A Day in the Life of A Disciplined Novelist

By Elaine Viets

Being a writer takes discipline. I try to follow in the footsteps of literary greats, like Ernest Hemingway. I visited his home in Key West. Hemingway and I have much in common: We both live in Florida, write for a living and have cats.

"Hemingway woke at 7:30, ate breakfast, and started writing at 9 AM," an admiring blogger wrote. "He stopped around 2 PM. When Hemingway was writing, he was completely present—when he was done, he stopped obsessing over it and left it until the next day. If you want to produce great work, you have to find a creative routine that’s effective for you and stick to it. Be present when working. Be absent when not."

Good advice. This week, I’m slammed with three deadlines: Read the final page proofs for my May Dead-End Job hardcover, "Board Stiff." Write a speech for a convention in Sarasota, Florida. Start my new Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper novel, "Fixing to Die."

Getting this done takes discipline. Fortunately, I’ve learned to follow Hemingway’s habits. Here’s my day:

7:30 AM: Awakened by Harry and Mystery, our two cats, howling for breakfast.

Ignore cats and fall back asleep. Reporter husband Don Crinklaw gets up and feeds the cats, then goes to work in his home office.

NOTE: I never read anywhere that Hemingway fed his cats. They must have been self-reliant and hunted their own food.

8:30 AM: Wake up again. Stumble to kitchen. Put tea bag in cup. Stare at tea kettle. Microwave bowl of heart-healthy oatmeal.

8:35: Realize tea kettle has to be turned on for water to boil.

8:40: Carry rapidly cooling oatmeal and hot tea back to bed. Start reading page proofs while scratching Harry’s ears. I am good at multitasking.

8:50: Scratch Mystery. Fairness is important. Get dressed. Throw in load of laundry.

9:00 AM: At my desk, ready to write, just like Hemingway. Except I have to check the Internet first. Laugh at Simon’s Cat cartoon, "Fly Guy."  http://tinyurl.com/m9bdzs

Then check out cute puppy video:  http://tinyurl.com/aqgxjt7

9:10: Post Simon’s Cat video on Facebook. Invite 50 Facebook friends to "like" my new Elaine Viets Mystery Writer page. http://www.facebook.com/ElaineVietsMysteryWriter

9:15: Yikes! I have 110 e-mails. Answer two. Try to find a polite way to refuse a nice person who wants a book for a charity auction, the fourth freebie request this week.

9:20: Fail miserably. Save charity book request for later. See the e-mail reminder that I have a Femmes blog due.

 
9:25: Kill Femmes blog reminder, reducing e-mails to 108. Scratch Harry for inspiration. Pet Mystery. Start Femmes blog.

9:30: Don finishes his feature story for the newspaper and e-mails it to his editor.

9:45: I have written 481 words, almost Hemingway’s entire daily output!

9:50: Water plant in living room. Notice cats have chewed on the leaves. Throw laundry into dryer.

10:00 AM: Read another chapter of "Board Stiff." Find an error. Hope the mistake won’t distract reviewers who will read these uncorrected proofs as bound galleys. Pray novel gets reviewed.

10:15: Answer two more e-mails. Read thought-provoking article about Taylor Swift’s suspected boob job. Look at photo gallery of other stars who’ve had breast enhancement.

Ask myself, "WWHD – What would Hemingway do?"

Decide he’d look at the photos, too, but in a different way. Go back to writing.

10:25: Don is on the phone, interviewing sources for his next story.

10:30: Take break from blogging to water wilting basil plant.

10:45: Post on a list about how much work I’m getting done.

11:00 AM: Don is interviewing a third source for his story.

11:05: Take a break from writing to read more "Board Stiff." Fold laundry. Look for cats to scratch but they’re asleep in the bathtub.

11:30: Finish blog. I’ve exceeded Hemingway’s daily output by more than 175 words long before his two o’clock deadline.

All it takes is concentration.

 

 

 

Comments

[Alan Portman]

Now I know why I don't get more done. Not enough Taylor Swift boobs.

Nice look at your day.

[Storyteller Mary]

Ah your busy, glamorous life! I suspect you also drink less than Hemingway did . . . and you are waaaay funnier! Thanks for a chance to share the magic!

[Karen in Ohio]

You really are good at multitasking, Elaine.

Discipline schmicipline.

[Elaine Viets]

Taylor apparently thought there wasn't enough of her, either, Alan. You can look, but wouldn't touch, unless you want to wind up the subject of a song.

[Elaine Viets]

Hah. I can pound down the tea, Mary, cup after cup.

[Elaine Viets]

I'm giving a workshop on seven habits of highly effective evaders, Karen.

[Robin Burcell]

This is hilarious, Elaine. Thanks for brightening up my morning. I can now go back to work, knowing that I am still waaayy ahead of the game, as it is only 7:30 AM here on the west coast. And if you count this post I've just done, I'm now up to about... 45 words on today's count!

[Elaine Viets]

Only 765 more to go, Robin.

[krisneri]

Hemingway had a wife, something every busy author needs. Thanks for showing us how to do it without one.

[Marcia Talley]

Oh, lawzee! LOL. You are my role model, Elaine. Today I procrastinated by reviving Barbie dolls that have been donated to the school flea market. Oh the wardrobe malfunctions! The hair do horrors!

[Elaine Viets]

So true, Kris. Never saw where the ultra-manly Hemingway lifted a finger around the house.

[Elaine Viets]

But you're making the islands more beautiful, Marcia.

[catriona mcpherson]

Elaine - I love you for this!

[Elaine Viets]

Ah, a soul sister, Catriona!

[Charlaine Harris]

I have the tremendous advantage of having four dogs that demand to go in and out through my office door. All day long. Gets me up off the chair and breaks my chain of thought at the same time. Multitasking.

[Elaine Viets]

You have twice as many opportunities for concentration, Charlaine. Impressive.

[Kathy McIntosh]

I was worried I'd feel guilty if I read this. Instead, I feel lighter. Ah, the gift of laughter. Thank you.

[Elaine Viets]

Glad I could help, Kathy.