“We all write against the clock: before we have to get to our day jobs, before the sitter leaves, before we have to pick up our children from school. For me, my hours
of power are in the morning and late afternoon (the latter a habit formed by working on deadline at daily newspapers), and I reserve that time for the writing most important to me, be it my novel, an essay, or something else. When I’m on the clock but feeling less than inspired, I deal with the administrative tasks of being a working writer: sending and following up on pitches and submissions, getting on social media, or taking care of invoices and paperwork. Going for a swim, walk, or a run is also vital to my writing process—quite often, a thorny narrative issue sorts itself out while I’m exercising, the answers bubbling up from my subconscious. It can be difficult to stay in the fictional dream you’re attempting to create, particularly if you’re working on a book-length project. If I’m commuting or going for a run, I use vBookz PDF Voice Reader, a PDF-to-voice app, to immerse myself in my work-in-progress and listen for clunky or confusing sentences. Do whatever you can to make the most of the time you have.”
—Vanessa Hua, author of Deceit and Other Possibilities (Willow Books, 2016)
Photo credit: Mark Puich