On Jan 28, 2012 4:30 PM, "jshkay" <[email protected]> wrote: > > Thanks for the response Ray. I am trying to get into writing myself, > and one of the big issues I've run into is time to write. I work 8-5, > get home at 6, and then I've got my kid and all responsibilities > associated with that. I think the most important thing is to try to > write every day, even if it is only an hour at a time. Either way, it > is good to hear what a professional writer does in an ideal situation. > > On Sat, Jan 28, 2012 at 1:12 PM, Jason Green <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > On Sat, Jan 28, 2012 at 10:05 AM, Raymond E. Feist < [email protected]> > > wrote: > >> > >> > >> On Jan 27, 2012, at 2:11 PM, jshkay wrote: > >> > >> > Ray, I was wondering how much you write a day. Do you have a set > >> > amount you always make sure to write, or do you just write what you > >> > can when you can? > >> > > >> > >> > >> > >> Varies depending on circumstances. When life isn't intruding, I like to > >> get in four hours in the morning, and sometimes I just keep ripping until > >> maybe 3 or 4 in the afternoon. When I was writing Magician I got a little > >> manic at times and would work 13, even 14 hours a day on it. Over the years > >> you learn your craft and part of that is economy of effort, so I get as much > >> done in 4 hours now as I did in 8 30 years ago. > >> > >> Best, R.E.F. > >> ---- > >> www.crydee.com > >> > >> Never attribute to malice what can satisfactorily be explained away by > >> stupidity. > >> > >> > > > > And my boss gets made when I cut out at noon. He just doesn't understand > > economy of effort. I'm not lazy, I'm a master of my craft. > > > > > > > > I recently read about a grad student who set a goal of writing 1 sentence of his thesis every day, no matter what. He said some days he would write much more, but no matter what he always wrote one sentence at the very least. He finished his thesis in 8 months.
He said the trick for him was setting his goal so low he couldn't possibly fail. I think if I ever decided to try a write a novel, that's the approach I would take.
