Hours at the computer ...

[Thomas Grant Bruso]

How many hours a day do you write? And do you write everyday?

[Dana King]

I make an effort to write every day, and almost always succeed, unless something truly urgent comes up. My usual goal when drafting is one single=spaced page a day on work days, and two on weekends and days off. Bear in mind, I'm of the "get it all on the screen and then edit" school, though I do clean up yesterday's work before starting the new day's drafting.

When revising, I usually set a minimum time limit, often an hour on work days and two on non-work days. I can go over if I'm on a roll, but I can't stop before the minimum.

I know that may sound rigid to some, but I found I was often overwhelmed early in a project by the thought of how much was left to do. Breaking things into bite-sized chunks--eating the elephant one bite at a time, in the words of my Beloved Spousal Equivalent--makes everything go better.

[Jon Loomis]

Yep. I just focus on writing the next scene. Then the next, and the next.

[Jon Loomis]

I don't write every day, although I wish I could. My teaching job is 60-70 hours a week during the semester, then I go home and help my wife put our two young kids to bed, then I wash dishes, grade a few papers, watch Jon Stewart and collapse. I write during the summer, mostly, and then I'm at it 10 hours a day or so. A good day I write 1200 words or so; a bad day I write 250.

[J. F. Juzwik]

It does help me a lot as well to set goals for writing time. Where my novel is concerned, I make sure that I write a minimum of 2,000 words each day without fail, and that really isn't that much. I, more often than not, will exceed that goal if I really get into what I'm working on at the time, but I make sure I get down at least 2,000 words. Now, if I'm writing a flash or some other shorter piece, before the day is out, I make sure I finish it. I'll go in and edit the next day or two, but I make sure I complete the first draft the same day.

The deadlines I set are completely of my own making, but lacking the self-discipline a lot of writers have been blessed with, this is a necessary thing for me if I ever want to finish something. Joyce

[I. J. Parker]

I write every day. Since I set no goals, I cannot say how many pages. Besides, some of it is revision. I usually work until I run dry, and at three separate times of the day: very early morning, mid-morning, and early afternoon.

[D.R. MacMaster]

Too much time, and yet not enough.

Plus every day.

[Benjamin Sobieck]

I write in waves. I'll crank out 20,000 words on a weekend, forgoing all but basic sustenance and hygiene. Then I won't touch it for weeks, sometimes months. The thoughts percolate in my head until I can't stand not to write. Then it's back to dumping everything into the keyboard for a marathon of typing.

Editing is more of a formal procedure. I do a chapter a night.

[Debbi Mack]

When I'm working on something new, I try to write a little bit every day--even if it's just 300 words. On a good day, I can easily write 1,200 to 1,500 words. I don't shoot for a particular goal, word-wise, but I'll usually check my word count for the day, just to see how I'm doing.

I try to carve out at least an hour to write on any given day--preferably two. I'm a freelance writer, so I have to divide my time between writing for pay and writing for which I hope to be paid (eventually). On Saturdays, I can go longer. The important thing for me is not how long I do it or how many words I write, so much as just writing as regularly as possible. It's that regularity that keeps the story momentum going for me.

On Sunday, I don't usually write. Nothing to do with religion. I just figure I deserve a day off.

[Clair Dickson]

I'm at the computer many hours a day (usually between 8-12). Unfortunately, my jobs often keep me from writing, but I almost always have my current WIP open in one window. I might poke at it, see if there's any life in it, then go back to work on something I'm actually paid to do.

I try to write even if I don't "feel" like it. Even if it's just hashing out the story, as opposed to putting narrative onto the page. And when things are going well, I'll churn out hundreds or even thousands of words.

For me, the important part is to keep working on a story. If I'm stuck, I need to figure out what's wrong and then get unstuck.

Deadlines mean nothing to me since the deadline-setter won't care if I don't meet it.

[Keith Rawson]

I'm like Claire, I spend 8-to-12 hours a day at a computer at both work and home. At work I always have a word document open to chip away at between work assignments and at home it's the same thing. I set a thousand word a day goal for myself and hit it or exceed it on a daily basis. But that's a lot of conditioning on my part. Mostly I think you should go with the limit you feel most comfortable with

[Cormac Brown]

Thirty minutes a day if I'm not (goofing) off and that is a big, bloated, hypothetical "if."

[Thomas Grant Bruso]

This is the reason I love writers: to spawn a discussion about writing. I sit down at the computer with a pot of tea every other day for five hours and churn out 6-10 pages of narrative. When I'm not writing, I'm always jotting down notes about certain scenes, chapters and characters. In other words, I am constantly thinking about my latest work. I write gay fiction/mystery and am currently working on my second book. I finished the first novel in January and haven't taken a look at it since. I like where the second book is going. Some of the characters are bizarre and standoffish; others are down-to-earth and approachable, which I like. I set it in the world of theater and will draw from my experiences on and off stage. Thanks again to everyone who responded to my discussion. I appreciate hearing from other writers.