Thus begins a 100 blog block about writing. For this next stretch of the Ten Minute Rule I intend to focus on all things writing. It is a necessary departure from talking about myself, because, well, I need to get back to the core of my being, which is writing. The first thing about writing is BIC, or Butt in Chair. Many famous writers talk about how important it is to read and that is true, but you cannot be a writer without writing. You have to put in the time and that time ought to be more than 10 minutes a day if you intend to produce any functional work over the course of a month or year. Presently my personal docket includes a 30,000 word sci-fi project (NDA precludes me from speaking on this work), Three short stories I mean to write, an AI-focused sci-fi novel, and two additional novels that merge fantasy and sci-fi. It is a lot to think about and that thinking doesn’t begin to include the massive fantasy world I am developing in order to tell a story (that I haven’t entirely uncovered in my mind). In order for any of this to occur, I need to be in the chair and writing–largely undisturbed for swaths of time.
How much time a writer needs in order to be productive is a personal preference. I crapped on the idea of ten minutes being enough, and maybe it is for someone out there, but for me to really get going I am going to need hours. Probably three. If I am being fair to myself and honest about my habits, I cannot sustain focus for longer than three hours and any longer feels like I am doing a disservice to my partner at the very least. She deserves my time and focus too. So my plan is to snip off three hours from every day (over the next 100) and write. I do have a professional teaching job that requires at minimum an hour of my attention each day, so that is a minimum of 4 hours gone each day. Of course, this is all relative. There will be times I don’t write. I’m going to be in the woods a couple days next week and I don’t see words happening much over those days. I’ll get ten for sure, but some days you have to chalk up to rest and reset. Every job requires a day off. Every lifestyle requires a moment to let go.
So, dearest reader, consider this the first of 100 lessons on the written word. Sit in the chair. Get something out. It doesn’t have to be good, but you have to try and you have to condition yourself to write.
Some Thoughts:
- While typing Sci-fi I found myself accidentally typing sci-fu and that hit different. There could be something there.