Writing Schedule / Hours

Hello everyone

My main problem is my inconsistency in the amount of time I write, like I might not do anything for a few days and then I'll be up half the night writing. I just wondered if anyone had found a good schedule to stick to, and how many hours per day do you do?

I have started recording everything properly now - times I've written / word count etc and did 55 hours last month. That sounds quite good but it's not really as I don't have any other commitments.

I'd be interested to see what everyone else does and how you organise yoru time

cheers

I find a deadline a great motivator, preferably not self imposed, but if so be then that works too.

yeah, it is self imposed though and I just change it

Do better then. If its a hobby enjoy it when you can. If you wish to see stuff made etc, do better. There is an exponential relationship between effort and success. In everything.

Innit, I'm back on it now. Thanks for the kick up the arse.

Never mind just now- draw up a schedule, with degrees of flexibility but a set amount by set time!

Obviously if you've got a full-time job it's going to be difficult.

Like Marc said though giving yourself deadlines helps. When I used to do NaNoWriMo you had to produce a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. No prize or anything - just a good target to aim for along with hundreds of others around the world. I managed to complete 2 (in different years) and 2 plays in Script Frenzy - a similar project in April to write a 100 page script.

I can't recall which month it is, but one of the 30-day months has a sketch writing equivalent aiming at 30 sketches in the 30 days.

I've got three half-decent hours' writing in me per day. Rock up at 10, I'm on form from 11-1, then about an hour after lunch, and that's me pretty much done. Others I sit with in writing rooms generally seem to have a similar productivity pattern. (Unless any of my employers are reading this, in which case I'm a constant hilarity machine every second you pay me.)

I think taking a day off messes me up as well. I've just been reading that Seinfeld used to have a system where he wouldn't break the chain. He used to put a red cross on his calender every day that he wrote, with the goal to have no misses.