Tracking Your Writing Time

Are you like me? Trying to steal some time here and there to write? But sometimes we have the time but make up excuses and procrastinate because we dread sitting in front of the PC staring at a blank screen. I just finished reading the book, The Right to Write, by Julia Cameron, author of the million-seller book, The Artist’s Way. It’s an excellent, inspirational read for writers. About daily writing, she writes: “… writing is nonnegotiable. Writing is the art of motion. Progress, even if that progress is in baby steps, is what writing is about. Daily writing … is like keeping a pot of soup on the back of the stove… like soup, your daily writing doesn’t have to be fancy. A few simple ingredients are enough.”

 

Here’s a pretty good way to keep track of your writing time. A post on the blog, Ingrid’s Notes, suggests a writer create a writing timesheet (spreadsheet). She writes: “ … what if the year it took to write a novel only seems large because we worked on it in small pieces? What if we actually kept track of the time we spent on it?” For more on this topic and to see a sample of the worksheet, click here.  

 

If you have a manuscript ready for submission, you might want to visit the Children’s Book Council (CBC) for a list of publishers and addresses. Many do not accept unsolicited manuscripts, but some do. Best of luck!

"No matter how much formal education you've had, it's best to read as many classics as possible and keep abreast of today's popular reading especially in the area to which you hope to contribute." -- Writer's Digest Weekly Planner