Author Hours

[Peg Herring]

I did a workshop on Saturday and as usual got the question, "Do you set regular writing hours for yourself?"
I always answer yes, but the sign on the door of my writing "business" would have to have some disclaimers:

BUSINESS OPEN:
M-F 7:00-11:00* ** *** ****
*-ish. If things are going well, I might continue until suppertime. If not, I wander the house from 9:30 on, doing little non-writing tasks and hoping the muse gets her butt back into the chair soon.
** Of course these hours only apply when I'm not presenting at a school, library, or writers' group, waiting on my mother-in-law, winterizing the gazebo, or foraging for something to wear to the next speaking engagement that doesn't reveal how "mature" my figure has become.
*** Sometimes the business' hours extend into nights and weekends, particularly when a hot idea has to be captured before it melts into ether.
**** And sometimes, editors' demands extend business hours almost by magic. A little note that says, "You have two weeks to complete this task" makes seven-to-eleven just the tip of the iceberg.

So do I keep regular hours? Normally, but not regularly.