Or: Why There Is So Little Time Left For Writing
Most people I speak to seem to think that writers sit in the attic and scribble, full of inspiration. So when John asked me to do a guest blog, I thought it might be interesting to his readers to describe how a writer’s time is really spent.
These are some of the writing-based things I have done in the last 12 months. I:
- Wrote four books (one for adults, three for children)
- Did structural edits on the books I wrote last year
- Did copy edits on the books I wrote last year
- Read the proofs of the books I wrote last year
- Wrote a submission for the book I want to write next year
- Wrote and redrafted two short stories
- Redrafted three short stories written some time ago (these aren’t finished yet).
So far, so good. It sounds productive, doesn’t it? (Actually, I’m quite proud of that list!)
But… these are some of the non-writing things I have done in the last 12 months because I am an author. I:
- Had meetings with publishers
- Went on a research trip to Central Australia to visit Lake Eyre for an upcoming non-fiction children’s book, The Dreaming Lake
- Had meetings and discussions with my agent about current and upcoming books, offers from publishers, rejections from publishers, plans for the future, etc.
- Did lots of correspondence (mostly email, but some snail mail) from publishers about things like cover copy and design, publicity, the various drafts, foreign rights sales, business cards, sales, upcoming books, etc.
- With my husband’s help, maintained two websites and planned another
- Spoke at conferences/conventions
- Ran workshops for both children and adults
- Taught a weekly face-to-face class for beginning writers
- Taught a six-weekly novel-writing class
- Taught a weekly online class for beginning writers
- Read manuscripts for Pulp Fiction Press and gave feedback
- Visited schools and libraries
- Maintained a Facebook page
- Answered emails from readers (with great pleasure – this is one of the good things to do, but it does take time)
- Read online reviews and blogs relating to speculative fiction and writing in general (this is a bottomless pit for time – and John, you bear some of the blame here!)
- Presented at the Aurealis Awards
- Mentored a beginning writer
- Ended my year as a member of the Australian Society of Authors Management Committee (because I didn’t have the time), but did represent the ASA as a writer rep at government meetings
- Wrote reviews and articles for several publications, including Good Reading Magazine and the NSW Writers’ Centre newsletter.
- Read and commented on friends’ work
- Did signings in bookshops
- Judged Book Week costume competitions (in Australia, one week in August is Children’s Book Week and every school in the country, just about, has a costume parade where kids come dressed as their favourite book character)
- Went to bookshops whenever I visited a mall and offered to sign their copies of my books (some say ‘great!’ and some say ‘no, thank you’)
- Read industry magazines (like Locus) and newspaper literature sections
- Did paperwork for the Taxation Office and all the other things that go with running a business as a sole trader
- Had discussions with other writers about writing, books, how little money writers make, current projects, etc. (this is fun, but it’s amazing how much time you can waste!)
- Had lunch/dinner/morning/afternoon tea with publishers and my agent (also fun and definitely not a waste)
- Acted on a committee deciding to which English teacher to award a scholarship
- Bought stationery, thumb drives, CD-ROMs, etc. (I can waste an extraordinary amount of time anywhere that sells stationery)
- Did computer-maintenance work – back-ups, de-frags, etc.
- Took photos for the websites
- Was interviewed in person (on camera and off), by phone, by email and online; and then read/viewed the reviews/articles/interviews which resulted and groaned when I saw the photos/footage!
- Spent time panicking that I was never going to finish my current book on deadline!
I’m sure there’s more, but I’ve forgotten.
Most of those things are a necessary part of being a professional writer (all right, not the time wasted in the stationery shop) and most of them are fun. But the image of a writer’s life being completely solitary and absorbed in creativity, just you and the muse and the computer, is a bit misleading.
On the other hand, if you can’t stand to be alone, a writer’s life is not for you, because unless there is some regular time with just you and the muse and the computer, you’ll never finish that book!
Pamela Freeman is an Australian writer whose first adult fantasy series, the Castings Trilogy (Blood Ties, Deep Water, Full Circle), is published globally by Orbit Books. Pamela is also an award-winning author of 18 children’s books. Her most recent children’s book, Victor’s Challenge, has just been shortlisted for an Aurealis Award. Pamela’s websites are: www.castingstrilogy.com (adults) and www.pamelafreemanbooks.com (kids).
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Hmm, maybe it’s geeky of me, but I LOVE this insight to a writer’s daily (or in this case, yearly?) life. Thanks so much! I can’t wait to live all that.
(Right now I only live the quality-time-with-my-manuscript part. Well, and the emails, but those aren’t writing related. Those are just evil evil distractions!)
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