In today’s Journal
* Writing Ritual and Routine
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Writing Ritual and Routine
Over on TKZ today, Sue Coletta posted an article on writing ritual and routine. Interesting post, and she asked toward the end about others’ rituals and routines.
I thought mine would make a good post over here on the Journal.
I rise at 2 or 3 a.m. (I take my 6-8 hours from a different part of the day), grab a mugga coffee, and walk about 150 feet to my Hovel, an adobe shack with 3-foot thick walls. That gives me the sense that I’m going to work. I go to work every day with (usually) one day off between novels.
Inside, I have my business computer with internet, etc. and my writing ‘puter with only my fiction, a niftly little 13″ that feels a lot like a typewriter.
On the business computer, I check emails, read TKZ et al, respond to my mentoring students. When necessary, I create covers and write sales copy. Finally I file my daily Journal for my subscribers, then I take a 10-minute break (or so) at the house and head back to the Hovel and to the writing ‘puter.
When I sit down at the writing ‘puter, my creative mind knows it’s time to play. I read back over what I wrote the day before (usually 2000 to 5000 words), allowing myself to touch it here and there as I go. That gets me back in the story, and it allows me to catch up with the characters. (They’re almost all younger than I am.) Then I sit back and wait for the fun to happen.
And my characters take over. After all, it’s their story, not mine. I believe their story is going on even when I don’t check in with them (just as my neighbors’ story is going on even when I don’t know what it is).
When I do check in, they’re kind enough (and I’m lucky enough) that they allow me to run through the story with them trying to keep up. In return, they allow me to be their recorder. And off and on for the rest of the day I have a ton of fun. Best gig in the world.
So share YOUR writing ritual or routine with Sue over at TKZ and with us here at the Journal. What do you do to make (or let) the magic happen? Visit https://hestanbrough.com/the-journal-writing-routines, then scroll down and leave a comment.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “How Amazon and Bookbub Will Help You Sell Books–FREE” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/how-amazon-and-bookbub-will-help-you-sell-books-free/. Seriously, read this.
See “Writing Ritual and Routine” at https://killzoneblog.com/2021/07/writing-ritual-and-routine.html.
See “Jerry Jenkins’ FREE Writing Workshop: How I Write Bestselling Novels” at https://leveragecreative.lpages.co/ynb-monday-webinar-registration/.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………………… 450 words
Writing of WCGN 4: William J. Pinchot (tentative title, novel)
Day 1…… 1965 words. Total words to date…… 1965
Day 2…… 2624 words. Total words to date…… 4589
Day 3…… 1824 words. Total words to date…… 6413
Day 4…… 3160 words. Total words to date…… 9573
Day 5…… 3504 words. Total words to date…… 13077
Day 6…… 4704 words. Total words to date…… 17781
Day 7…… 2552 words. Total words to date…… 20333
Total fiction words for July……… 67241
Total fiction words for the year………… 595928
Total nonfiction words for July… 16570
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 142360
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 738280
Calendar Year 2021 Novels to Date…………………… 12
Calendar Year 2021 Novellas to Date……………… 1
Calendar Year 2021 Short Stories to Date… 3
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 65
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 217
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31
Disclaimer: In this blog, I provide advice on writing fiction. I advocate a technique called Writing Into the Dark. To be crystal clear, WITD is not “the only way” to write, nor will I ever say it is. However, as I am the only writer who advocates WITD both publicly and regularly, I will continue to do so, among myriad other topics.