It depends. The past two months I've been revising/sitting exams and planning, instead of actually writing. But I'll go back into writing from Wednesday morning, when summer begins. On a normal week I'd estimate 5-10 when going slow, and 10-20 when enthused. Will be exceeding that throughout the holidays.
Not very much, I have to share the computer with 6 other people so I only get about 1 hour 30 mins a day.
Where's the 'not as much as I should' option? 5-10 hours a week, I reckon. I can occasionally do that in a day, but I need to be in the mood and writing well beforehand.
I never really dedicate time as such, more when I'm in the mood for it I guess. I think I should start to perhaps get in a habit, ie start with 1 hour a day and work from there.
there are other threads on this same subject that you can find with the site search engine, i believe... or at least by scrolling through the previous pages... since i help writers all day, every day, plus do writing of my own, and i don't watch the clock, all i can do is tell you how many hours a day i'm online, dealing with posts and material that's sent to me by email, and have my computer turned on... which is from 6-ish am to 7-8-ish pm every single day of the year... so, you do the math and that's how much time i spend dedicated to writing...
To put it simply, not enough time. I once tried to force myself to write atleast 1 hour a day. No matter if I felt up to it or not, I had to write. For awhile it went great. I may not have gotten far and I may not have liked what I got. But I wrote. I quickly fell out of this and seem to only write when I feel inspired.
^Except a good bit of mine is writing for hire. I did the bit of having everything I own fitting into a backpack and a duffel bag for seven years, courtesy of the foster care system. I like having my own place and my own things. I write scads of things for money I wouldn't write for free.
Yes. Afternoons are set aside specifically for reviewing/rewriting my work, or researching material. Whatever I'm doing during afternoons, it's usually actively connected to my work, though I take the opportunity to surf the Net during breaks, like this.
I have to go somewhere with no distractions - so i go to the bookstore. No internet, no games, no friends. Just me and my laptop. I usually go on the weekends because i'm mentally exhausted after work.
Setting a specific block of time to write is a real challenge for me. My writing time usually comes in the form of minutes as opposed to hours.
I set targets for myself. My current project I write at least a thousand words per day. Then I pack up. Next day I run through what I've written to do a quick edit and revision before I start the next target. vanhunks
I budget 8-10 hours a day for the projects that pay the bills. This includes research, editing, polishing, sometimes pitch meetings. (Newsletters, romance novels, erotica, articles on deadline) This is six days a week. On Sundays I cut the time down to 4-5 hours because that is the day I do the cooking for the week. Slow cookers and stockpots layered with steamer baskets are working overtime, but then during the week I can grab some meat, veg and rice out of the refrigerator and throw together a stirfry. Then I add 3-5 hours for working on my non-genre novel. One hour of this is transcribing the work from the previous day, which is also a light editing pass. Then 1-2 hours of doing the crits for the groups. I belong to two groups that meet every other week and one group that meets once a month, so I usually have 3 or 4 pieces that need review every week. And for the groups they have to be detailed crits. Reading time varies, but my audibles account lets me do a lot of audio books during travel time and exercise time.
whenever i get around to it, really. sometimes it takes awhile to actually get stuff done, but that's not too bad because the longer the idea stews in my head, the more it develops. i dont try to set a schedule for myself, because my mood is not determined by times and dates. if i try to force myself to write something im not interested in at the moment, it wont be interesting to read. oh and i'm really sporadic with my reading. i mean, if im actually interested like with Ender's Game, i won't put it down, but if i'm just reading it to finish the series and be done and over with like with Legacy of the Force, i may take a month long hiatus. sometimes more.
Pretty much all night, for me. That's for both for reading and writing. I feel I'm at my most creative when pumped up with caffeine. The only problem is: it doesn't sare much time for sleeping! --Martin Lesnoy
I imagine myself on a beach somewhere far away from any civilization. Just a white house, a blue ocean marbled, and a cigarette... even though I don't smoke. I figure if I'm already in heaven the whole cancer thing probably wont affect me as much. And then I wake up and realize I'm still here in "Normal Land", where everything is depressing and cigarettes are actually bad for you. Essentially what I'm saying is that I only write when I don't have to close my eyes to feel the peace that comes over me when I think about that place. At times my inability to write at any given times pains me more than not having that heaven. Nevertheless, I am seemingly incapable of writing unless I'm in the mood. So there's my answer.... whenever I feel like it. If I were to turn this little obsession of mine into a job then I would promptly quit... or be fired. The point is I write when I want to write because it is my own, personal little Shangri-la.
I write whenever I can take my boat out. I turn the engine off a few miles out, or near a coast if it's windy. I have my laptop with me. Can you think of a better time?
no... i just write whenever i have something that needs to be written [which can be up to 18-20 hrs/day, for weeks, if it's a major project] and read just a bit before going to sleep, or whenever the power is out and i can't use the computer or watch tv... but then i don't have a 'normal life' like the rest of you do, so don't need to schedule anything...
When do you write? Even though I'm a morning person, I can't bring myself to write before 4PM, so I use that time to do the less fun parts of the job, market research, bookkeeping, as well as a bit of reading or staying in contact. When 4PM rolls around I usually settle down in my office (not really an office, looks more like a book-maze) and glue my rear to the chair. Since my mind has finally settled down, I don't find myself flitting off on tangents or getting distracted. When midnight rolls lay down with my work in my head and let it stew for an hour or two before I fall asleep. I've found that that sort of pattern helps me keep delving for inspiration in everyday life, but affords me with time to write, especially when things are quieting down for the evening.
Exactly my dilemma. I find time to write notes on spontaneous ideas I get during the days, then at night I go back and refine them into storylines. I then pour a rough outline out, diagnose characters, and begin the work. That's on the first night. The next night I finish my first copy, reread it, marking anything I see that I want to edit/delete, then go back and revise it. I reread it the second time, compare it to my rough outline to see if I adequately followed my own string of ideas. If I did, good; if not, I add/edit until my work reflects my initial idea. Third night I post it for review, either here or GG. Yes, my writing is ritualistic. I do three night cycles per idea, sometimes four if I happen to fall asleep. The question asked if I set aside time; the answer is no, I do not. I make time, however. Lack of sleep is one of my curses, and I choose to occupy myself as I pursue it.
If I just say "I'm going to write after work" I usually find an hour or two to write. Unfortunately, my day job pays the bills so it has to take priority...
