Writing is a commitment. I think of it as a job. I'm at my desk in my writing room at eight every morning. While drinking my coffee, I play a few word games to wake up my mind. Then it's onto a fifteen to thirty minute writing exercise. This is done in a notebook and by hand. I'll pick a word from the dictionary, or a book or I'll write a phrase, such as, I remember. Once I start, I don't stop. I go with the flow of my mind and follow it with my pen. I might begin with the tree in my front yard and end up in the jungle of South America. It doesn't matter. At some point I know I'll return to my yard. But if I don't that's okay. I do not edit at this time. I don't even think about grammar or correct words. Once I'm finished the exercise. I close my notebook, put it away for two weeks and move onto to whatever project I'm working on. Around noon I either stop writing or I have lunch and continue. There are times that I get lost in my writing. I'll start at eight and the next time I look at the clock, it's five in the afternoon. I have to admit I love those days. Of course, there are what I call "submission days." I find it takes time to submit a story for publication, at least for me. I review, edit and sometimes re-write a paragraph or sentence. Once I'm ready to send it, it's a matter of printing out the submission requirements, reading, re-reading them and checking to make sure I've covered every detail including the word count.This can take a few hours but it's worth the work.
I also carry a small notebook and pen in my purse in case I need
to jot down an idea, a piece of dialogue or description. To me, there is nothing more frustrating than being out, visualizing a great scene or writing the perfect paragraph in my head and not having anything to write it down on. If I don't it disappears.
Happy writing.
