McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Accountability, author's timecard, word count written, feeling lonely out there?
meg_evonne:
Kali, do you check in via twitter to #amwriting? It's a nice personal, but public, "Here, I am and I am writing." spot. Very helpful to know I'm writing along with so many other authors at the same time. Johanna also keeps a bio section as well.
prophet224:
Ok, wow - 1.5k minimum, 2k average? Geez. If I get out 500 words a day I'm happy. I don't really have writer's block or anything, it is just a matter of time. Out of curiosity, how many hours does that 1.5-2k words take you?
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Kali:
@meg - Y'know, I'm almost embarassed to admit it, but I don't get Twitter. I don't get how to sign up, I don't get where to go to get updates, or how to make them... That's largely because I'm very much an anti-social sort. I have negative interest in social networking, so I've never done more than glance at Facebook or Myspace and I've been actively avoiding them and Twitter as well. I just don't like the feeling of being connected to that many people all the frickin' time. It gives me the colliewobbles. I didn't even have a phone capable of getting texts for the longest time, until the phone died and I had to replace it, because I don't like being that in-touch.
However, it's becoming painfully clear to me that these days, it helps to break as an author if you're into the whole social networking thing. I'm still refusing to get a Facebook page, but I do have a website and a blog I'm going to be posting in, and I suppose at some point I ought to at least look at Twitter and figure out what the deal is.
@prophet - Depends on the day. ;) On a good day, it only takes me an hour or so. I type close to 100 wpm, though, so an hour is still mostly thinking and deciding, not so much actually pounding the keys. On a bad day... it can take every spare moment. I've been known to stay up until 2 or 3am to make my wordcount, but I do not go to bed until it's done. That was my promise to myself, the committment I made. The word count is the word count, rain or shine, day or night, no matter what else happens that day. I haven't always lived up to it, but I feel *very* guilty when I don't, and even when I don't manage the 1.5k, I do still at least do some writing.
I will say I don't do "makeup" days. If I only make 1k on Monday, I don't force myself to do an extra 500 words on Tuesday. That way lies disaster, I think. If I have a couple of bad days in a row, I'd end up facing a day where, no matter what, I had to do 4k or 5k. I *can* do those days, I have done them (my record is 12.5k), but that's only when the spirit really moves me. If I *had* to do that much, I'm sure I'd give up in disgust and drown my sorrows in Ben & Jerry's Boston Cream Pie ice cream.
Starbeam:
--- Quote from: Kali on September 23, 2010, 04:56:44 PM ---@meg - Y'know, I'm almost embarassed to admit it, but I don't get Twitter. I don't get how to sign up, I don't get where to go to get updates, or how to make them... That's largely because I'm very much an anti-social sort. I have negative interest in social networking, so I've never done more than glance at Facebook or Myspace and I've been actively avoiding them and Twitter as well. I just don't like the feeling of being connected to that many people all the frickin' time. It gives me the colliewobbles. I didn't even have a phone capable of getting texts for the longest time, until the phone died and I had to replace it, because I don't like being that in-touch.
However, it's becoming painfully clear to me that these days, it helps to break as an author if you're into the whole social networking thing. I'm still refusing to get a Facebook page, but I do have a website and a blog I'm going to be posting in, and I suppose at some point I ought to at least look at Twitter and figure out what the deal is.
@prophet - Depends on the day. ;) On a good day, it only takes me an hour or so. I type close to 100 wpm, though, so an hour is still mostly thinking and deciding, not so much actually pounding the keys. On a bad day... it can take every spare moment. I've been known to stay up until 2 or 3am to make my wordcount, but I do not go to bed until it's done. That was my promise to myself, the committment I made. The word count is the word count, rain or shine, day or night, no matter what else happens that day. I haven't always lived up to it, but I feel *very* guilty when I don't, and even when I don't manage the 1.5k, I do still at least do some writing.
I will say I don't do "makeup" days. If I only make 1k on Monday, I don't force myself to do an extra 500 words on Tuesday. That way lies disaster, I think. If I have a couple of bad days in a row, I'd end up facing a day where, no matter what, I had to do 4k or 5k. I *can* do those days, I have done them (my record is 12.5k), but that's only when the spirit really moves me. If I *had* to do that much, I'm sure I'd give up in disgust and drown my sorrows in Ben & Jerry's Boston Cream Pie ice cream.
--- End quote ---
On Twitter--the main reason I made an account was because I met Anne Sowards (Jim's editor), and there are other editors and agents on there. Although right now, I only follow Anne where those are concerned. I also found it really useful to follow the authors I read cause they tweet a lot about when the next books are coming out. It's also somewhat inspiring, too, in an odd way.
jeno:
I get about 3k or more when I write, but I don't write every day. :-X And it's not all prose I can just stick into a chapter.
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