I'm pleased to present a guest blog from Keris Stainton. Keris (below) is the author of Della says OMG! (above (I wanted them both above, but blogger gremlins are playing up). I'm one of many stops on Keris' tour, so please check out the sites here. I asked Keris to chat about a normal day in her writing life. I'll hand you over to Keris now.
When Nayu asked me to write about my writing routine, I should really have declined. I should have said, "I'm sorry, I can't possibly - I'm too busy writing!" But I didn't. Because I'm not. What I'm busy doing is avoiding writing. Goodness, the energy it takes! Honestly, if I put half as much time and effort into writing as I do into avoiding writing, I'd be as prolific as Meg Cabot.
Here's an example of a typical writing day:
Switch on computer. Internet and Twitter open automatically. (You've already spotted my first mistake, haven't you?)
Open email. While waiting the couple of seconds it takes for email to open, click on my @replies in Twitter. Read and respond to these.
Scroll through emails for something interesting. On a good day, open and read something interesting. On a bad day, delete all emails from Argos, Babycentre, various PRs and Google Alerts.
Read Twitter stream. Notice something funny/interesting. Reply to it.
Glance at Google calendar and see what I need to do. Sigh. Go back to Twitter.
Make a cup of tea.
Go to Daily Mail online. Read story about a celebrity who has gained or lost weight, got engaged, married, pregnant, cheated on or divorced. Read about Suri Cruise. Hate self for not being able to resist either the Daily Mail online or reading about Suri Cruise. Go back to Twitter.
Wonder if there are any exciting emails. There aren't. Answer some boring emails instead. Go back to Twitter.
Repeat the above for at least a couple of hours (replacing "Suri Cruise" with "Christine Bleakley" or "Jennifer Aniston" and finally replacing "Daily Mail Online" with "Go Fug Yourself").
Do some work. Journalism, not fiction.
Inbox. Twitter. More work (journalism). Inbox. Twitter.
Open novel manuscript document.
Make a cup of tea.
Realise the baby's awake.
Close novel manuscript document.
Sigh heavily.
Wonder why the baby always wakes up just as I'm about to start work on my book...
(Just in case my editor's reading this - Hi, Catherine! - I now have a deadline and so I have done a bit of work on my book and I'll definitely do more. Soon. Really soon. Honest.)
It's good to know that procrastination is normal for a writer :) Thanks Keris!
To make this guest blog extra fun, I'm offering up the chance to win a signed copy of Della says OMG!
Usual rules apply: leave a comment. If you do not want to enter the comp, let me know in the comment too, otherwise I'll count you in!
Deadline: Thursday 10th June, 11.59pm midnight GMT
Oh my goodness, I can *so* relate! Case in point, I'm in the middle of editing a scene in my novel, but I still checked Twitter, saw your link and came on over! And now I'm leaving a comment!
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for my copy of 'Della' to come in the post and I'm so excited to read it!
Great post, Keris - thanks!
Yes Oh Yes !
ReplyDeleteI think all of us (even if we are not authors) can relate.
My saving is that we suffer from minimal bandwidth where I am, so messages on social networks like Twitter and Facebook have to carefully sorted to avoid wasting valuable megs.
But I bet while procrastinating your sub-liminally write even if it only pops out once you actually sit down with the manuscript !
Don't know what the usual rules are other than must be over 18, but if the giveaway is open worldwide, I would love to be entered.
Thanks
Carol T
buddytho {at} gmail DOT com
Oh, how I laughed at this! So honest and amusing. Keep it up, Keris!!
ReplyDeleteNone of this sounds familiar. Noooo. Not at all. *eyes unwritten novel*
ReplyDeleteCheers for a great post, both of you!
(And count me out of the contest, but only because I've already got my copy of the lovely Della!)
Ha, great post! Good to know even the pros can't resist Twitter! Thanks for the fab post :) x
ReplyDeleteSorry, I forgot to say above, I already have a copy of "Della..." so please count me out of the competition. Thanks :o)
ReplyDeleteAhaha this is me whenever I try to start anything related to 'work', be it an assignment for uni or writing my own stories! I try to put myself on a Facebook ban but it never works! I have no discipline whatsoever :p
ReplyDeleteOh I LOVE this post. So easy to relate to! (already have Della, it's wonderful!)
ReplyDeleteLOL I'm not a writer but my days looks a lot like that. Like now I'm procrastinating my last assignment which I have to be delivered before my exam starts on Friday.
ReplyDeleteHow nice of you to offer a copy of Della says OMG!
If it is international then please count me in(if not than just ignore me ;)).
escapeinabook[AT]hotmail[DOT]com