On Needing a Writing Schedule

At the moment, I have three main writing projects I am working on. One of them is an ongoing thing, and that is editing the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle, which is a monthly newsletter for the town of Mallala. And I am trying to commit to writing a series of Cosy Murder Mysteries, I have characters, and book titles, as well as some brief ideas on what each book might be about.

I have a much bigger project right now though, bigger in terms of importance. It is an anthology of writing, about Covid-19, and it is possibly my most important thing I’ve ever taken on, in terms of community connection and historical significance. This piece is close to being finished, I just need to tie up loose ends really, put in remaining author writer bios which I’ve requested.

And I need to put together the actual front and back covers. Waiting for input from others on that one, both from different people, I’m more or less in contact with. And there’s one more piece of work to go it, that has a photograph, and some prose relating to it.

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I’m back again, and just like magic, some of those items I’ve been waiting on have appeared! I love the power of emails. I’ve also made a connection with a friend of a friend on Facebook and asked whether I may use a comment she wrote, that fits in with a new title of one of those Cosy Murder Mystery books I mentioned … And an amazing coincidence, is that the person’s name, is the same as the name of my main character in those books! Life is so amazing sometimes, if you wrote it, in a book, people may find it hard to believe, even when it’s true.

So having written all of this, I’m wondering, do I actually need any writing schedule at all really, beyond actually sitting down in my appointed sitting down spot, and just getting on with things? Actually, I haven’t actually written any more of those Murder Mystery stories, I’m simply written about them, and they are two totally different things. And to be honest with you, dear reader, I suspect I secretly don’t think I can really write those murder mysteries, cosy or not.

Writing around the edges of a book, is not actual book writing. So I think I have to get real about this, and actually make a commitment to writing That first book, and finish it, so I can give it to my chosen beta reader, and then get back to the second book, which I began writing first. By then, my dear beta reader may have told me what she thinks, and I can move forward, or backward, from that point.

But of course before any of that can happen, I have to have the first draft of a Cosy Murder Mystery book written. So perhaps I should schedule in “Cosy Murder Mystery” in my calendar, a few times a week, and see how that goes? Yes? Or how about I use that thing I’ve forgotten the name of, where you give yourself 25 minutes writing time, and definitely sit down and write. Then if things are flowing, another 25 minutes, and so on. I could find at least 25 minutes every day, for sure.

So that is what I will do. After I get back here at my writing seat, after bringing in the washing, I will commit to writing for 25 minutes, today, and every single day, more of that first book in the “At Talloola” series of cosy murder mysteries! There, I’ve written down my commitment to a writing schedule for that writing, and will do my best to stick with it!