www.inkthinkerblog.com — Following is Part 2 of my three-part interview with writer Devon Ellington. Be sure to read Part 1: The Basics, too. Enjoy!
Devon, because you have so many projects in the works simultaneously, you’ve got a hand in multiple phases of the publication process at any given time. Tell me about how you balance the different roles you play in the actual writing process—research, writing, revising, proofing—with the creative aspects of it.
Basically, I prioritize via two criteria: deadlines and payment. He (or she) who pays the most and has the earliest deadline gets first attention. Everything else has to shuffle in around that.
Of course, there’s always the “project of the heart” that demands attention; and then you work in a few hours here and there to do a few pages or make notes so the screaming in your head quiets down enough to work on what you should be working on.
I can hold multiple projects in my head, so when I travel, I can cast a wide net. I’m one of those people who picks up every single brochure and piece of paper when I travel. Then, at home, I sort through them and file them carefully – my files are disgustingly massive. It’s much more difficult for me to keep links in the computer than paper files. I need the information in my hand. And I haunt remainder tables and second hand bookstores, picking up anything that looks remotely interesting. When I start a new project, I can start looking in my own files and library, and build from there.
Also, one of the great things about being a writer is that it gives you the excuse to immerse yourself in anything you find interesting. I can spend a few months in the life of a whaler, or a guy who drives the Cog Railway up Mt. Washington, or an ice hockey team. You can learn about anything you want. And then communicate the excitement to your readers.
I love the revision process – if I’ve timed it properly, on big projects I often do seven rewrites. Many established writers shudder at this – only doing one or two drafts. But I can’t edit as I write. I need to do a complete draft, then do a complete revision, etc. Otherwise, it gets too fragmented.
I cannot proof my own work. I’m hopeless. My brain fixes the mistakes and I literally don’t see them. I’m good a proofing other people’s work, but not my own. For short pieces, if it’s a tight deadline, my editors usually catch the typos. For long pieces, I use my Trusted Readers.
I also have a few eccentricities. As a theatre professional, I literally have a clause in my contracts stating “theatre” must be spelled with “re” not “er”. To me, spelling it “theater” means “rank amateur” and as someone who’s dedicated twenty-five years of my life to this vocation, it must be spelled professionally: “theatre.”
Generally, I write earlier in the day and revise/edit later in the day. My creative energy is fresher in the morning, and I can push forward, where my analytical energy moves forward as the day wears on. And then, if I’m pulling an all nighter, the creative energy re-surges after midnight.
You also have nonwriting projects going on, with your work in theatre and television, that you need to balance with your writing gigs. Take me a through a regular work day for you.
Basically, there’s no such thing as a “regular” work day. My favorite days are when the day is completely open to writing, and I can create the day as I go. I’ll get up, do yoga, feed the cats, maybe read the paper over breakfast. I’ll blog and read my Daily Blog reads, check a few forums.
And then I write. I’ll write as much as I want, take breaks (sometimes to do yoga), stop to look something up, pop on and off my favorite forums. Maybe have lunch with a friend or go to a museum. Sometimes I nap or read for a few hours in the afternoon, because afternoon is my lowest energy time.
Write some more.
Cook dinner (if I hit a snag, I’ll stop writing and either cook something elaborate or bake to work through the snag).
Maybe watch a little TV, but usually write some more and/or read. And usually work out.
Those days are the most productive. The more unscheduled time I have, the more I get done.
If I have an open writing day and have five things to do, I’ll get nine or ten done, just working at my own speed, without external pressure.
If it’s a research or a travel day, I try to get an early start, when my energy is fresh, and do as much as I can before lunch. I treat myself to a good meal, and try for a more leisurely afternoon before heading back. I try to type up/organize my notes at the end of every day, so there’s not too much backlog at the end. Unless I have to think about someone else’s schedule (a meeting, or someone’s waiting for me), I use travel delays as additional writing or reading time. If I’m on my own schedule, they don’t bother me much. If the delay will disrupt someone else’s life, I get twitchy.
If I travel on my own schedule, I take tangents. If I see a sign for something interesting, off I go. That’s why I prefer to drive myself around on trips, rather than rely on someone else’s form of transportation. I want the freedom to follow the tangents. You can find wonderful little gems hidden off the main thoroughfares.
On a show day – it depends if it’s just daywork, or a show. I’ll try to write before I leave, as much as I can. I’ll take one of the projects on which I’m working in longhand and throw it in my bag. I’ll either write on the train or during a meal break. My commute time is between an hour and a half to two hours, so if I can read or write on the train, it’s a good thing.
On a day where I’m on set – usually it means getting up at 4 a.m. and getting on the train before 5 a.m. If I get any writing at all, it’s during a meal break, and then only if it’s a walkaway, not a catered break. If I’m lucky, I’ll get home by 9 or 10 at night, but sometimes I don’t get home until the next morning. Set time is anywhere from 8 to 16 hours, depending on what needs to get done. Add two hours’ commute time, and it’s a long day.
If and when I can set up my “ideal” schedule, I’d stay up all night into the morning, go to bed around 11 a.m., and get up around 5 or 6 p.m. That doesn’t work with my life right now, but, eventually, that’s what I want to do (except when I travel, obviously). I love mornings; I love nights. I’m useless in the afternoon, so I might as well sleep. On a normal day, when I don’t have to set an alarm to be anywhere, I naturally wake up around 6:30 a.m., so I can get a lot done in the morning. Then, of course, there are the days the animals wake me up earlier!
In addition to your various paid gigs, you also have a very well-read blog, Ink in My Coffee, where you post daily, and generally at great length. How do you find the time (and energy!) to write your blog and work on personal projects when you’re doing so much writing for others, and so much of the daily minutiae involved with running a business?
To me, the blog is like having morning coffee with friends. I was very reluctant to start it – I worried it would hurt my process. Instead, it’s helped it enormously, because I can chat with readers and writers, and we can all brainstorm. I look at it as a conversation, not a monologue, and good conversation is always stimulating.
There’s a saying that “Time expands to meet need,” and that’s what you have to do. I
try not to screw around and waste time too much. If I’m having trouble concentrating, I’ll take a break and hop on forums or read or something, but I don’t watch much TV (unless it’s something on which I’ve worked or something a colleague has done). I don’t play video games at all – huge time waster there. I don’t text message. When I’m working, I turn off the phone. I hate the telephone anyway.
It’s about priorities. My writing is my priority. I want my vocation to be my career, and that means I have to make decisions on a daily basis to support that.
One of my biggest flaws is that I don’t spend enough time and am not wise enough in the energy spent on marketing. I’m getting better at it, but I’m not there.
Part of it is because I hate it when someone tries to hardsell me. Advertising is more likely to convince me not to buy something than to buy it. And I don’t want every party/event/signing to be just about networking and looking for the next deal. Sometimes, I just want to hang out.
So there will always be marketing mavens who are several steps ahead of me in the sales arena. Part of it is that I need to get better at it, and part of it is my own personal line that I’ve drawn as to what I am and am not willing to do.
Next up: Part 3 — Getting Started and Moving Forward
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