Tuesday, February 2, 2010

New day

I am an early riser, 5:30 a.m. is about my usual. I don't have to get up early, but I do. I always have. When I was a child my mother and father were up and at 'em before sunrise. My dad worked in the oil fields and I can tell you it was no 9 to 5 job. You would think it would have set the pattern for all of us, but while I tended to get up and get with it, my siblings were happy to sink deeper into the covers. Me, I never wanted to miss anything. What if something happened and I was asleep and missed it? Even after my dad got other less stressful and dangerous jobs, I still got up when he and mom did and stayed up, busy-bodying my way through the day. It's a trait I've spent the bulk of my life trying to get under control until I realized, as a writer, it's one of my strong points. Early morning is when I am most productive.

Every one's productivity time clock is slightly different but if I were handing out advice to beginning writers on how to get the most work done, I'd say figure out what hours of the day you are most alert and get to work! The other critical element to success is being consistent. Don't let a work day go by when you don't write. What are work days? For writers every day is a work day, but even the most dedicated take time off to regroup and refuel. Whatever your schedule, four days a week, five, two, it doesn't matter, commit to a time and write.

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