Michael Lee West

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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Last week, I received an avalanche of email from people who wanted to know how I find time to blog and write novels.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][I][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]"How do you find time to maintain three blogs?"[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/CENTER]
[CENTER][I][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]"Where do you get the energy?!!"[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/CENTER]
[CENTER][I][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]"Do you ever sleep?"[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/CENTER]
[CENTER][I][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]"Do you have full-time help or an assistant?"[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/CENTER]
[CENTER][I][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]"Is your publisher/assistant/son writing your blogs?"[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman]How I Find Time to Blog and Write Fiction[/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman]Part I:[/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Thirty years ago, when I was struggling to get published, I asked other writers these same questions. I really needed answers. [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I had a busy life: a husband, two super-busy kids, three dogs, a cat, and a dirty house. [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]A writer friend, [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.shirleyhailstock.net/"][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]Shirley Hailstock[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], had a busy life, too, [I]and[/I] she had a full-time job. I was struggling to find ten minutes to myself, but Shirley wrote books, baked cakes, and diapered two stair-step babies.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]"How do you do it?" I asked.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]It took me a long time to understand her answer and to apply it to my own life:[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]"MLee," she said, "I've got 24-hours a day. So do you."[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman]Part 2:[/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]You need a daily plan. [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]When you find one that works, [I]stick to the plan. [/I][/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]If you have a blog, and you want it to grow, you should post every day. Do I do this? [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]No.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Pioneer Woman advises bloggers to post daily, even if it's just a paragraph, and she's right.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]But this won't happen if you aren't realistic about your lifestyle. [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Make a list of the things that distract you, then add reasonable solutions. If noise bugs you, get earphones or tell the noise maker to dial it down. If phone calls break your concentration, find a way to deal with callers--a way that spurns telemarketers but won't make you inaccessible to family.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]For most writers, interruptions rip through their thoughts and words. You can't control other people or external events/noises; you can't control when Blogger eats your post or if Internet Explorer crashes.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]But you can control your reactions.[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman]Part 3:[/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Get Creative.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]When my boys were young, I wrote on the kitchen counter. That way, I could spread my papers around me, and my legal pads would be safe from grape juice spills. [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]It's all about zoning.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I don't have an office, so I created an semi-imaginary locked door. When noise shatters my focus, I put on earphones. It helps some. A real door would be better. [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Mainly, the earphones serve as a signal to my family that I'm working.[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I also bought a folding screen at Big Lots, and I put that around my writing chair.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Now it's time for me to answer your questions--how do I find time to blog and write?[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I don't have any sure-fire answers. And what works for me today might not work next week--it might not work for you at all.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Each day, I grapple with the same issue: how to find time and energy to blog and write fiction. [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I goof up all the time. [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]But here goes.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]* I don't have a housekeeper or an assistant. I write all of my blog posts and novels--some are good, some could have been better.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][I][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Que sera sera.[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]*I don't do post-mortems. I'm like Sysphus pushing that rock up the hillside every single day, but I try to move forward.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]*I guard my writing time. Woe to the people (you know who you are, Bandwidth) who interrupt me in the middle of a sentence.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]*I don't explain why I need solitude. I used to, but I quit. [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Now I just bite harder. That may sound mean, but I live with two messy, loud men, and when I'm in Sweet Cakes mode, they think I'm being cute. [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]So I tell them, "Look, guys, I'll be writing from X to X. No interruptions unless the house is on fire."[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]*Finally, if you love what you do, the days seem longer even if they move in a blur.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Time elongates, but I can't explain how or why.[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][U][FONT=Times New Roman]Resources and Suggestions:[/FONT][/U][/CENTER]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]1. Take workshops on time management and draw up a plan that works for you. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]2. Even better, sign up for social media classes at [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.savvyauthors.com/"][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]http://www.savvyauthors.com/[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]. Learn short-cuts. Register for free services, such as Hootsuite, which make it easier to keep track of mentions and re-Tweets. Write a series of posts and use Blogspot's "schedule this post" option.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]3. Limit your social media time. If you're an author (and you're facing deadlines), visit Facebook and Twitter once a day, then move on to the next item on your list. Schedule Tweets in advance. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]4. Spelling errors and brain burps won't show up in your blog post until you hit the "publish" button. I'm not kidding. You can proofread, but you might not see any typos until the post has gone live. Resist the urge to spit polish. Let spelling errors and stray commas go. Don't obsess over a word or spend your time editing. Chances are, you'll introduce new errors. Your time will be better spent if you write a new blog post or take some photographs or do something fun. The how to blog" experts will tell you to brush up on spelling and split infinitives, but it's [I]not that freaking[/I] important. Seriously. (NOtice the stray " up there? It's stAYING.) The world won't end over a comma. Sometimes I'll have a flash of inspiration, and I'll revamp a post, but it's a time-eater. If you still find yourself fretting about the invisible Grammar Police, there are resources: Follow the Grammar Divas on Twitter for daily tips. [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://twitter.com/#!/Grammar_Diva"][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]http://twitter.com/#!/Grammar_Diva [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] . They're great! But try not to sweat the *"%$ and the hiccups. We all have 'em.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]5. Buy a notebook and keep a daily "blog idea" journal. Brainstorm for ideas. Use the "clustering method" from the book [I]Writing the Natural Way[/I] by Gabriele Lusser Rico [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Natural-Gabriele-Lusser-Rico/dp/0874772362"][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Natural-Gabriele-Lusser-Rico/dp/0874772362[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/URL]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]6. Blog because you love it.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]7. Honor your writing time, no matter how fleeting.[/FONT][/SIZE]
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[CENTER][CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman]It's your 24-hours.[/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman]For daily writing tips, visit [/FONT][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][URL="http://acquaintedwiththenightbypipermaitland.blogspot.com/"][FONT=Microsoft Sans Serif]http://acquaintedwiththenightbypipermaitland.blogspot.com/[/FONT][/URL][/CENTER]
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[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman]**All photos courtesy of Dreamstime and Shutterstock because if I'd done a photoshoot, you wouldn't be reading this post. Dreamstime also has *free* images, btw.[/FONT][/CENTER][/CENTER]
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