Practicing Life #14: Wherein I Probably End Up a Productivity Guru Out of Necessity
Meditation:
Well, I got a second job. My workweeks are going to be as nuts or more so than predicted. On a good day I’m going to have two hours to write, if I have iron clad time management and discipline.
The good part is I’m going to not have constant financial anxiety for the first time in my life and be able to provide for my family adequately. The bad part, or at least the confusing part, is I have to prioritize what I’m doing - aggressively.
So, this is kind of an update post for subscribers and a bit of thinking on the page about how to structure my creative life in light of everything.
If you look at my relaunch post, between here and
, my ambition was to have 5 stories or more published per month. I don’t think that’s going to be feasible anymore. My main focus vocationally is writing novels and I have one nearly finished that I want to get out to you all. Paid subs will still get all my books for free in digital format. I think I will shoot per month for one short story here and two at P3 moving forward. If I write an extra one for The Write Books, I will likely paywall it. I want everyone to be reading my work, certainly, but I’m also coming around to the idea that all the free content devalues our collective work. I’m not taking away free fiction or anything, but I am going to charge for it when I think it’s right. Essays will be as and when. If something strikes me, I’ll get it down on paper (screen).The journal will probably lean heavily on the “ish” side until I get some kind of rhythm going with my insane workweeks.
The primary paid sub benefit for this substack is my novel-length work. If I get my writing schedule sorted and consistent, you’ll be getting a good helping of long form work every year and that’s the main product I’m selling.
The ultimate goal is practice for all this anyway, and adding to my word counts for The 10M Project. I want that to be the kind of flagship endeavor for this substack. Even if no more people sign up for it than have already, I think it is a great undertaking for all the fiction writers out there to be inspired by. We’re doing the work to become great in real time and in public. I don’t know where it will lead, but it feels important.
As to the title of this post, if I’m going to get anything of value done in the coming year, I will have to be ruthless with my time. I’m no expert in this stuff but I have passion for this writing game and I WILL accomplish my goals, even if the pace is slower. And I will maintain my important relationships as well. If I gain any insights on how to do this effectively, I’ll share them here.
The Other Stuff
Not much to report since I’ve been job hunting and now setting up for the new gig. I’m about to finish the same book I’ve been reading since launching the journal (thank God) and I’ve not really been watching movies or TV.
Ciao
Anyhow, stay tuned. I will deliver the most content and stories to you as I possibly can, but I frankly don’t know what that means yet. The new novel should be in your digital hands before end of October though (80% sure of this). However it shakes down, I think worst case is a new novel and a couple-hundred-page short story collection by end of year. Beyond that, we’ll see.
Have a great day and keep on keeping on.
P.S. I used the inline Substack image generator above and the default caption was all lowercase “clock” and it cracked me up, so I left it.
An arch gets stronger the more load you put on it.
Godspeed, sir!
This hits close to home. My entire adult life I've never had more than one hour of dedicated writing time a day. And even then its only because I take it, I steal it, I force it. I get up long before the sun's up and I make it work. It's not perfect. It's not what I'd prefer. But the words know where to find, they always know when and where I'll be. And that's not nothing. That's something. Some days, that's everything.
It might be a cliche to say it, but even cliches can tell the truth. Where there's a will you can be damn sure that there will always be. a way.