dockane at 2015-09-26 23:03:02:
Scott, have you read "Daily Rituals: How Artists Work" as of yet? You'll see many familiar patterns among the greats. Two I had in common with a number of those featured were: writing for a few hours, then taking a walk ... and, recognizing one's preference for writing during certain times of the day. It's fascinating to read similar routines, but played out at different times. The other thing that came up over and over again was that many people write in 3-4 hour blocks and then do other things throughout the day ... something I find critical to not going bonkers writing full time. I also enjoyed, "A Writer's Space" by Eric Maisel. Who, by the way, writes tons of great stuff for us folk, including the book I love giving to creative friends: "The Van Gogh Blues."
Scott at 2015-09-28 20:56:49:
Doc, I've not read either of these books, but will add to my list. Both sound great. Re writing schedules: When I was writing full-time for a living, I would work from 1-5 each afternoon, actual ass-in-chair writing. But I would also be doing research in the AM an upcoming project and rewriting pages at night. However actual pounding out a draft writing, four hours was about it for me. Now where writing is only one of many things I do, I've gotten it down to a really focused 2 hours per day. That's all the time I have and I find that by being limited to that amount of time, I really cherish that time and make the most of it. That's the thing though about creatives, so many different ways to approach the craft. As I say, there's no right way to write. Each writer is different. Each story is different. We have to find what works for us... and do that! Thanks for the book recommendations!