any less than 250 words per day. Now for me that is a relatively low number and very easy to hit. But that is the point. If I set it at 3000 words and have a fully stacked schedule that prevents me from hitting my goal I will feel like a failure. Negativity is counter productive to creativity. Start small and remember slow and steady wins the race.

Literary Magazines - Both online and small press literary magazines publish on a monthly and sometimes weekly basis. These make for great short term publishing goals and also allow you to gauge the quality of your writing. I try and submit to at least one magazine a month and shoot for at least 4-5 publications a year.

Now remember every good system of goals has an even better system of rewards. In a career where you work largely alone you need to reward yourself for meeting goals. If you make your word count every day for a month treat yourself to a movie or dinner. Just don't ever reward yourself by taking the day off of writing. This is a seven day a week 365 day a year job you chose and you can't risk taking time off. If you can help cut a path for yourself with small goals you will reach your larger ones. And in the end seeing that book on a store shelf will be a greater reward than anything you can give yourself.

pro·cras·ti·nate (pr-krst-nt, pr-)

v. pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, pro·cras·ti·nat·ing, pro·cras·ti·nates

v.intr.

To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.

v.tr.

To postpone or delay needlessly.

When it comes to the craft this is the toughest beast to overcome. To me this word lurks on the inside of every failure and behind every writers block. It disguises itself as things as important as research and as menial as doing laundry. This word is a career killer. I have wasted plenty of my own hours researching(procrastinating) the best ways to overcome procrastination. I have devised(procrastinated) lists and schedules for writing my books. I have tried everything to overcome this and hold myself accountable. But in the end for the only way to truly slay the demon of inaction is with action. Just like realizing that the only way to beat writers block is to write.

*Definition is from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/procrastination