Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Wednesday Writers Weigh In: Keeping Routine in Summertime

Summer is usually a time for adventure and travel.  And it is also a time of disrupted daily routine.Whether your kids are home from school or you are away from home staying in a hotel or your social bbq-ing is leading to later nights than usual, it can be hard to accomplish what you need to do on any given day.

I really feel the disruption when it comes to my marathon training.  I train with my team on Saturday mornings, however for the next few weekends I am traveling.  Therefore, I have had to map out runs in other cities, sometimes for 8-10 miles, or seek out the nearest treadmill.  It definitely causes extra work and research on my end.

Luckily, I don't write on the weekends, so that routine has remained relatively unharmed...although busy weekend travel leads to exhausted Mondays when I really struggle to be creative.  So I have limited what I set out to accomplish on Mondays, usually focusing on blogging and researching only.  I then spend the rest of the week focused on writing and revisions.

What about you?  How do you keep your writing routine during the summer?  What changes and/or accommodations do you make in order to keep momentum?

Writers, Weigh In!



12 comments:

  1. So true, Marcie! It is more difficult to keep to a routine in the summer, especially as I read about others' travels & try to stay cool. Regardless of where I am, how many kids are there, and anything else demanding my attention, I'm trying to keep at least one full day/week for revisions - something I've found that I don't focus on enough.

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    1. Sounds like a great plan, Patricia, that allows time for summertime fun AND writing! Best to you as the summer continues.

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  2. It's a good thing to give oneself permission to make time for summer's pleasures - to step away from the desk, toil in the soil and let the writer's mind spin new webs after a sunshower!

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    1. What beautiful poetry! :) Thanks for weighing in, Julie!

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  3. So far this summer I've been able to stick to a routine. I even take my notebook and head outside for couple of hours a day. But next month my family will be here so I plan on taking a blogcation so if I do get any extra time to write I can work on my novel.

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    1. Sounds like you are on the right track and have the right mindset. The blogcation is a wonderful way to free up time and obligations. And I like how you said "IF" you get any extra time...don't beat yourself up if you don't. :)

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  4. Sometimes my routine is devoting free time to just thinking about a story. It takes a lot of self-control not to use my mp3 player at the gym. I often convince myself to leave it in the locker so that I can use all that extra time in between sets (figuring out plot issues).

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    1. I like this. Sometimes just quiet time or time while doing another task can help us think of those stories that are marinating in our minds.

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  5. Well, since I generally have no routine anyway, summer is just same-old, same-old - haha!

    In seriousness, the only time I can work/write is when my kids are at day camps or asleep, and since they go to bed later in the summer, I have way less time than I do during the school year. But, I find I use that time more productively because I'm forced to!

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    1. I hear ya, Julie! Its like summer is a whole new ballgame! Good for you in finding a way to adapt. :)

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  6. I, unfortunately, write seven days a week in some capacity. Whether it's blogging, commenting, writing or submitting, it happens every day, although Sunday is a much lighter day, and has a spiritual focus. But, it is exhausting. I need to learn to organize my time better!

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    1. I have to say, I am kinda jealous of your tenacity in getting writing done every single day. However, read my blog post again on Rest! :) I demand you rest, Jarm! Even God took a day off!

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