Comments on: Going freelance, an embarrassing tale

By: Carrie

Carrie — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:46:27 +0000

I love this post – thank you!

By: Shveta

Shveta — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:37:28 +0000

Thanks for this, Justine.

By: Melinda

Melinda — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:04:26 +0000

Thank you. Its a huge relief to read this as I have struggled for the last few years with a continually slowing pace of writing. I like the idea of allowing yourself time each day to push through the resistance and that it has taken you a long time to get into the groove of writing full time. I will not panic yet about how long it’s taking me!

By: Another Justine

Another Justine — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:08:53 +0000

Thanks for that very honest post. It’s refreshing to find a writer talking about what went wrong as well as their success!

And I’m glad to know that it’s not just me that finds it hard to get into writing mode. I find I write best in short spurts of a couple hundred words, with procrastination in between.

By: joe

joe — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:05:52 +0000

Thank you for sharing this! (And thank GOD it isn’t just me, he thinks, skulking back to his book…)

By: hope

hope — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:04:23 +0000

“…getting into writing mode remains a struggle. I seem to have lost the ability I had when I was a part-timer to write in between other things, to get a useful amount of writing done in short bursts. Now I need at least three clear hours and the first hour is often spent pushing past my resistance to writing . . .”

When I was a bright young thing, I thought the people who talked like this were just self-indulgent wankers who needed to get their acts together. Now I think, “Hey, me, too!” I find it unnerving. Is it old age? Maybe your technical skills have improved, but the edge has worn off your creativity? Is it going to keep on getting more difficult to write until I sit in front of a computer screen for eighteen hours in order to write four sentences before I fall asleep on the keyboard? What I am most afraid of, though, is that I really am just a self-indulgent wanker. Sigh.

By: Mary Elizabeth S.

Mary Elizabeth S. — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:22:58 +0000

When I was still in school, and had a part time job to go with it, I wrote all the time. I could write 20k to 30k words a month on a regular basis. I was working on a few different stories, but still, I was writing and I was writing a lot.

But when I finished school, and had only the part time job, my writing slowed. About 7k to 10k words a month.

Then we moved and for a while I had no job at all. And my writing dropped off completely. Whole months went by without a single sentence.

Now I’m back to work…and back to writing, too. Not tons, but steady, a little every day. Go figure.

~Mary

By: Kelly McCullough

Kelly McCullough — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:34:14 +0000

Oh yes, it’s the starting the day’s writing that’s the killer, not the writing itself. I totally agree with that one even after more then ten years of having the luxury to write full time.

By: Lauren McLaughlin

Lauren McLaughlin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:42:39 +0000

Happy Sixth Anniversary indeed. Shaky start or no, you’re obviously doing something right. Plus you still have time to keep the rest of us informed, which is most appreciated. Do you write to music? I find that when I’m having trouble getting into “writing mode,” a pair of noise-canceling headphones plugged into some Bach usually does the job. Mozart’s Requiem if I’m really struggling.

By: Diana Peterfreund Blog | A Few Disjointed Thoughts About The Writing Life

Diana Peterfreund Blog | A Few Disjointed Thoughts About The Writing Life — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:32:17 +0000

[...] Justine Larbalestier talks about rhythms of work and deadlines if you’re a freelance (read: fu…. It’s something I’m still working on. I tend to cut things pretty close to the deadline, personally. I’m working on it. [...]

By: Lizabelle

Lizabelle — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:02:01 +0000

I’m so glad you took your second chance. And I always appreciate your honesty on here. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy.