Writing 24 Hours a Day

Unless you're a full-time writer, chances are your moments at the laptop are precious and few. While authors like Dean Koontz or James Scott Bell can whip out two and three books a year, most other authors do all they can to finish one in a year. Between the job, family, other commitments like church or hobbies and anything else that wants your time, it's hard to get a lot done at a time. But what if you could write whenever you wanted to, wherever you wanted to? Well, surprise! You can!

 

This is something a lot of writers do and I've found it really useful as well. It's how I write most of my novels. There's nothing profound in it and you probably already do it without realizing it. It's called "AFK Processing" or "The Crock Pot for Your Plot" (my own name for it, but I like it). In it's easiest form, it's letting your subconscious make sense of your plot when you're not around the keyboard trying to force the words out.

 

Admit it, sometimes when you finally find time for the work-in-progress and stumble to the laptop, you're clueless as to what to write. You feel you should be writing something since you finally have moments to spare, but by the time your thoughts are organized and ready to rock it's time to get up and do something else. Since most of your moments won't be at the keyboard, make the most of those moments. Make the most of the moments you're not trying to type out your book by giving your brain some problem with the plot and letting it have at it while you're not actively trying to fix the book. For me, the best time for me to write is first thing in the morning. I'll usually wake up with some startling new twist on the plot, or a fix for some dead-end I've inadvertantly painted myself into. I build on that--even making notes if necessary--and then when I can finally get to the keyboard that evening I'm a chapter or two ahead in my writing. There's no need to stare at the blinking cursor of doom in my word processor because I've done all my planning throughout the day. Then I just write until I've got the whole idea down in the book and that usually sparks further creativity to take the story even deeper. When I run out of steam, I stop. Why? Not because I'm lazy, but usually because anything further I write will be something I end up having to edit out or will be something that'll just drag down the story.

 

Try this yourself. Spend the afternoon considering your book now and again. Don't "zone out" and forget you're driving or whatever, but let your mind become a "Crock Pot for your plot". Maybe all you get to begin with is a simple scene. That's all right. It's a good start! Soon you'll be cooking up whole chapters and more! Then when you finally get to the keyboard, those precious minutes you have will be used to the fullest because you've found a way to stretch that hour of writing into twenty-four!

 

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