Time Tracking
Hi! Two weeks ago I started tracking my time – well, not time exactly, but but what I accomplished each day – because I am always interested in balance and how I can structure my days better. I don’t know if it will be of interest to anyone but me, but I am always fascinated by others’ writing habits and routines, so here goes:
MON, NOV 5
work: finished the Cahill Witch Chronicles story bible; finished tweaking the end of STAR CURSED
other: found super-cute Friendsgiving place card craft
TUES, NOV 6
work: did STAR CURSED edits; caught up on reader email
other: voted!, hour walk, watched election results with twitter
WED, NOV 7
work: spent 2.5 hours on marketing stuff (mostly updates for website)
other: emails, found recipe for Friendsgiving (cheddar-jalapeno stuffing which was delicious)
THURS, NOV 8
work: brainstormed Cahill Book 3, talked to Editor Ari, set up a school visit for March, emailed contest winners
other: emails, hour walk, blog stuff for Corsets & Clockwork, phone interview for Writopia (an after-school mentoring program for young writers I’ll soon be joining!)
FRI, NOV 9
work: drove to Lititz, PA for KidLit Festival, did first TV interview, CB3 brainstorming dinner with The Playwright
other: lots of reading
SAT, NOV 10
work: taught tween writing workshop, did panel talk & signing at KidLit Fest in Lititz, wrote 1125 words
other: giant email, read lots
SUN, NOV 11 – OFF
other: read lots, caught up on blog comments, emails
MON, NOV 12
work: edited book 3 synopsis
other: hour walk, blogged, went to Smitten Kitchen cookbook signing with a friend
TUES, NOV 13
work: wrote 800+ words, talked to Agent Jim about synopsis, fixed synopsis, emailed re: secret Breathless Reads stuff and potential Cahill Christmas short stories
other: hour walk, blogged, dinner with BFF
WED, NOV 14
work: sample critique for Writopia; Writopia interview
other: hour walk with friends
THURS, NOV 15
work: created swag packs, wrote 1800 words
other: hour walk, made dinner, made Friendsgiving place cards, started reading potential blurb book
FRI, NOV 16
work: kind of off? boxed up books for giveaway?
other: doctor’s appointment, grocery store, laundry, shopping for friend’s baby’s present, called Mom, emails
SAT, NOV 17 – OFF
Friendsgiving plus Pinky Swear Productions fund-raising gala
SUN, NOV 18
work: hammered out 4-act story structure
other: emails, read lots, talked to BFF in CA for 2 hours
What does this tell me? I feel like so far this month I’ve been good about making time for reading, exercise, and friends. I also email with lots of writers and I treasure that; I feel like we’re sort of coworkers, even divided by distance. And I tend to start writing books slooowwwly, with lots of time spent walking and daydreaming and napping and brainstorming that is hard to track. I’ve been really excited about CB3 but I’ve also been hesitant to dive in with abandon before finding out whether Editor Ari and I were on the same page, and she’s been off at NCTE. But Monday I got the official go-ahead from her, so now I can write my little heart out. The trick now, of course, is not getting distracted by all the holiday stuff. I love this time of year – Christmas cards, shopping, parties with friends, baking!
That was a very interesting blog post 😀 I think I might try that as well! And true say about the balance, am needing some more of that. My BFF and I were talking about that last night (hadn't seen each other in a looong time) about how the second part of a school semester is always so mcuh busier and our well-balanced lives go up in the air haha.
Loie xo
Thanks for reading, Loie! I feel like this time of year is always crazy-busy – especially when you're in school with finals and all – but there's such a mad rush of social stuff and planning that goes into the holidays!