Constant Content

I'm hoping to be able to make writing for CC my "day job", and I think in another month or two I'll be able to pull it off. (Thank goodness for DH's "real" day job.)

I also write fiction for kids, mainly YA novels. I'm having trouble balancing the two, and because CC is quick money, I'm finding that the fiction is taking a backseat. I know that many of you write outside of CC and I'm wondering how you balance your other, long-term projects.

I'm thinking of setting aside 5 hours during the day for CC articles, and then another few hours at night for fiction (except that lately I'm spent by then). How do you all do it?

Kat

Hi. Hats off to anyone who can making a living from this. I am certainly nowhere near that position. To me it's more a hobby than anything else. It would be great if one day I could make enough money writing at CC for it to be considered my "job," as it would certainly be one I'd enjoy

Good luck with it.

Jane

Well, a "living" means that I contribute enough to supplement my hubby's income. It's all relative.

There are writers here who do make enough for it to be considered a real living. I'm just not keeping up with my fiction writing, and wondered if anyone else had carved out a real schedule.

Yes, I'm curious too. With summer and kids home from school, getting anything accomplished has been tough let alone finding time for fiction. I've been able to juggle both but when uninspired (as Kat knows, I'm currently very uninspired with my YA novel) I go weeks without writing a single word. When inspired, I can jam out chapters upon chapters in the blink of an eye.

CC is different, I don't often have a choice thanks to the awesome customers here who keep me busy. I try to set a certain dollar figure per day and when I make that amount, I give myself the rest of the day off where I can do whatever including fiction. I try to limit my CC time to about four hours per day. It's hard to judge exactly with all the distractions a baby and 6 year old throw into the mix. Which explains why you'll see me on the boards here at midnight -- hmmn, maybe I should spend less time here? Or give up a few more hours of sleep.....

Summer was slower and on the days where I didn't have any assignments I tried to focus on fiction. That worked okay but that wasn't the norm. I am learning not to stress on slow days and take those free hours as an opportunity to write fiction, research agents, etc... When I adopted that attitude, things snowballed and got busy again!

An hourly schedule as Kat proposes may be a better way to go. Maybe a percentage of three hours CC to one hour fiction. CC pays the bills so I do weigh it more heavily right now. When I get the big three book deal, I may have to switch that around

Any other fiction writers out there? Oh, actually I do know one other CC writer who works a full time regular job, does well on CC, and is writing a novel in between. Wow!

Wow! We've got a lot of YA novelists. I'm finishing mine to send to my editor soon. Your posts have been quite helpful.

I don't do near the amount of CC work that Celeste does, but I have steady (and time-consuming) monthly work with four print magazines which kind of compares to the struggle of working on one project while trying to make a living with the other.

What I do is work mornings (writing only)(4 or 5 a.m. - 8 a.m) on fiction, then come back and work afternoon on either editing fiction or writing, researching, editing non-fiction (1 p.m. - 7 p.m.). Saturdays, I work 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. I take Sundays off.

This schedule works so-so. I've read (can't remember her name but well-known writer) who spends one week on non-fiction, one week on fiction. I'd love to do that but it takes me a full day to get back into my characters' heads when I'm writing fiction so that schedule bombed with me. I force myself to write fiction everyday so I stay with the characters and plotline. Otherwise the voice goes haywire.

I keep a weekly list of projects in front of me and plot out how much time I can allow for each project and then stick to that time frame. (Even my very necessary breaks like now are pretty tight. When my buzzer goes off, I get offline.) Also, I have two major non-writing commitments that require attention each week.

Anyway, right now that's how my life looks. I'm under a commitment to finish my YA book or else I would have a more relaxed schedule. (Nothing like a deadline, right?)

My family understands that this schedule won't last forever, but I don't want to pretend it's been easy on them. My niece is visiting this week and I feel bad that we're not doing some fun things, even though I warned her mom that I was working all week. (But the guilt remains . . . ) I hope when I start my next book, some brilliant, super-organized writer will have the perfect schedule figured out so I can adopt it!!! Maybe one of you? Please?

Mary B.

Thanks Mary, that's a lot to think about. I think we're all finding it difficult. Summer is particularly hard for me, because like Celeste, my kids (7 & 10) are home all day. Next month when they start school, I'll have 9:30-3pm to work, as well as evenings as long as my hubby doesn't complain.

I agree that it is important to work on fiction daily - not that I'm actually doing it, but I know it's important. I think I'm going to try working from 9:30-1 on articles and 1-3 on fiction, as well as evenings when I need it. Unfortunately, if I got up at 4 or 5 to work, I'd be useless until about 8am anyway. I do often work late into the night which is better for me. This might change when editor-driven revisions bump up the importance of the novel work.

Anybody else?

Good luck with your new schedule. We home school so I use those morning hours for teaching, otherwise I wouldn't get up at 4 or 5 either!

Mary B.

I have a question for all of you. I am trying to make a living with the writing so I can stay home with my daughter too. How did you break into the YA market?

I have not been able to make many sales here at CC yet. I have only sold 3 and have published over 60 in the last 2 months.

Hi Audra,
Are you replying to requests? This seems to be a good way to get sales. Write to the public requests that can also appeal to other websites if the requesting website ends up buying another article.

As far as YA goes, I started the old fashioned way - writing picture books (under another name). Then I wrote a mid-grade novel and am now working on a YA. I got an agent with my mid-grade book, and luckily, she takes care of the market for me.

There are a lot of great websites and message boards out there dedicated to writing for kids. These are an education in themselves.

Hope that helps!
Kat

Ha! I haven't "broken in" to the YA market yet but am trying....

Reading, writing, joining a critique group, revising, submitting.... stuff like that. Kat and I met in a critique group and I can tell you she is an incredible writer and an inspiration. Surround yourself with strong writers and you will learn to write up to their level. In fact, you will be motivated because of their expectations.

For me, without a good critique group expecting regular submissions, it would be simply too easy to set that manuscript aside and let life take over. Shoot. Now I better get to work....

Thanks, girls!

Though I'm not part of Kat and Celeste's critique group (it sounds like a good one, doesn't it?) I agree that a strong critique group is very helpful. (I had to kiss a few frogs though to find one.) Network with others who are serious about writing, attend writer's conferences where you get to meet with agents and editors in one-on-one interviews, and write, write, write.

Mary B.

Kat, Celeste, any other YA folks who'd like to chime in --
I was reading about the huge success of Stephanie Meyer's YA vampire novel (150,000 sold on opening day; Little, Brown expected 40,000). The industry newsletter I was reading attributed the sales to her work through MySpace promotion.

Do y'all do a lot of promotion through social networking sites?
Mary B.

Gee, thanks Celeste (blushing). You're well on your way to big things there too - your stories are amazing!

I did just read about the Stephanie Meyers sales in Publishers Weekly. Because my first book is for a younger audience, I haven't done a lot of exploring there yet. You have to be really careful on myspace and facebook so that they don't feel like you are just selling them something. As soon as my novels find a home, I'm going to check it out. I do have a blog that I write every weekday and I'm working on a website. There is nothing like creating a buzz. [/b]

Hi - I just HAD to say hello to you - 5am starts!!, that's exactly how I manage!! (5 kids home from school/college all wanting the computer!!!! grrrrrrrr !! Nothing else for it is there?) My, aren't we all dedicated to our craft - lucky we love it eh girls?
hope to get to know everyone on here soon (after the vacation!), bit tired just now...... glad to be on here though!
Back soon!