Like many, many writers, I have a real job that pays the bills while I fit writing in as I can. Well, that's not an accurate statement, really. I don't fit writing in as I can, writing is one of the priorities that I balance with a full time job (and a family, too). When I'm putting words on paper (or characters on screen), I tend to write 1,000 words a day. Why I qualify my writing with the phrase of "putting words on paper," is that there are days in the writer’s life that he/she has to work on marketing, cover design, ebook formatting, etc. While writing is the essential activity, these other duties are crucial to being successful.
Anyway, the way I maintain my productivity is to stick to both a production schedule and a quota. As for quota, I want at least 1,000 words a day...or 90 minutes of writing times. Regarding a schedule, I want to maintain one as best I can. I write for an hour in the morning and an hour over the lunch hour. In the past four months, I have never missed more than one day of writing in a row. In fact, since December, I've only missed writing on 3 days. I even got in 1,000 words on Christmas Day.
If I think I might miss two days in a row, I get very, very nervous. Good habits are hard to make and easy to break. Being dedicated to writing every day, even if I miss a day here and there, is important to me.
For instance, today I’m getting ready to leave for a weekend retreat with my wife. We’re only gone for two days and it is a retreat for us, but I know I probably won’t be writing. Nervous, nervous, I am.
You can’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or two if you’re sick or you need to attend to something important like keeping your job or making sure your significant other is happy, but, for me, I need to make writing a priority.
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