Grazing…
By Carleen Brice | May 28, 2013 |
photo by Rich Man
…in the grass, at the desk, on the path, everywhere! Linda Adams left a great comment about writing in little chunks of time on Barbara O’Neal’s post about her rules for writing. I was replying there but my reply grew so long and I have a post due, so I’m moving my reply here.
I too am back at work full-time and find that I don’t have large blocks of time (when I’m not exhausted) to write or exercise or garden or read. However, I am figuring out I do have many small bits of time that I can use. As I written here before I lost weight over a year ago and in my efforts to keep it off, I am packing my lunch and grazing on it over a few hours rather than eating it all at once. It’s working.
I usually bus in and get off a few stops early so I can get in a 10-minute walk before work. Then I take a 10- or 20-minute walk (or yoga break) at lunch and a 10- or 20-minute walk on the way home and voila! Exercise is done.
Just this week, I started doing the same with writing. I’ve always been someone who thought I needed several hours at once to get any writing done, but now I’m finding that I can apply the same grazing philosophy (10 or 20 minutes in the morning and at lunch, etc.) and I can slowly but surely get some work done.
Grazing is working for me with diet, exercise (and weeding my garden). I hope it works for writing too.
Anybody else a grazer?
Carleen Brice writes nonfiction and fiction. Her most recent books are the novels Orange Mint and Honey, which was made into a Lifetime television movie called “Sins of the Mother,” and Children of the Waters. She’s currently at work on a novel called Every Good Wish.
For me, grazing is not ideal, but sometimes I find that if I don’t take advantage of all those little bits of time I have throughout the day, I won’t get any writing done at all.
Carleen,
I learned the value of utilizing small chunks of time to write when I did NaNo the past two years. The pressure of producing 1,667 words per day means that you have to take advantage of 15 minutes here or 20 minutes there to get some writing done. The challenge, of course, is to get your mind into the deep state of focus and concentration. I can usually crank out 300 to 500 words in a 20-30 minute block. Thanks for this post and I like the “grazing” concept.
My writing career began with what you call grazing. I wrote in 10-20 min pockets at the kitchen counter while my babies played on the floor and supper simmered on the stove. But I do love a 2-hr chunk of time. It’s ideal. However, with summer holidays, I return to writing in small bits of time. I find it ideal for revisions if I’m home, or penning short stories or poems while at the park or beach.
I think a 3-hour chunk is pretty perfect for me. But if I don’t have it, I am realizing I need to work with what I got. Thanks for sharing!
Other than pastoral images of cows in the meadow, peaceful as it is, the only other “grazing” was the one I do when looking for something to eat. (better known as procrastination/avoidance etc.)
Finally grazing has a more positive, and productive meaning.
Thank you!
I don’t know… when it comes to writing, I seriously rely on inspiration. I don’t write in small chunks – I just let my body tell me when it has enough of writing (it can be 10-20 minutes or even an hour).
The “gazing” concept is interesting :)
Kind regards,
Andrii
Moo
:)
Denise Willson
Author of A Keeper’s Truth
Yes! I wrote most of my first several drafts in 250 word chunks while working a full time job. Waiting for a large piece of time never worked for me. Now I have much more time available and can often get lots done, but if too many other tasks get in the way, I still rely on 250 words a day to keep moving ahead.
Very inspirational!
I’m becoming a grazer! Time is so tight, I have no choice.
Funny you should ask…
I am getting back into a work-in-progress after a few months of “filling the well”, as Anna Elliot would say. I’d love to spend every day like it’s Saturday – spending 4 hrs straight in front of the computer, planted in the chair. But I have an 8-5 job, so this is out of the question. Getting up at 5:30 would offer me about a hour or maybe an hour and a half (if I’m pushing it) to work on the novel before work. I’ve been getting cranky with myself, thinking “That’s not enough time! I can’t get anything done!” BUT… that hour PLUS the “slow” time at work when my laptop is allowed to come out is really the key. I forced myself to realize: “hey, I got 1,000 words in. That’s not nothing.” And a little goes a long way. So, despite my resistence, grazing is going to be the mode of my writing life for quite some time. And that’s a good thing. Grazing is better than eating nothing at all, right?
