Most writers are curious about how other writers organise their time, their

work in progress, and their writing spaces. (Just visit the General Gallery and

take a look at the pictures of various 'writing spaces' that have found their

way on to the site!)

Steve Martin first aroused my interest when he got back to me with a few

suggestions for the Writing4Success Calendar/Planner. From what Steve said, I

got the impression that he was a highly disciplined and organised writer - so I

asked him if he'd like to share some of his 'secrets' with others. Steve was

only too happy to oblige... so here you are: an insight into one other writer's

life!

Steve says:

Steve's inside writing space

 
"I sit on the front verandah on Sunday mornings, and some

evenings when it is fine and not too windy. I sit under the back pergola most

evenings with a can of beer and either plot or plan a story for an upcoming

competition or a publication I thought I'd try.

When it's cold and windy,

too dark or I need the computer, I sit inside.
When I was doing a

Professional Children's Writing Course with Thomson Direct Education, my tutor,

Jill McDougall suggested I draw up a writing table to establish a

patten.
 
[NOTE FROM MARG: STEVE HAS GENEROUSLY PROVIDED US WITH

A COPY OF HIS WRITING TABLE, IN CASE IT'S USEFUL FOR YOU. YOU'LL FIND IT IN THE

DOWNLOADS AREA]
 
I follow the timetable fairly religiously,

unless something with priority pushes in - a competition deadline, for

example.

Steve's timetable

 
That way I find I don't sit down to write without

knowing what I intend to do. My day job helps as I am home at 3.00pm most

days.
 
So between 4.00pm and 6.00pm I work on one of the book

projects I am playing with - Monday is a satire, Tuesday a children's adventure

mystery, Wednesday an adventure thriller. Thursday I leave free for research or

reading writing related material, eg grammar. I love going to the

library.
 
Between 6.00pm and 7.00pm Monday through Thursday I sit

with a beer and plot or plan an upcoming short story.
 
From 7.30pm

to 8.30pm I either network on Writing.Com, reading the work of others, reviewing

or so on, or I'll surf the net for possible markets or other stuff like keeping

my calendar up to date and so on.
 
Fridays I do no writing at

all.
 
Saturdays I work on short stories for competitions until

10.00am and then again from 6.00pm to 7.00pm, in between I potter round the

garden or bludge in front of the TV - sport only.
 
Sundays I read

history works until 10.00am and then write until 12.00, when again I crash in

front of the TV. After 3.00 I potter around the garden and then at 6.00 work for

an hour at plotting and so on, and then again 7.30 to 8.30 I do the networking,

market research stuff.
 

Steve's calendar

[And no, I don't have a social life because

I really am a solitary person - but that's me.]
 
Occasionally we

have a family night, but it's not all that often they're all home together - and

when they are, it usually hinges on a meal.
 
I'm in bed by 10.00pm

most nights, except Friday and Saturday because I'm up and off at

5.30am.
 
I don't find the timetable too regimented and can break it

if I wish - but I try not to!
 
When I write I work towards making

what I write as polished as possible right from the start, but also free-write a

lot. For me, the storyline becomes clearer if I do this. I just let the story go

where it wants to rather than sitting there trying to work out what happens

next.
 
I've also attached a copy of the January 2009

calendar you gave us as an idea of how I use that. I don't try to cram it with

every competition or market I have found only those that are coming up I think I

will have a crack at.
 
I keep a seperate list, in expiry/closing

date order, of all the others."
 
So there you have it... a quick

peek into one writer's life!

[You'll find Steve's writing timetable and a copy of his Calendar/Planner in

the downloads area, in one zipped file for convenient download.]