When I started writing, I couldn’t have imagined what my weeks would look like after my books published. For the last seven years, I’ve been a full-time writer. Let me rephrase that, a full-time author. I’ve learned there’s a difference, as I’ll show.

Background

I work five days a week. Often, I work a half-day on Saturdays to make up for non-writing half days I allow each month for

• teaching a weekly Bible study,
• attending a women’s church meeting,
• hosting a prayer shawl ministry,
• meeting with a writers group, and
• fulfilling doctor and hair appointments.

 

My normal workday is from nine to six. Besides trying to keep up with emails, here’s what my writing week looked like last week:

Monday

• Reported last week’s progress and this week’s goals to my writing accountability group.
• Polished the writing-craft blog post I drafted last week, downloaded photos from Pixabay, and put the post on WordPress.
• Worked on my book cover for CreateSpace. I have an e-book that was published in a collection on Amazon. I’m putting my book into a print version on Amazon. The cover and manuscript must be reformatted for print. (This took my husband and me hours more than I’d scheduled.)

Tuesday

• Drafted a post for the Seriously Write Blog. I’m a regular contributor.
• Practiced reading Chapter 1 of one of my other books. The publisher asked for an audio copy for promotions.
• Sent e-book copies of yet another book to two winners for last week’s Author Cross Promotion Giveaway.
• Worked again on the book going into print. Researched how to test for embedded fonts, etc.

Wednesday

• Published a Facebook Author Page post.
• Recorded practice sessions of Chapter 1 on QuickTimePlayer.
• Worked to get the print book’s cover and manuscript into a PDF-acceptable format for CreateSpace.

 

 

 

Thursday (only a half day available)

• Published my writing-craft blog post, promoted it, and replied to comments.
• 

  image by goramx

  
  Reworked the back cover and manuscript PDFs and submitted the cover and manuscript to CreateSpace.
• Recorded Chapter 1 on editable GarageBand (learning curve).

Friday

• Drafted a post for my next week’s blog post.
• Contacted upcoming conference’s bookstore. Asked for the procedure for putting my books on consignment.
• Ordered a test copy of the print book from CreateSpace.
• Edited the Chapter 1 audio on GarageBand and saved as an MP3.

Hopefully, you noticed I spent no time this week writing my new book. Many weeks are like this one.

The Solution

For the last several months, my husband has taken on additional tasks in supporting my writing career. To vacuuming, laundry, and shopping, he has added several book-marketing jobs, editing tasks, and learning to use CreateSpace and GarageBand. I’m so thankful God called my husband to team up with me. I hope to spend more time writing.

Other than when authors are on tight book deadlines, just how much writing time do they fit into their schedules in a week? Click to tweet.

Who in your cache of family and friends could you recruit to take over a non-writing task or two?

COOKING UP KISSES – has earned an Amazon #1 bestseller ribbon in two categories!

Five scrumptious e-book romance novellas, all for $0.99 or free on KindleUnlimited. Here’s the link.  Here are the blurbs:

 

 

 

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN IN A RED DRESS BY ZOE M. McCARTHY

Candace Parks lives a passionless life in Richmond. The computer programmer returns to the empty family home in the Blue Ridge Mountains solely to evaluate her job, faith, and boyfriend. Her high school crush, Trigg Alderman, who barely remembers her, visits his Gram next door. Sorting her life out? How about nothing of the sort!

 

LOVE ON A DARE BY MARY MANNERS

Alana Mulvaney’s life is in a holding pattern. Consumed by day-to-day operations of the family business, Alana has no time for fun or romance. But a little fun and a whole lot of romance is just what Alana’s sisters have in mind when they learn childhood friend Donovan O’Reilly has returned to town.
Donovan O’Reilly has loved Alana Mulvaney since he moved in next door to her at the age of five. But he broke her heart when he was forced to leave town, and now that he’s returned home to Winding Ridge he has a second chance to prove himself. But is it too late to earn her trust…and her love…again?

HUMMINGBIRD KISSES BY DELIA LATHAM

Toni Littlebird believes that when she meets the man God created for her, she’ll know—and she’ll love him in that very moment.
But then Dax Hendrick roars into Hummingbird Hollow on a noisy, crippled Harley, stinking up the air and chasing away her beloved hummingbirds. One look into the intruder’s eyes and her heart sinks. He’s “The One.” She’d been right about knowing, but wrong about something far more important: She will never love this man!

HEARTS ON THE HARBOR BY ROBIN BAYNE

Cara Peyton is content with her life, her trendy Baltimore bookshop is perfect for her. But when her ex turns up to remodel the store, asking for a second chance, she’s torn and unsure about risking her heart again. Can he convince her to trust him, and God, before the job is finished?

 

 

HIS VALENTINE PROMISE BY DORA HIERS

Another Valentine’s Day and Quinn Randolph prefers to spend it with her sweet rescue lab. Who needs men and their broken promises? Especially Pierce Karson’s! Years ago, his desertion shattered her. Now he’s trying to steal the property she targeted to expand her florist shop! Pierce only wants to belong…and for Quinn to choose him. His Valentine Promise…