Anyway, I believe Jenita started the topic this week. How do you manage your time when it comes to writing?
Current answer: badly.
Usual answer: I am a stickler for word counts as you know. I admit that word counts often put the emphasis on quantity and not quality, but I don't have a better method. Two hours can produce eight hundred words or it can produce three thousand, so time is a bust. I don't use time as a measurement in the summer. I generally go for 1,000 words a day. That seems to be a doable number. Not overwhelming, not underwhelming.
I'm not big on writing at the same time every day. It doesn't matter to me when I write. Early morning is hard to do because I don't get up early very often, but when it happens, the results have been surprisingly good. It usually ends up being afternoon, between 1:00 and 5:00, just the way my activities fall. Weekends are my friend. I usually get a lot done then.
But during the school year, everything changes. I do set a time limit then, because it works. If I only have an hour to write, you better believe I will spend every minute in that hour writing. You can imagine why this method doesn't work in the summer. I also generally write at night during the school year, around 8:00 or 9:00. Except--well, this year I have to copy-edit for the newspaper at that time, so I guess I'll have to work something else out. I don't write a lot on weekends, and practically never on Saturday (don't do homework on Saturday either; that's what Sunday is for).
I am doing badly right now, because I am just exhausted, bored, and afraid of screwing up the end. I'm waiting to move-in, and nothing seems all that important in comparison. I should be packing, but that's not really happening either. Instead, I am watching a Chinese drama:
I am an extremely white-washed Asian. I hate Asian dramas. Hate them, hate them, hate them. They're so melodramatic. The acting is bad, the script is bad, and my Chinese ain't that great either, so what they hey. Why should I try? I know that picture means nothing to you non-Chinese people at all, but you should know that I have a total, complete infatuation with this series. There are, in fact, forty-two episodes in the newest season, and I have gone through twenty-five of them in three days. You can see why writing is not figuring greatly into my days at the moment. I have to return it before I go back to school, so I AM FINISHING IT, DAMMIT, JUST WATCH ME.
Ahem. I'm going to call it, "improving my Chinese." Yup. That's what it is.
The week:
Monday: Girl With A Notebook
Tuesday: Somewhere Nowhere In My Kingdom
Wednesday: Flames and Shadows
Thursday: Me
Friday: Sometimes Helpful Nonsense
Yay for 'improving your chinese'. It does help - I watch at least 2 anime episodes a day, and it has helpe dimprove my japanese (genuinely!).
ReplyDeleteWriting goals - I try to write every day, but life crops up every now and then, leavning 0 time/energy for writing. That's ok too!
LOL. Okay, first of all, I'm amazed that you think 2300 words in 2 days is "not too bad". I would love it if I was able to consistently write at that level. Of course, right now I'm embroiled in a graduation paper (capstone project) so the creative side of my writing is not really happening very well.
ReplyDeleteAs for managing my time, it's a task I have not yet succeeded at. I really need to set a time for writing, but (probably due to procrastination) I just haven't. No excuses.
Nice post though, and be happy knowing you're doing better than some of us. :)
I understand trying to crank out as much as you can before school starts, but I think it's good for you to ease up on the writing and watch your Chinese Drama instead. Keep the stress level low before you go back to writing for others more than yourself. I didn't write anything for pleasure the ENTIRE TIME I WAS IN COLLEGE. And my writing level suffered for it.
ReplyDeleteJust remember to make time for pleasure writing, and keep it PLEASURABLE!! Even if you feel blocked and need to resort to writing fanfic to get the creative juices flowing. ;) I know you're going to be getting enough stress from your teachers, you don't need to be doing it to yourself.
I wouldn't go back to college unless I was being paid to at this point. Except I love school supplies. Go figure.
Is it summer-itis? I've got it too! I do so much better during the school year. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteGreat post -- and jeez, you're going back to school soon! :) Good luck with the move, dear.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Check out a blog post of mine for an award I just passed on to you this afternoon. :D
Summer-itis has taken its toll on me too. I usually figure out my progress based on word count but I try not to obsess over it. I rarely set time-limits because I never stick to them anyway - I'll either go way under time or over time (over is always better, obviously).
ReplyDelete