I once heard that the average fiction writer does well to add two pages to their work per day. In the past week, I’ve averaged about six pages per day on Midnight of Lanar’ya. And, let me tell you, it’s exhausting. I’m charged by it but, at the same time, my brain is fried. Working over in my “Super Secret Secure Location” (aka “the barn”) helps a lot because there are no distractions (and also no toilets which forces me to walk back and forth between the House and the Barn several times, but it’s still pretty tiring.
I’ve noticed a distinct trend in my writing. I’ll generally average about two pages per day but then, I’ll hit a patch where I may crank out upwards of ten pages per day for a week or two. Then, I’ll crash back down to less than a page per day for a few days only to pull back up to about three or four pages per day for a few months.
One thing I’ve found that helps me deal with the exhaustion is to write more on a different project. At any given time, I might be working on three novels — only one “actively” and the other two piecemeal. Another thing I do to relax my mind a bit is to play World of Warcraft or Star Wars: The Old Republic. Playing another story — one I don’t have to write or think about much — is actually quite relaxing. I enjoy reading as well. It’s nice and quiet out here at the End of the World so, some days, when I’m especially worn out from writing, I’ll grab a book and sit on the porch reading for several hours.
The one thing I’ve found that is the worst for me to do when I’m tired is to try to “power through” and keep a per-day quota. When I first started the Fall of the Lanarian Empire series, I did set a per-day quota of at least two pages for myself. Now, I’m content to set a per-week quota of three pages. I easily pass it and that allows me to relax a bit and give myself a bit of a break now and again. I’ve found that I’m my own harshest task-master so being reasonable with myself allows me to meet my goals without feeling guilty on the days when I just need to chill a bit.
And now, since I’ve added seven pages today, I am going to relax and play some Star Wars: The Old Republic. I have a Jedi Knight that I’m leveling as a tank and the game is just amazing. In some ways, it’s better than World of Warcraft (though World of Warcraft will always be my first love since that’s where most of my friends are). Therefore, good night and may the Force be with you!
