The Magic Formula: Setting Priorities
By Juliet Marillier | July 11, 2018 |
I have a confession to make. I’m writing this post the night before it’s due to go up. That’s not quite as bad as it sounds, bearing in mind the 12 hour time difference between Western Australia and New York, but it’s not good either. Ideally, I like to give myself a few days to iron out errors and glitches. But sometimes the rest of my writing work, or indeed the rest of my life, gets in the way, and that makes me uncomfortable. Like the White Rabbit, I hate being late. I prefer to be in control: of my work, of my situation, of myself. It’s no surprise that on the planner to pantser spectrum, I’m right at the planner end.
So what got in the way this time, leaving me on the verge of offering one of those ”I am Juliet’s dog and she asked me to write this post” pieces? Deadlines. Most of us have them, and it’s in their nature to sneak up on us. The deadline for my current novel, Harp of Kings, is four days after this post goes up.
It would be nice to have a manuscript finished and polished around six weeks before the deadline. I used to do that. Then it could be put away for a while and checked over with fresh eyes later, in time for final tweaking. I wasn’t so efficient this time around, but I do have a complete, revised, and carefully checked ms ready to go. Revisions included cutting around 16,000 words to get the ms closer to the required length of 125-130K. I don’t think those cuts did the novel any harm, though it’s always painful to delete hard-won words. Gone are the days when I could get away with a 200K-word doorstop.
So to priorities – I wonder how other writers determine which tasks come first and which can wait? While on the last frenetic gallop to get this book finished, my online presence dwindled. I visited my Facebook author page daily and responded as quickly as I could to posts; I answered questions on Goodreads, but not always promptly; I responded to emails from readers, again with quite a delay. But my blog, linked to my website, was completely neglected, and various snail mails from readers sat on my desk for far too long unanswered. That was bad. Readers are an author’s lifeblood, and those who make the effort to send handwritten letters deserve quick and considerate responses. Readers who don’t use Facebook, and there are plenty, missed out on months of news about the forthcoming series and other projects. But the novel had to be written. And finished on time, not only because of a contract, but because there’s another contract and another deadline coming up in (ulp!) just over two months, for a work not yet finished.
Don’t get me wrong; I love having work to do, and not only because it pays the bills. But I’d like a magic formula for managing writing, editing, revision, promotional activities, social media and the demands of the non-writing life, which in my case includes looking after my crew of needy little dogs, being a mother and grandmother, and the standard range of domestic tasks. Failing magic, maybe a useful list would help. Where do we start?
I have some suggestions. I’m hoping your comments will expand the list.
Start with self care. It’s too easy to set that aside when the pressure is on. Get enough rest. Find time to relax with friends and family. Read an old favourite book. Do some exercise you enjoy. Listen to music. It can be hard to make time for those things when it feels as if every moment you spend away from your desk is adding to the looming pile of tasks to be done. But looking after your mental and physical health is key to being able to cope.
Write down your tasks. I need two lists, one for writing-related work and one for everyday things like getting the car serviced, medical appointments and so on. Identify jobs that are relatively quick to complete (writing a blog post is one of those, or should be; answering emails from readers is another) and those that are urgent, and get them out of the way first. There’s nothing like ticking items off a list to boost your morale. If you’re handling a long-term project, such as writing a novel, you might give yourself milestones to be reached along the way. A scene, a chapter, a section; revising a certain number of chapters. Untangling a plot snarl. You may want to tick off a daily or weekly word count or page count. Or as an alternative, plan to spend a set amount of time per day on that project, whether it’s a three hour stretch or three one-hour sessions, or less, or more. It does help to break down that massive task into short, achievable steps.
Celebrate your successes in some small way. High-five your dog! Eat a chocolate! Take a good look at the deadlines for your projects and work out what is achievable over the life of each; put up key dates and targets on a spreadsheet or your calendar. Look after your monster nicely. It will become a lot less terrifying. Ask for help; you may be surprised by how much support is available. Weigh up what is important NOW and what can wait for later.
Some authors manage to keep writing novels at the same time as teaching, travelling, blogging regularly, reviewing and making promotional appearances. I salute their energy! Not all of us can maintain that kind of work rate. I had to make the decision not to travel outside Australia this year in order to manage my various writing commitments. I’m trying to keep up with my social media, but writing is still my number one priority. It’s important that we go on loving what we do, fellow writers. Don’t let the flood of tasks drown you. Keep that passion burning bright.
Photo credit: ID 18985452 | Dreamstime.com
How do you manage your priorities? What is your magical formula for making it all work?
Juliet Marillier has written twenty-four novels for adults and young adults and two collections of short fiction. Her works of historical fantasy have been published around the world and have won numerous awards. Juliet’s most recent series was Warrior Bards, of which the third and final book, A Song of Flight, was published in 2021. Her collection of reimagined fairy tales, Mother Thorn and Other Tales of Courage and Kindness, had its trade release in 2022. Mother Thorn is illustrated by Kathleen Jennings and published by Serenity Press.
Juliet is currently working on a two-book fantasy series. The first book in this duology, The Amber Owl, will be published by New Dawn in February 2025.
When not writing, Juliet looks after a small crew of rescue dogs.
