October 26, 2011

Any writing day can feel overwhelming if you’re trying to juggle several projects. Right now, I’m proofing a book due next week, finishing one not due for a while, and plotting a novel to get ready for NaNoWriMo. I blog and Twitter and do Facebook. I have a novel critique to do. EEEEEEEEEEEK!

Bouncing Off the Office Walls

My own writer’s personality prefers working on one project at a time. I like to fully immerse myself in the characters and plot, writing and rewriting, rethinking and editing, polishing and submitting. In the early years, before it was my career, I could do it that way. Everything was written and submitted “on spec,” and no one was waiting for my prose, so I could take my time–and do one thing at a time.

Just thinking about what needed to be done today put my brain in a cramp. I could almost feel the neurons short-circuit.

Is It Possible to Focus?

First, today and every day, I need to accept the fact that (except for the critique), none of the other things will get finished today. I need to make my “to do” list reflect this, and yet move each project closer to completion. (I’ve tried just working on one thing at a time before, but I found I lost mental contact with my fiction characters and had to keep starting over. Working on the books daily helps me “remember” who everyone is and what comes next.)

I’ve discovered that if I make a “to do” list that says I will write for one hour on each project that needs to be moved along, then I will do that. I set my kitchen timer for one hour, get my project papers out and ready to go, put on blinders, start the timer, and then focus on that one project for an hour.

I don’t get up during that time or think about any of the other projects (which are out of sight–very important). I work on the computer that will NOT connect to the Internet, so there is no temptation to check email. I let my answering machine take calls. [NOTE: This is me on a good day like today. The "yesterday" me made the mistake of getting online early in the morning, and it was downhill from there! Will I never learn?]

Just One Hour?

Can you get much accomplished in an hour? An amazing amount! In fact, I am constantly surprised how much just fifteen minutes of concentrated writing time can produce. At the end of a writing day where I’ve focused one hour on each project, they all have moved along significantly toward the finish line.

Do I like writing this way? Not really. But there’s one big plus: I’ve discovered that I can write many more hours in a day when I change projects–six or eight hours, as long as I stretch frequently. Writing on the same novel, I am fairly burned out in three of four hours of writing (four hours total, usually a couple of two-hour sessions.) So productivity is higher when I have to work on multiple projects with multiple deadlines.

Maybe–in the end–I’ll enjoy working this way for that very reason. In the meantime, it’s a good way to get the work done.

Just curious… What is your own preferred way to write? One project at a time? Multiple projects?

10 Comments »

1. 

   Monogamous with fiction, slutty with NF.

   Comment by Vijaya — October 26, 2011 @ 11:37 am

2. 

   Vijaya, you crack me up!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — October 26, 2011 @ 12:21 pm

3. 

   Hi Kristi,
   I’m definitely fragmented. Lately I feel very fragmented, disorganized, cluttered… I know things will change and life will settle down, it always does, but in the short term I have days where I’m glad my head is attached Today is/was a good example. It started off great but quickly descended into chaos, my phones didn’t work, my internet was down, I had a morning appointment… so far I’ve managed to get the phones & internet fixed, the appointment occurred, & I think I’m back in control of today but there’s still a few hours left…
   Right now I’m going to take 1 minute for myself & re focus on the tasks still to be completed for today… the chaos is slowly being tamed… my little guy is at pre-school & my hubby is working so I have an hour to reload & press forward…

   Hope everyone else is having a great day & is more centered.
   Cheers

   Comment by Ally M — October 26, 2011 @ 1:12 pm

4. 

   Ally, your day and mine nearly matched, complete with Internet problems. I nearly fainted when I looked at my week–have nine appointments/events this week on top of two big deadlines. The phone/Internet not working was NOT helpful! Getting re-centered is an art in itself, isn’t it?

   Comment by Kristi Holl — October 26, 2011 @ 1:23 pm

5. 

   I tell myself that I’m not going to work on anything else until X gets done, but like you said, it’s possible to get burned out and not do your best.
   By doing other things, and then going back to X, gives the project time to simmer and looking at it again after a few hours or a few days puts a new light on everything.
   Sometimes it feels like I’m a chicken running around with her head chopped off, but eventually they all get completed around the same time, giving me a feeling of mass-productivity.

   Comment by Denise Stanley — October 26, 2011 @ 1:34 pm

6. 

   Denise, I identify with the chicken thing! I am finally looking at the completion of several big projects November 1 (in time for NaNoWriMo), and you’re right. The last few months have definitely been fragmented-FEELING. But in looking back, it’s been pretty orderly moving forward. We can’t rely on our feelings all the time, can we? Glad you’re feeling a sense of mass productivity!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — October 27, 2011 @ 6:26 am

7. 

   While I’m working on a difficult novel revision, I distract myself by working on picture books. The distraction can either be called procrastination or taking a much-need break. Not sure which it really is…

   Comment by Judith L. Roth — October 27, 2011 @ 9:33 am

8. 

   Judith, I do the same thing, and I’m not sure which it is either! At least we’re getting some writing done somewhere. I wish I were much better at tolerating that uncomfortable feeling and pushing through it instead of veering off to something else.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — October 27, 2011 @ 11:50 am

9. 

   I meant to comment yesterday but as can be expected my day got too hectic to accomplish that simple task. I stumbled on something called the Pomodora Technique a couple of weeks ago and am giving it a try although as yet a rather feeble try. It is basically a way to focus on one task for 25 minutes, take 5 or so minutes off, and set the timer for another 25 mins. When you have done 4 of these time periods in a row, you take a longer break of maybe 30 or 45 mins. It works best if you don’t get interrupted constantly but addresses that issue, too. The few times I’ve tried it, the results are pretty good. I doubt I’ll use the technique every day unless I get a whole lot more organized,but I will keep trying it. Pomodora is Italian for tomato and that’s a long story.

   Comment by Bonnie Hinman — October 27, 2011 @ 2:56 pm

10. 

    Bonnie, that’s the system that Randy Ingermanson uses and swears by too. I have the free ebook from that site too–I must read it! Thanks for reminding me about this! I may try implementing it during NaNoWriMo month and see how it goes!

    Comment by Kristi Holl — October 28, 2011 @ 11:51 am

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