All my life I’ve written but had to have a day job; now my day job is writing. I actually describe myself as a writer, and I do spend much of my day writing, blogging and editing my next novel ‘Flipside’ out next month, I hope. I also have started scribbling scenes from new ideas, the Radwinter story, odd bits and pieces which pop into my head…
So, I write, but I spend almost as much time faffing about, I check other sites on the net, I deviate off and do other stuff on the computer… and also I don’t spend all my time writing. I do housework, I meet friends, I garden, I go food shopping… but I could write more, I could write much, much more.
I read an article today about Arne Dahl the Swedish writer and I felt put to shame; he was describing his working day through what he eats:
8am If I haven’t been writing through the night, my day starts with coffee, breakfast and the paper. Wholegrain toast, Greek yogurt, muesli with berries, and low-carb orange juice.
9am Get started on my computer. I’ve tried to write in all kinds of places, but home suits me best. I drink a lot of coffee.
11am As I’ve only moved a few steps all morning, I go for a run around the island near my house in Stockholm. Make a protein drink – not a delicious lunch but quite efficient.
2pm Stop writing for a Thai chicken curry with rice, from the fridge, then return to finish a chapter before answering readers’ questions on Facebook and Twitter. Sometimes I forget about lunch, dinner, and even coffee, and just keep writing.
7pm Go to a local Italian restaurant with my wife for beef carpaccio and then creamy, cheesy pasta. With pasta I make an exception to all my rules about eating lots of protein.
10pm A little coffee and perhaps some cashew nuts while I finish work, then a glass of single malt.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/10143611/My-day-on-a-plate-Arne-Dahl-crime-writer.html
Arne doesn’t mention doing chores… but that is still no excuse for me, I could work much harder. I am going to cut out the article and stick it on the wall; there is a photo of Arne and he’ll stare accusingly at me when I slack!
Lois Elsden 
I think we all get distracted easily. But hey, isn’t nice to also have time to attend to other things now. Only rarely have I turned down coffee with a friend because I’ve been writing. I guess it all depends on how much writing we want to achieve. I feel I have a nice balance at the moment.
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Oh thank you, Val… balance is the key, isn’t it?
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Hang on to this thought, Lois. I have the same ‘Peter could have achieved more if he wasn’t so easily distracted’ on my mental report card. I think it gets harder to keep your motivation going the older you get and the further you get from your former working life with its externally imposed disciplines, but it’s also the need to feel a sense of achievement every day that stops us from vegetating and then dying of boredom like so many retirees seem to do.
On the other hand, there’s no need to be a dick about it.
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Ah, but women multitask!
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Perhaps I need a wife?!!
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Don’t you just hate people like that?
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Oh and he lives on an island!
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Some writers are just show offs!! 😉 Cheer up Lois, I’ve also read that some writers only manage two hours a day because the drain on their creative resource is so great! That must be us! 😉
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Oh Ross, I am so drained!!!
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