New And Improved
January 16, 2009
Doctorow has an article up on the Locus Magazine website. He suggests all one needs is 20 minutes a day to write. Everyone should be able to find that 20 minutes: "You can put up with noise/silence/kids/discomfort/hunger for 20 minutes."
Bullshit. Not everyone is wired that way. It's one thing to say 'This works for me'. To suggest the advice is the one, best, true, right way is unhelpful. In my opinion, each writer should find what works for them.
What motivates me is the broader point of the article, that one doesn't need to spend all day writing. Get one thing done, writing for a short time for example, and then free oneself to the other priorities in life without guilt.
That I can get down with. I might not write every single day, but each day I'll do something: write, edit, critique, blog, query, etc. If it takes two minutes or two hours, I'll get it done and be good for the day. That's my goal for 2009.
What's motiving you this year?
I am motivated. Not unusual for me in January. In prior years I started gearing up in December, recapping accomplishments, setting my goals, updating a spreadsheet. Not this year.
Doctorow has an article up on the Locus Magazine website. He suggests all one needs is 20 minutes a day to write. Everyone should be able to find that 20 minutes: "You can put up with noise/silence/kids/discomfort/hunger for 20 minutes."
Bullshit. Not everyone is wired that way. It's one thing to say 'This works for me'. To suggest the advice is the one, best, true, right way is unhelpful. In my opinion, each writer should find what works for them.
What motivates me is the broader point of the article, that one doesn't need to spend all day writing. Get one thing done, writing for a short time for example, and then free oneself to the other priorities in life without guilt.
That I can get down with. I might not write every single day, but each day I'll do something: write, edit, critique, blog, query, etc. If it takes two minutes or two hours, I'll get it done and be good for the day. That's my goal for 2009.
What's motiving you this year?
Comments
Maybe if he wasn't so
Maybe if he wasn't so distracted, he wouldn't have used the word "distracted" twice in his opening sentence :)
Glad to see you're off to a great start, Todd.
Good catch! I was so
Good catch! I was so distracted I didn't notice.
Yes, all writing advice
Yes, all writing advice should come with that disclaimer. It even goes to the point of what works for one story/novel may not work for the next story/novel, and what may have hindered a previous story is exactly what you need to do with the current one.
Sound advice, that.
Sound advice, that.
Good points for all. This
Good points for all.
This year I'm motivated by a new wife. Thanks, Linda!!
Since I moved to be with her, she is encouraging me to make writing my priority now. I really appreciate her encouragement, but have had a bit of trouble getting used to a more cluttered one-bedroom apartment filled with books, tapes and old bank statements for two people. I've already burnt out one shredder making room.
Fawn Hall called; she has
Fawn Hall called; she has some tips for you.
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