I’m learning so much about how my reaction to my circumstance is really key. If I reframe and think Yay me I got in 100 words, it works so much better than Bad me I didn’t get in a 1,000. Good on you for getting up so early!
For me, I think I need blocks of time to get any writing done. I don’t really get going until I’ve been writing for at least a half hour. If I stop before that, I lose all my best work! Does anyone else have the same problem?
In a perfect world I feel like I don’t get going until I have more time. But I think (I hope) I’m retraining myself to get going faster so I can use shorter bits. But if I had the longer stretches I would definitely appreciate them. If that works for you, go for it! Whatever does the job, right?
I too like pockets of time, the trick is not to talk myself out of them. They’re a priority. Reading another couple of blogs (except WU, of course) is not.
Grazing compliments what I do daily, for me I need to avoid sitting for long hours, I can get lost in my writing and suddenly 6 or seven hours have passed and I’m stiff, sore and hungry! I put a free app on my laptop called TimeOut -every 20 minutes it freezes my screen for 15 seconds, I’ll get up and run through the rooms with all four dogs following, then BIC every hour it freezes for 15 minutes and I get up and do something, even if it’s just running to mailbox, playing with dogs or folding laundry. Oddly, I try to get out of it each time but I have to admit to getting more done, finding the perfect word while playing tug with dog and feeling better physically. guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!
Another good reason to write in small bits! Good reminder to get up and move a little bit each hour or 2. Thanks!
I wrote a long comment yesterday stating that, although I could write my “other stuff” on the fly, my novel seemed to only come to life with Stephen King’s “man in the basement” … behind closed doors. But I will try anything to change this road block because I travel loads and its not always possible to get in that basement. Another great book about writing says it all happens one step at a time anyway so recently I started writing poems in “chunks.” That worked quite well & I’ve ended up with more than 15 poems that I am making into a short book. I’m game! And I will report back later if this works for my novel–I can then tell you how grateful I am. Thanks for the inspiration. Keep going. Bird by bird.
Bird by bird is right. I just got back from a trip and traveling is pretty stressful so I’m always impressed when anyone says they get any work done on a plane or in a hotel room. Give yourself credit for WHATEVER you get done on the road!
I love the idea of grazing. I have been trying to find large blocks of time to write. It seems that there are days when I am able to write for 30 minutes and then go blank and sit there for another 30 minutes and then finally stop. Maybe that would be the best concept is to do as much as I can and then stop.
I loved this article.
There’s no doubt that grazing has its place in a writer’s box of tools, but personally I prefer to have a large chunk of uninterrupted writing time. However sometimes this is just a fantasy, and with summer holidays looming ahead, it might be time for me to re-acquaint myself with that old familiar technique of grazing!
I prefer long bouts of solitude for writing, but I think grazing is the only way I’m going to get anything substantial done lately!
My children make fun of me for being happy to find a free fifteen minutes. Now I’ll tell them I’m grazing. Love confusing them!
Hahaha!
I am! I actually have found I’m more productive if I sprint for 15 minutes with my editor off, go do something else for a bit, then come back later and sprint for another 15 minutes. It’s like the time away lets me get my ducks in a row for the next bit, so I can just write, instead of sitting in front of the computer thinking about writing.
“Grazing” is quite useful for housework, too (plus it keeps things looking nice and tidy all the time!). If you happen to notice something needs to be done (whether putting dishes away, editing a dialogue scene, or sending an email) doing it right away makes it seem like it takes less time. Putting things off is rarely efficient (except in some cases), as you run the risk of forgetting to ever do it.
