One of the best aspects of working from home is flexibility of schedule. I love having freedom to plan my day based on mood, inspiration, and my to-do list. And the weather. It may seem weird that a writer considers weather, but I’ll explain that further down.
Flexibility of schedule is also one of the most challenging aspects of working from home. It’s easy to put off the tasks I don’t enjoy or don’t want to face. It requires a lot of self-discipline to keep checking everything off the list.
Most days I’m awake between six and eight, based primarily on when my little doggo, Wyatt, decides it’s time we get up. He is my fuzzy, fuzzy alarm clock.
After he and my big dog Polar have breakfast, I tuck into my office to get the most important task of the day completed. Wordle. I went 100 days in a row without missing a single word, then 101 got me. It was one of those words where I had four out of five letters correct for four rows and still failed. I’ve forgotten the word, but not the dashing of my dream to remain undefeated for all time. It was a good reminder that no one is perfect.
Working as both a novelist and a developmental editor, I split my time between my own projects and the work of other writers. Usually, I work on my own projects first. Currently I have three projects in various stages. My agent has one project out on sub, we are doing a second round of notes on another, and I’m finishing up a first draft of a third.
One of my most important pieces of advice for writers is to cycle between manuscripts. There’s nothing harder than waiting, and the best way I’ve found to mitigate that challenge is to work on something else. It’s also very constructive to let projects sit between drafts and have something else to focus on.
Lunchtime rolls around and I feed the dogs again, then put on my editor’s hat. The dogs have a set eating schedule, but my own eating patterns are inconsistent—I lean toward yogurt smoothies in the morning and coffee . . . lots and lots of coffee throughout the day.
The next couple hours I work on client projects. I love developmental editing. I get to dig into someone else’s writing, assessing the strengths and weaknesses and identifying steps forward for rewrites. I also work with writers on the query process, developing query letters and synopsis, and building agent query lists.
Then comes the best part of the day—and when the weather plays a role—I head over to the stables where I board my horses. Depending on my time and the weather, I get them out, groom, train, ride, or sometimes just watch them in the pasture. They are my break from the computer screen and my desk chair. Hanging out with my boys allows me to be outside, enjoying nature. Horses are one of the great passions of my life and I can’t imagine life without them.
Then it’s back to work. Late afternoons often find me finishing up the odds and ends. Reaching out to new clients, doing sample edits, social media, updating my website and writers blog, writing blog posts (like this one!), and all the other things a writer and an editor does beyond putting words on the page and then moving them around. I teach a lot of online workshops, so I can often be found building PowerPoint presentations or outlining a class.
Which brings me to my latest project. A book that bridges writing and editing in one little package.
For years I wanted to write a book on writing. I find common errors in most manuscripts, including my own, and believe that writers can benefit from my years of education and experience writing, publishing, and editing. I stopped and started several different books on craft, all with extensive tables of contents, as I tried—and failed—to include all the topics I wanted to cover. Then one day I landed on the perfect solution.
A series of short guidebooks. Concise books on specific topics rather than one big book on everything.
The Foundation of Plot was born.
The first in my Wait, Wait, Don’t Query (Yet!) series, The Foundation of Plot analyzes story structure, describes common terms, includes a definition of plot versus story and why that distinction matters, along with exercises to apply to works in progress or new projects. I’m so excited to launch this book on July 19!
That leaves me hard at work on the second book, The Construction of Character, which competes for screen time every morning with those crime fiction titles I’m working on.
All of this makes for a full day, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
Okay – the sun is out. I’m heading over to the stables. Happy trails, happy reading, and happy writing!
Elena
The Foundation of Plot
Genre: Writing, Research & Publishing
Release: July 2022
Purchase Link
Structure underlies every story, but without a strong foundation, even well-written sentences can fail to result in a marketable manuscript. The Foundation of Plot defines the components of a story arc, details the differences between plot and story, and covers common errors writers make. It also includes exercises which apply concepts to works in progress or new projects.
Drawing on the author’s decades of storytelling and teaching experience, this short guide provides the framework for fiction, narrative nonfiction, and memoir, walking writers through a first draft, the repair of a failed manuscript, or any draft in between. For experienced authors and first-time writers alike, applying the concepts outlined in this manual can help launch a submission from the slush pile to the bookstore shelf.
About the author
Elena Hartwell has spent years supporting writers and constructing stories. Her award-winning and bestselling works include the Eddie Shoes mysteries and All We Buried (written under Elena Taylor). Her plays have been seen around the US and UK, garnering critical acclaim and stellar reviews. As a developmental editor she has worked with hundreds of writers, most recently as senior editor and director of programming for the boutique editing house, Allegory Editing. She regularly teaches writing workshops and enjoys helping others achieve their writing dreams.
Websites: elenahartwell.com, elenataylorauthor.com, themysteryofwriting.com
All comments are welcomed.
That looks really helpful! Will have to check it out.
This is so true! “One of my most important pieces of advice for writers is to cycle between manuscripts. There’s nothing harder than waiting, and the best way I’ve found to mitigate that challenge is to work on something else. It’s also very constructive to let projects sit between drafts and have something else to focus on.”
If only I had done that for the five years I worked on a book that was never going to sell. I’m thinking smarter now after that debacle.