61 votes
Accepted

How do you communicate to people that writing is a job and prevent interruptions?

I have worked from home for over fifteen years, I treat it like a job, with minor laxities (but not in my schedule). I have a separate cell phone which is the only number I give for work colleagues. ...
Amadeus's user avatar
  • 101k
24 votes

How do you communicate to people that writing is a job and prevent interruptions?

The number one thing you have to do is set boundaries and stick to them. As a freelance professional, this is as much a part of your job as the actual writing. If you aren't respecting your work ...
Chris Sunami's user avatar
  • 56.5k
16 votes

Should I take breaks from writing?

Should you take a break from writing? Yes. Writing is, at its core, a creative process (especially where fiction is concerned). You can't force creativity. Or at least you shouldn't. If you try to ...
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron's user avatar
16 votes

How do you communicate to people that writing is a job and prevent interruptions?

As a quick preamble, note that I am not a professional writer, and therefore I am not speaking from experience. From the sounds of it, you've tried the sensible approach. I'm going to assume that ...
Onyz's user avatar
  • 407
10 votes

Writing vs roleplaying (by forum)

First of all, I would argue against your assertion that your creativity is in limited supply and that when you exercise your imagination through role playing you are somehow diminishing the quantity ...
Henry Taylor's user avatar
  • 10.8k
9 votes

How do you communicate to people that writing is a job and prevent interruptions?

Just to emphasize what others have already said: If, as you say, your explanations "go in one ear and out the other", then that is because through your behavior you have indicated that your ...
lupe's user avatar
  • 91
9 votes

Motivation - or how can I get myself to do the work I know I need to?

Procrastination is as much as part of this job as creativity. We all do it. Writing isn't easy most of the time, and most of the time, I'd rather be washing my husband's underpants than writing a ...
GGx's user avatar
  • 9,923
8 votes

How do you communicate to people that writing is a job and prevent interruptions?

As a working scientist, there are interruptions at the bench all day. As a teacher, people say "Those who can, do. Those who cannot, teach." I believe there are a number of jobs that do not have the ...
SFWriter's user avatar
  • 23.8k
7 votes

How do you communicate to people that writing is a job and prevent interruptions?

Writing is just a side-line to me, but I work from home, so my situation is similar. I don't have the nerve to refuse to answer the phone or the door. I'm too worried that it might actually be an ...
Jay's user avatar
  • 25.6k
7 votes
Accepted

How much time do you find you have to commit to daily writing to see results?

Water Mosley, in This Year You Write Your Novel, insists that you must write every day. Not just to make progress, but also to keep yourself inside "the dream of your story," so that regular exposure ...
RamblingChicken's user avatar
7 votes

How can one go about writing with a full time job?

A few hours? Why, that's a good amount of time. If you sit down and write for them, you will be able to write a lot of works. Some things that may help are having a set scheduled time in which you ...
Mary's user avatar
  • 8,932
6 votes

How do you communicate to people that writing is a job and prevent interruptions?

The ideal solution, despite being impracticable for most writers, is to find a new workplace in order to work in isolation. A small office, close to your home should do. Some musicians afford a ...
Chaotic's user avatar
  • 706
6 votes

Content Sites - any still around and useful?

As requested, I'll try to write more about my comment regarding Kalaage. First of all, I DON'T work for this site. So this is NOT an advertisement. I have used it for just a few weeks, I can say it is ...
Infinity's user avatar
  • 404
6 votes

Can the villain be introduced too late?

A villain doesn't have to be physically present to be "present" in the story. From the sound of it you introduce the villain pretty early on by reputation, and spend most of the story ...
MarielS's user avatar
  • 1,750
5 votes
Accepted

Ideas for short story - not sure how to proceed

I'm going to answer your question by telling you about a nearly identical experience I had. I get myself fired up to write by going to YouTube and searching for 'epic music mix'. There are several ...
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron's user avatar
5 votes

Should I take breaks from writing?

The safest time to take a break is between projects, I think. Taking a break in the middle of a project could kill it, there is too much of the project still in your head, held in 'working memory'. As ...
Amadeus's user avatar
  • 101k
5 votes

Many ideas, life catching up with me, no time to write

"No time" is never a matter of time. It's always a matter of priority. If you have no time to write, that means you're giving other things priority over your writing. If you want to write, you'll ...
Dale Hartley Emery's user avatar
5 votes
Accepted

Planning story using layers, compartmentalization, and time

You might find Scrivener to be useful. Scrivener is a writing program which allows you a lot of control: organization, nesting files inside folders inside folders, tags, summaries, highlights, links, ...
Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum's user avatar
5 votes
Accepted

Content Sites - any still around and useful?

In my experience, the content sites were sinking fast years ago. I honestly stopped looking. However, if you want to write quality content, it's not hard to find people looking for it. Back in the day,...
newz2000's user avatar
  • 366
5 votes

Is the Agile planning methodology useful for the writing process of a fictional book?

Agile is for corporate sub-groups who suffer from a lack of creative flexibility, blamed on a top-down project-management style (while avoiding pointing the finger directly at upper management). The '...
wetcircuit's user avatar
  • 27.2k
4 votes

How much time do you find you have to commit to daily writing to see results?

In my personal experience, no less than 6 days every week, and no less than 15 minutes each day. I say six days, not seven, because I'm a big believer in the idea of a "sabbath." It doesn't have to ...
Chris Sunami's user avatar
  • 56.5k
4 votes

How to write a 40+ page story in 3 weeks

Welcome to the forum. First, to put your mind at ease, each November, many writers participate in a mad rush of writing that averages 1600 words per day per writer. (50,000 words in a month, about ...
SFWriter's user avatar
  • 23.8k
4 votes
Accepted

Nanowrimo and typewriting

Jack Kerouac's On the Road was famously typed in one long paragraph on a single 120ft scroll of paper, over 3 week coffee and Benzedrine bender. The story isn't entirely true – it had been previously ...
wetcircuit's user avatar
  • 27.2k
4 votes
Accepted

What are some techniques to avoid digital distraction?

My only problem is when I find the need for research something in the internet for my writing. I'll say what works for me. I use Focus Writer I turn off not only my computer's wi-fi, but my router as ...
Hanilucas's user avatar
  • 1,225
4 votes

Motivation - or how can I get myself to do the work I know I need to?

Sometimes I promise myself a reward. "I can (indulge in XX) when I have written 300/500/1000 words." Sometimes I make a to-do list first. Making a list is easy enough. 1. write 1000 words. 2. mundane ...
SFWriter's user avatar
  • 23.8k
3 votes

How do you communicate to people that writing is a job and prevent interruptions?

The other answers got the main points about not answering the phone et cetera, but here's one last thing that I didn't see anyone suggest. Place a sign on your door that says: I am at work between ...
Pharap's user avatar
  • 346
3 votes

How do you communicate to people that writing is a job and prevent interruptions?

You've set boundaries, told them to only call during the day in an emergency. So assume it's an emergency and answer every call with some variation of "OH MY GOD, WHATS WRONG? IS IT [NAME]? WHAT ...
Maaark's user avatar
  • 131
3 votes

How do you communicate to people that writing is a job and prevent interruptions?

This problem is not unique to writing. It is a problem for anyone who works from home. Some people have understanding family/friends who do their best to avoid interrupting the work-from-home person. ...
Dunk's user avatar
  • 131
3 votes

How do you communicate to people that writing is a job and prevent interruptions?

If you cannot change other people, you can change your own situation: switch off your phone, set up an answering machine that you are at work have separate private and professional email adresses, ...
Konrad Höffner's user avatar

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