Author Archives: Holly West

Good time management, alas, is not part of my skill set.  I do okay when I have actual deadlines (if waiting until the very last possible minute counts as okay), but in the case of my novel or anything that doesn't have an imposed time limit, I am severely time-management-challenged.

Here are a few of the ways I am working to ensure Better Time Management:

1)  I make lists.

Almost every day, I make a list of what has to get done, what I hope to get done, and what I think needs to get done but probably won't.  A typical day will look like this:

    1.  Run
    2.  Write
    3.  Call insurance
    4.  Do laundry
    5.  Straighten room
    6.  Figure out what to wear for party
    7.  Pluck eyebrows

I try to put everything I can think of on a given list, knowing that some of the less important stuff will get moved to the next day.  The end result is that the laundry always needs doing and my room never gets straightened (and don't get me started on those eyebrows), but the stuff that has to get done usually does.

2)  I set timers.

I have a bad habit of letting the entire morning slip away whilst I browse the Internet.  Now I set a timer for one hour and let myself do all my browsing/reading/updating during that time.  When the hour is up, it's time to get to work.

I also set a timer for blocks of writing time.  I mentioned this in another post, but I stole this trick from Dr. Wicked.  The timer is set for 48 minutes, during which time I am not allowed to anything but work on my novel.  Sometimes the 48 minutes is used for research, outlining, or plotting, but I try to do at least one 48 minute of writing only per day.  By using this method, I am generally able to fit in 4 solid blocks of writing/work time per day.  It might not sound like a lot of time, but you'd be surprised at how much you can get done in 48 minutes when you refuse to let yourself get distracted.

3)  I multi-task.

I do a lot of things "on the way" to do something else.  For example, if my coffee cup needs re-filling I use the trip to the kitchen to take back my breakfast plate and any other kitchen items on my desk back to where they belong.  Whilst in the kitchen I take a moment to unload a few items from the dishwasher.  On the way back, I straighten something in the dining room or take something from the living room that belongs in the bedroom back to its rightful place.  I rarely take the time to do anything all at once (such as unload the entire dishwasher) but over the course of the day things end up getting done and I never feel like I took time out of my schedule to do them.

What do you do to ensure better time management?  I'm always open for tips in this department!

Lucian Wilde (1 April 1648 – 26 July 1685) was an English playwright.

Early Life
Lucian Wilde was born in Wye, near Canterbury, England.  He was the third child of Bartholomew Wilde, a barber, and his wife, Elizabeth.  He had an older brother, Adam (1644-1665) and sister, Isabel (1646-1689).

Though not a noble family by birth, Lucian's father had a good reputation and knew many important men.  When he was 15, Bartholomew was appointed Lt. Governor of the colony of Surinam in South America.  Lucian, Isabel, and their mother accompanied him on this journey.  Lucian was not suited to the warm, tropical climate in Surinam and spent most of his time writing and plotting his escape from what he later called "that wretched place."  The family finally left in 1664 but his father died at sea on the voyage back.

Toast of London
During the family's stay in Surinam, Lucian's brother Adam, a goldsmith by trade, had become successful as a jeweler to the court of King Charles II.  Upon their return to London, Adam introduced both of his siblings to the court where they became popular visitors.

Lucian was a gifted playwright whose first play A Gentleman's Folly was received with great acclaim at the Theatre Royal and further ensured his status as a favorite at court.  He later wrote for the Duke's Company where he continued to see success.

A notorious gambler, Lucian was never to amass a fortune for himself despite his success.  He was deeply in debt, and generally relied on the generosity of his patrons or his sister Isabel to maintain his lavish lifestyle.  His love for gossip, schemes, and meddling, however, often put him at odds with the very people who supported him.

Though Lucian was linked with many of the most beautiful woman of the period, he was said to prefer the company of men.  Whether he was bisexual or homosexual is not known, but he never married or had any legitimate children.

Author's note:  The portrait above is of John Wilmot, the 2nd Earl of Rochester.  Lucian Wilde is only loosely based on him–rather, he is a composite of many of the playwrights and characters of the time.

#Wordathon
I can't tell you how much motivation/inspiration/information I'm getting from following different authors and agents and other writing professionals on Twitter.  What took me so long to figure it out?

Anyway, this weekend a group of writers on Twitter is having a Wordathon where the goal is to write as many words as possible by 6pm Sunday (for me, PST).

My wordcount start:  21,432

I don't have a goal, but I generally shoot for 1000 words a day, which would make 2000 in a given weekend.  Since this is a contest, however, perhaps I'll shoot for 4000 for the weekend.  I'll be tweeting updates throughout the weekend.

Editing Oneself
I have a huge problem with editing my writing as I go, which is a great way to stop me in my tracks.  I've found it's a particular problem for me now that I'm writing a mystery based on a true-life murder.  I always want to stop and check the facts.

The way I've combatted this is by using XXX when I can't recall a fact but want to get the basic story written.  It looks something like this:

It seemed I could not enter any public space without hearing something about it.  Depending upon who was telling the tale, Sir Edmund had last been seen passing by XXX's lodgings by the Cock-Pit.  Or perhaps it was by XXX in XXX, who had joked with him about buying property near Primrose Hill, to which Sir Edmund had asked for directions.  His household reported that he had left the house early that Saturday morning on judicial business after meeting with a man named XXX.  I kept my eyes and ears open, hoping to learn that Sir Edmund had turned up safe and sound in some whore’s bed in St. Giles or at his sick mother’s house in XXX.  With all the conflicting reports, one explanation seemed as likely as another.

There are two things that interest me about this video:

First, as a continental knitter myself, I am very interested to see how to do a Norwegian Purl stitch.  I'll probably never use it since I'm so used to purling the other way, but it's still nice to see a new technique.

Second, I have wanted to knit a Palindrome Scarf for a long time.  This video reminded me that I actually need to sit down and do it before winter is completely over.

Now for something completely different.  The other day, I read this:  The 48 Minute Rule.  I've been doing it for two days now (3 or 4 48 minute blocks a day) and it totally works.  Which is good because I was going through a serious motivational rough patch with Diary of Bedlam.