A friend tried to get me to do housework this way years ago instead of waiting for a weekend day to get it all done. I resisted it, but I’m trying it now. Thanks for adding that to the mix!
Why, you’re welcome! The only problem we have run into while grazing is forgetting what to work on! It goes sort of like this: walk into office to check emails, but notice that there is some paperwork to be attended to. While tossing some of said paperwork out, notice that garbage can is full. While taking garbage out, notice that floor needs sweeping, the garage needs sweeping, and one’s hair needs sweeping (judging from the looks from the neighbors). The answer to all this, for us, is keeping a list of all quick things that need attending to while one is busy with a certain task. Then, when that task is completed (and not before, thus leaving it forever half finished), one can consult the list for the next “grazing option.”
By reading this I realized that I am a natural grazer! Thank you so much. Now I can stop referring to myself as a procrastinator. I have been working part time for almost two years in addition to working on degrees and I maybe going back to full time work this fall. Your post reminded me that I used to write in smaller blocks of time and that I can do it again.
Yes, for some tasks for sure. The more distasteful the job or the more apprehensive I am about it, the more likely I am to approach it through chunking. (I don’t find it works for macro-editing, though.)
Funnily, my pedometer was the thing which taught me the value of small efforts.
When I’m on the first draft I track my word count for the day for the same reason as the pedometer. It will show me that over time it all adds up.
Encouraging words here in this post, Carleen!
I usually work better in small amounts, too, but I like the flexibility of being able to choose.
Thanks for sharing this success!
Great post! I find that short bits of time work just as well for me as larger chunks. I always carry a notebook so that I can write while my kids are at swim or track practice or if I’m in a waiting room.
Grazing is good for me during the day but I prefer waking up early and do a straight 2 hours in quiet solitude. I also watch my word count. It makes me feel I am accomplishing something.
I wish I was a more successful grazer. I convince myself that I need big chunks of time to successfully up my word count. Consequently, if I don’t have a 2-hour window, I don’t write at all. Then I find myself with less completed writing than if I’d forced my way through a few grazing sessions. Great post!
Though not ideal (very little is in our busy lives), I like the technique of grazing (I never called it that but will from now on) and have used it throughout my life. Gardening–definitely, housework–more as I’ve gotten older, eating–probably should do more grazing because in eating big meals one tends to overeat, and clearing up my office–the stress free way of getting it done in stages. Yes, I wholeheartedly agree in grazing.
Structure works best for me. The bum in chair thing. Sometimes that consists of ‘playing’ with my blog or reading articles. But I fool myself into believing that I’m working. Sometimes I’m too busy and am forced to graze. Some of those times I’ve written more than in my structured times. Having my muse fight for my attention isn’t a bad thing. Living life isn’t a bad thing either. The key, for me, is leave room for inspiration.
“Living life isn’t a bad thing either.” Amen, sister!
When I read the post on scheduling chunks of time, I thought “that’s good advice, but the opposite is also true.” Depending on the individual and their lifestyle, sometimes snatching moments is the best or only way to complete a project.
I interviewed several authors about “Writing in No Time” for an article, which I adapted for my blog:
https://chriseboch.blogspot.com/2010/07/writing-in-no-time.html
Thanks for sharing!
I’m so not a grazer, though I’m trying to learn. In a perfect world, I’d work for two +/- 3 hour stretches a day, with a couple of hours break in between.
Remember the sarcastic advice to not “make a meal of it” , treating Everything as a Big Effing Deal? It requires a large amount of time, a big emotional commitment, and a giant effort. No one has time or emotional cookies for this anymore. So don’t wait til you have all these things lined up! Just write in the 15 minutes you can steal!
My day job is a Law Librarian, so I have a few “down minutes” a few times a day: and I write in those minutes! It’s a little more ADHD for all of us now, so do what we can with the bits of time that we have! Many “windows” open on computer at once!
Laura
I guess I do some grazing with my writing; I’m just not sure it’s beneficial. Somedays I can’t seem to get anything done.