I have had several aha moments in the last 10 days of writing.   I’d like to share three of the lessons I’ve learned so far.

Writing is a job.

 Prior to now, I wrote whenever I felt like it.  Now I'm on a writing schedule.  I go to my office to write for 2 hours every day, except on Sunday.  The time is blocked off on my calendar from now until D-Day.  D-Day is January 10, 2019, the day I will deliver my draft manuscript.    I treat my commitment like a job.  I show up at my desk on time with tea in hand - ready to go.  Surprisingly, I  worked overtime most days.  Seeing pages and chapters fill in motivates me to keep going past my committed writing period.

Time devoted to researching relevant information is  not  "writing time."

This is a good learn to lesson early on.   One day I spent a couple hours researching, fact-checking and formulating how to incorporate some data into my story.   I'd spent two hours learning some interesting, related material that in the end wasn't as useful as I'd hoped.  And (sigh) I still had to write for 2 hours.  So now, I write first for the duration.  Once that’s done, I spend time on other tangential work.

Writing is exhilarating and tiring.

I really enjoy writing. I like everything about the process, including preparing for interviews that I want to conduct this month.   At the end of the day, not only is my brain tired but so is my body.  I try to be aware of my posture.   Yet, I still find myself slumping sometimes.  As a result, I wear a posture brace and I purchased a foot rest. Both of these should help.  I’m also afraid of getting "writer's spread” from sitting so much.   I may have to purchase a sit-stand desk.  Standing could be less tiring and better to avoid the spread. And, there you have it.  First lessons learned -check.  I’m looking forward to the lessons to come. P.S. In additional to investigating the sit-stand desk, I want to create a ritual that sets the tone for writing. I brew loose-leaf tea now and will add some additional sensory items that tell my brain and body that it’s writing time. I’d love to hear from other writers on what you do to prepare your space and minds for writing.   Follow me on LinkedIn @TerrieHudson Follow me on Instagram @TerrieHudsonSpeaks Follow me on Facebook @TerrieLivingBoldly