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250 Words per Hour

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Not long ago, my muse gave me an ultimatum (here) – Write or Else!

So I’ve been writing, keeping up my end of the bargain and then some, writing 6-10 hours a day, 5 days a week. I start at 5 a.m. and write until about 3. Then 3-4 hours of blogging. It’s been a challenge especially when the holidays started revving up.

For me, writing that many hours means letting other things slide like getting dressed, showering, brushing teeth, eating, cooking, laundry, holiday shopping, dishes, and vacuuming. Coffee is about all that gets accomplished with religious fervency.

This morning, a couple of people stopped by unexpectedly to have me sign some paperwork (our area is getting high-speed internet in 2017!). We stood outside in the sleet because I just couldn’t bear to usher them into my disaster area. When I went back inside, I walked by a mirror and noticed that my clothes were on backwards and inside out. Seams showing and the tag of my shirt flapping at my throat like a teeny white necktie. Ha ha. Yeesh.

But I also finished the first draft of the fourth book in my next series. I write about 250 words per hour. A first draft takes me about 400 hours. Subsequent drafts, maybe another 400 for a total of 800 hours per book. Four books? That’s about 3,200 hours.

Now really? Tell me. What writer has time to worry about whether her clothes are on front forward and right-side out? What do you let slide?

150 thoughts on “250 Words per Hour”

  1. confabler says:
    December 31, 2016 at 2:15 am

    Congratulations on the new book and high speed internet!
    I used to forget about meals while writing too when I was a kid. Hunger didn’t matter.
    I came to wish you a happy new year!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Steph McCoy says:
    December 20, 2016 at 5:14 pm

    You’re such an inspiration Diana! To learn that you didn’t start writing until 50 clearly demonstrates age is not a barrier to honing a different craft. Love your sense of humor and your dedication to the art of writing.

    Liked by 1 person

    • D. Wallace Peach says:
      December 21, 2016 at 5:14 pm

      I actually know quite a few people who didn’t start this journey until other priorities relaxed a bit. One of the things I like about writing is it’s something that I can do until I croak. Ha ha. Hopefully that’s a long time from now. Thanks for the visit and comment, Steph. Hope you are ready for the holidays. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Helen Jones says:
    December 17, 2016 at 1:12 pm

    Cleaning, mostly, as I dislike doing it 😀 That being said, I do try to keep up. But when I need to write, I need to write! I’m starting a new job in the new year which means my writing schedule will change slightly, so that will be interesting…

    Liked by 1 person

  4. patriciaruthsusan says:
    December 16, 2016 at 2:53 am

    Ha, ha. I know what you mean. I’ve been fortunate. My husband’s caregiver has gradually taken over and made herself indispensable. This might have been a plot and I was totally susceptible. I sit at the computer most of the day. Even then I manage to get behind in my emails. I can’t resist to subscribing to a good one. I work on short stories and now have to take some time and do some revision before I dare send them out into the cruel world. I’m working on a longer version of a crazy alien story. I had to laugh. One of the critiques in the workshop from the way it started, expected my crazy piece to be an actual sci-fi story. I guess he now knows better. It’s great you’re getting high-speed internet. I’ve heard of that and what I have is called wi-fi. 😀 All the best, Diana. 😀 — Suzanne

    Liked by 1 person

    • D. Wallace Peach says:
      December 16, 2016 at 8:44 am

      I love your alien stories, Suzanne, and can’t wait to see what you post! It’s nice to reach the age where there’s time for creative pursuits. I feel very lucky that I can devote so much of my day to writing. Yes, we’re getting high-speed. We’re on satelitte internet right now and it’s very slow. I can’t wait! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Lisa Lancaster says:
    December 14, 2016 at 4:26 am

    Wow wee! This is fantastic! I’m a bit of a neat freak, and I can’t sit and write at home if it’s a mess. I try to have one room spotless and hole up in there. Ignore everything else. Ignorance is bliss.

    Liked by 1 person

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