I am a procrastinator. I have decided that there is no way around it, I just procrastinate. Perhaps if I had firm deadlines from outside of myself it would be different (I seem to manage deadlines in the rest of my life–family, kids, day job–reliably). But, since my writing deadlines are all self-set I am terrible. Sadly, I don’t have an answer for myself on how to get myself going – I’m still allowing myself to wallow in the same almost finished manuscript I’ve had written and been editing for at least three years. I’m lucky, I guess, that I don’t have outside writing pressures like you mentioned in your post, because something else would have to give, (most likely my family/self-care because I can’t exactly stop working!!), and I wouldn’t want that to happen. Thanks so much for helping me reframe my situation. I hope you meet all your deadlines comfortably!
Lara, I suspect that without those outside writing pressures I would take three times as long to get a book written. I’m glad the post was useful, and I wish you all the very best with your project – I hope that the lengthy editing results in a polished gem of a manuscript!
Juliet, it’s almost spooky how timely your post is for me. I’m nearing completion of a revision that I intend to pitch, setting and re-setting self-imposed deadlines as I go. I, too, marvel at writers who seem to do it all, all at once, all the time. For me, getting this ms. in shape has been a Sisyphean task. Now, as I near the end, my mind is whirling with what’s next. This along with a full life, has kept me awake nights, which I quickly learned does not serve me. So my magical formula has evolved into taking ‘writer naps’, eating well, getting sound sleep aided by yoga, meditation, and playing with my two grandchildren. Building faerie houses by the stream has become my favorite way to re-set a racing mind. Staying away from the news, whether on line or via radio is helping, too. I don’t need a daily reminder that the trolls have invaded. I want to be informed, but not at the expense of my sanity or my work. I’ve learned to say no to a lot of things and yes to myself, so my priorities have narrowed down to family, work, and community (which of course includes hanging with the local faeries). I look forward to your new book. Best of luck with the deadlines, and thank you for this today!
Susan, that is such a wise comment! I love writer naps (and so do my dogs.) And I agree that curbing one’s ‘news junkie’ habits can only be a good thing for both peace of mind and creativity. Learning to say no – absolutely. I am very bad at that, hence the multiple projects! This time last year I must have thought I was Superwoman. I wish you well with balancing your various priorities – it sounds as if you’re doing a great job.
Hi Juliet, Wow – I envy your organization. But I do think that prioritizing is the key. To sanity if not to productivity.
I’m looking forward to the new series! Congratulations and best wishes!
Thank you, Vaughn! My organisational skills have been challenged today (and yesterday) by having a yard full of big men with wheelbarrows doing paving work, meaning my elderly dogs are corralled inside the house, confused and frustrated. But we work around these things, and others. I hope your writing is going well.
I’m facing huge changes in my writing life that will mean I’ll have to change the way I work dramatically. I’m about to take a job (to pay the bills) in addition to writing (which isn’t paying much just now). While I have had all the time I wanted to write book for fifteen years, writing time will now be a precious and scattered commodity. I’m looking forward to the challenge of the job, but don’t want to lose my writing career. Trying to come up with ways to prioritize is making me crazy! I was making a list when I saw your post this morning. I have writing, the job I’m hoping to keep to part time hours, pet care, a house to run, a son who doesn’t drive and needs rides to work, and no time left for me. Still, I’m determined not to give up my writing career (I am published, and in the terrifying process of changing genres), but the challenge of everything right now feels horrible. Thank you for your post—it was definitely a helpful nudge in the right direction.
All the very best for this big new challenge, Lecia! Part of it might be setting fairly modest writing goals for yourself, especially while in the first stages of the day job. I hope you can squeeze in a bit of personal time; everyone needs that.
Oh, Juliet, like you, I wish I had a formula that worked! It is so difficult to balance kids, work, health, writing…life in general. If you ever find that magic formula, please pass it my way!
Hugs
Dee
I fear such a thing may not exist, Dee! Priority number one is staying sane in the middle of the whirlwind. That’s why I always put self care at the top of the list.
Brilliant advice.
Thanks, Jen, I’m glad it’s helpful!
Juliet, no magical formula. I live by my lists. And sometimes the lists have to be abandoned when you’re in the zone.
I’ve just self published my first YA novel and having to figure out how to find more time to write because now I also need to learn how to let people know about my book. I have a couple of picture book deadlines I need to meet and have had a hard time getting my head in that space. Seems like the writing life is always about juggling.
”And sometimes the lists have to be abandoned when you’re in the zone.”
That’s a great point, Vijaya – we need to seize those times when creativity is flowing.
Oh, yes, the lists! I broke my list down into five areas (work, church, handwork, errands, house/yard) and every time I remember something that needs to be done, I put it down in the relevant column and I can then stop worrying that it’ll be forgotten about.
Then each morning I look over the big list and decide on my priorities. Those go on a mini-list of 3-5 items to be done that day (because working directly off the big list is a recipe for being stressed and overwhelmed).
It doesn’t matter how many things are on the big list; if I’ve finished the things on the mini-list I’ve done a good day’s work and I can leave it at that.
That sounds like a great approach, Deborah, efficient without being overwhelming. I will try it.