A Day in the Life

It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post. It’s been even longer since I’ve written a “Day in the Life” blog post, so I thought I’d do that. Especially since so much has gone on in my writing world.

Now that I have a Harlequin contract, I have set deadlines (and self-imposed ones to meet those set ones). I also have a lot more writing and editing to do, since I’m now writing for two publishers instead of one. Writing for two requires me to remember different writing and editing styles, word counts, and business models.

 

The thing I like best about being a writer—other than writing—is being able to set my own schedule (within the above-mentioned parameters). And that means waking when I want. If you know me, you know I’m not a morning person. Even so, I wake up around seven thirty, but not having to rush out of bed is my one luxury that I try to maintain. It’s also why I’m bad at walking with people in the morning, but that might have to be another blog post. We’ll see. 

 

Once I’m awake, I go downstairs, feed Midnight, the rescue dog, and myself. I check the news—starting with entertainment because, well, I need a lift before I move onto the dumpster fire—my email, etc. I take care of my daily marketing tasks of posting different books to Facebook groups and Twitter while eating breakfast. Then I go through my to-do list, which usually consists of the business side of writing (advertising, etc.) as well as personal items, like grocery shopping. 

 

Then it’s time to address the writing and editing needs. I typically edit in the morning. Depending on how much I have, I may break it up into pieces throughout the day, or I’ll just get it done in one shot. Thanks to the pandemic, my attention span has been shot, and I find I need to divide everything into smaller, more manageable chunks. 

 

By then, it’s usually lunch time. After a short break for lunch, I move onto writing. I set myself a daily word count for several reasons. One, it ensures I meet whatever deadlines I have. With my current Harlequin manuscript, I’m aiming for my first draft to be complete by December first. That currently means I’m writing 1,128 words per day. Weekends, too. And two, it keeps me focused even when my attention span is lacking. To help with that, I’ll participate in writing sprints with other writer friends. Basically, we set the timer and write, checking in when the timer rings. You’d be amazed at how productive I am when there’s accountability involved.

 

Some days, those words come easily. Other days they don’t. So, when I’m finally finished, I’ll either do more editing or I’ll take a break. There are always other things that need to be tackled, like planning a book release, updating advertising campaigns, supporting other writer friends, etc. That doesn’t even begin to address the honey-do lists—both mine and my husband’s—that we have.

 

I am not a night owl by any means, so I’m finished with whatever I need to get done by dinner time, freeing my evenings for reading, watching TV, and hanging with my husband. 

 

What’s your day like?