Friday, February 1, 2013

Things to Do, Places to Go

I'm often asked how I manage to balance writing time with all the rest of the busyness that comes with the job -- promotion, marketing, taxes...heck, just answering email! Looking back, I think trying to keep up with everything was a contributing factor to my burn out. I used to have a 48 hour rule for answering email, then it turned into a week, then it turned into...Heeeeelp, I'm drowning...

I guess a lot of the email could be turned over to my trusty virtual assistant, but no. People are writing Josh Lanyon. Whatever they have to say, it is for Josh Lanyon to hear it and respond to it. Eventually.

So I'm still exploring all the possibilities for making the best use of my time. Of course I know now that I have to build in time off, take breaks, take deep breaths, spend time with family and friends and the guy who gets very testy when I don't show up to dinner. I was trying to create a regular schedule, nine to five and weekends off, but...it just doesn't work that way.

There are days I can't write until quite late or at all because something else has come up -- sometimes it's work related like listening to audio files or uploading files or commissioning covers or filling out tax forms or...just...stuff. There's just a never ending parade of stuff to deal with. That's the life of a small business owner, which is what a professional writer is.

So nine to five doesn't really work. It's got to stay a little more fluid to accomodate the ebb and flow of the creative tide as well as the realities of running a small business. I won't deny it's a heady pleasure to get to figure out how you want to arrange your own work schedule. I mean, I well remember the days (years) when my work schedule was arranged by others.

What seems to be working right now is a four day writing work and then three days of writing business and working on other projects. That seems to deal with my creative restlessness and give me enough time to do things like grocery shop, go to therapy, answer emails, do edits, etc. I just noticed today that what it doesn't include is an actual time off weekend, but maybe I don't need that so much as I need to be able to take time when I do feel like a break. That's probably more like it. I don't want to feel guilty if I use Wednesday to go to lunch with a friend.

For the sake of my wrists, I have to limit how much actual typing I do, but beyond that, it's pretty relaxed and that seems to be working. I'm moving forward slowly but surely. I finished that ugly rough draft of Blood Red Butterfly, worked on the outlines for Winter Kill and Stranger on the Shore, got back to work on The Boy With the Painful Tattoo, and Monday I'm back filling in the blanks (chasms) of Blood Red Butterfly. I guess the proof as to whether this works or not will be at the end of this week when I see whether I have actually finished BRB on schedule. If not, I'll have to reevaluate because, while I'm all for keeping things loose and creative, I do still have to pay the bills!

15 comments:

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    1. Great! I love to think these posts are of practical value.

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  2. I have confidence that you'll get it all worked out, J. This is only the first day of February. You haven't been officially back from the sabbatical for very long, and already you have a new book coming out. Celebrate the victories, rely on your team for as much as you can, and enjoy the journey. Seems to me like even when you're not working, you're working. Go with the flow. Unless, of course, the flow says spend all day every day in the pool. You'll figure it out, and we'll reap the benefits.

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    1. I hope so, M. I guess it's trial and error. I feel like I'm having to reinvent the wheel, which is so tiresome.

      I was so sure a square would work too!

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  3. Good advice. It is especially hard when you are running this small business at home! When working hours become blurry...

    At least I finished our last and final US tax return this week... *wipes sweat*

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    1. Yes! That's the catch. Working from home has its own set of problems. Not least being that everyone else thinks if you're working from home, you must have unlimited spare time.

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  4. Josh, I know you will be smart this time, and not let yourself fall off the edge. I tell myself this, but you seem to be going from sabbatical to a 7-day week! Building in constant time off to recharge is as important as any of the other tasks on your weekly calendar, or perhaps more so; it gives you the capacity to do everything else. Remember, a healthy Josh is the best Josh of all! :)

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  5. I know! But yesterday I took a day off to have lunch with a friend, so see! I am taking some time to at least have some fun.

    I think -- hope -- this time I will be alert to the danger signs. If I start to feel too stressed, that's a good indictor to slow down again.

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    1. Yes, Josh, I do see - one day off for lunch after how many days working? And how many sick days so far?

      I hope you do watch for those danger signs. I want you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed all the time! :)

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    2. :-D I shall do my best!

      I actually am -- finally -- feeling almost healthy again. That does a lot for the energy levels.

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  6. Good luck and have fun. As much as I want to read the next Josh Lanyon creation (or listen, I love that too!) I'd rather wait then have you not writing at all.

    You are worth the wait (as are your characters!!

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    1. I appreciate hearing that!

      I feel good because today I'll finish Blood Red Butterfly. I feel like I'm back in business!

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  7. I have every confidence you WILL find your groove. It is a process; one that is always in flux. You may find a technique that works wonderfully for several days, months, or even years and then ceases to work and that is good because then you adapt and find another technique that works for you. I love your work; take your time. Do what's right for you. The work will follow and your readers will read when you are ready to give us more of those amazing people we've grown to love and new ones we will enjoy getting to know. Take care, Denise A.

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    1. Thank you, Denise. I think you're probably right. Right now it's a strange combination of what feels completely new and what feels familiar. The only certainty is the work itself -- the certainty that I still love the work.

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