Help, I bit off too much!

by Calia Wilde – Author/Contributor

Ah, January. When writers plan their work for the year. My dream plan derailed early. And that forced me to prioritize, as well as look at what is possible, probable, and practical. These are three totally different things. 

Here is how you can bite off just the right amount.

Here’s how: 

1. Discover your writing speed.
   This doesn’t mean typing speed. It is the speed you can adequately commit those first draft words into reality. I discovered my writing speed through the writing sprints I’ve been lucky enough to host and participate (at Passionate Ink) in since October or earlier. I can accurately say that my writing speed (typos and Google quick searches and all) averaged at 17.3 words per minute. (oddly specific, no?)
   It sounds like I am slow. BUT, if you ask any sprinter who tracks their writing, that equates to 432 words per 25 minute session. It’s a number some of us can hit consistently. Others, more prolific and ones with a better channel into their story, hit 600+ in those scant 25 minutes. It is possible. I’ve done it. I’ve seen it happen.
   
   But — and this is important — I can’t do it consistently. Knowing what your average is begins the process of knowing what is POSSIBLE and what is PRACTICAL. 
   
   First, an example of what is impractical:
   40hrs a week BUTT IN CHAIR writing at my average speed is 2 million words!
   Why is this impractical? Because it allows for ZERO ideation time. ZERO marketing time. ZERO SLACK.
   The math – as a cross reference:
   40(hours)x60(minutes) x17.3(average) x50(weeks) = about 2 million, or 20 books a year.
   
2. Understand Slack
   What happens when LIFE smacks you down? And for most of us, we have a day job. -40 hours of life right there, and if you commute minus 10-15 hours more. That equates out to 55 hours of my week GONE. Sucked out of me with all the panache of joyless leeches.
   
   So I discover what is POSSIBLE: 6 hours of writing weekdays and another 10 weekends – 830K/ year. 8+ full length novels. HUM? Stretch goal anyone?
   
   What POSSIBLE really means is any other waking hour is spent ideating, marketing, learning and with this possibility, I have NO LIFE. I need to build in slack or “down time” when planning projects. Possible, sometimes ISN’T possible without understanding your own personal slack.
   
   The math breakdown:
   6(hours) x 60(minutes) x 17.3(average rate) x 50 weeks = 830k (give or take) OR, 9-10 novels a year.
   
3. Planning the Probable:
   After reviewing the POSSIBLE, and understanding how much time I need to recharge, plus the additional time I WANT to have to simply LIVE my life, here is the breakdown of what is PROBABLE (for me). Your PROBABLE will look different than mine.
   
   Probable (for me): 1 hour, maybe 2 (but I won’t count on that) split over multiple days during the M-F work grind, and another 5 squeezed in between Saturday or Sunday. That’s realistic and likely not too tough to maintain. It equates out to approximately 311K per year – which, if you look at my publishing rate, TRACKS to the schedule I’ve maintained for the last eight years. (And is especially true for my best year.) 
   
   The math (once again)
   6(hours) x 60(minutes) x 17.3 (average) x 50 weeks a year = 311k – ish. 

I hope you enjoyed that little jaunt down “math” lane. If you’re wondering how to set up the spreadsheet to track your sprint times/rates, OR are wondering where you can find writing sprints, please let me know in the comments. I’ll hook you up.