Repercussions of the All Nighter

I have a project due December 1st. It’s a deadline I set for myself, as it’s actually not due to the publisher until mid-January. But I wanted to get it to my editor sooner, so she’s not slammed come the new year, and I’m not struggling to finish working during the holidays with kids underfoot.

I spent all last night working on it, in addition to other time spent getting started. Actually, I wrote yesterday during the day and then from eleven p.m. to five a.m. getting this done. Why? So I can have time to reedit and polish, and some beta readers can tell me what they think before my deadline.

I’ve often been asked, “How much do you write a day?” And I answer that it varies. I write full-time, and my bills are dependent upon writing as my sole source of income. So I really can’t play around with writing only when I feel like it. The problem is making myself follow that discipline. Note, I’m naturally lazy. I would make a terrific cat, because sleep and lounging are my two best friends.

Some days are better than others. I was pushing to get this particular project done before my kids’ school break. I also have two sets of edits due in December for two different projects. Time is crunching here. Add in to that I’ve been suffering from some major allergies, making my eyes itch and blur, so I took two days off I’d normally be writing. Something had to give–sleep.

I hope to get around 5K words a day. That’s an easy day, and it’s not hard for me to do. Yesterday, in my big push, I wrote 15K. And now I’m spent. I need some time to recover, so I’ll probably go grocery shopping and not write. Or at least, I won’t write anything new. I’m still into this completed story, and it needs edits.

I hear about other authors writing every day, rain or shine. Some writing two books at a time. Some writing multiple series at a time. Early on in my career, I used to drive myself nuts trying to keep up, which is funny because I’d have other writers wanting to keep up with me. I finally stopped trying to be like everyone else and stuck to my own schedule. Some days I need to do non-writing related chores, going out in town without my kids (i.e. the dreaded grocery shopping). Other days I hunker down and don’t come up for air ’til my work is done.

I’d rather be more even-keel, doing some every day, but life isn’t that easy. I’m overjoyed that I finished what I set out to do, but now my eyes are gritty. I want desperately to go back to bed, but if I do, I’m wasting prime time to do all the things I never get to when working. Add to that my eyes feel like sandpaper, and I don’t need any more hassle with dry/itchy eyes.

So, the tired rambling of this post would suggest that I take a break, or at least grab a cup of coffee. Discipline is all well and good, but what you do has to work for you. My mad dashes to the end keep me sane. But one project at a time is my limit. What works for you?