Ask the Author: Janet Squires
Answered Questions (3)
Janet Squires
Hi Mary,
It's all about being organized and flexible -- having a schedule and knowing I can accommodate changes to that schedule when necessary. I keep a running list of projects, both writing and others, that I add to each day. Everyone morning I look at that list and decide what is most time sensitive and select the ones to tackle during the day when I need a break from my computer. Knowing I'll take care of the most pressing things allows me to sit down and work at writing with a clear mind and without feeling guilty that some important task is not going to be completed. I break large projects into their component parts and chip away rather than trying to accomplish everything at once.
One of the most difficult parts of being a writer is successfully dividing my time between the creative side: writing, revising, editing -- and the business side: answering emails, promotion/advertising, public appearances, reviewing books for my blog, keeping my website and Facebook Page current, and so on. Having said that, I'm not at all hesitant about putting those business and household demands aside when I'm deep in creating a story and I'll keep writing for as long as that creative fire is burning. Those intense moments don't last indefinitely so I take advantage of that surge because I know there will be pauses when I need to work out a plot point or delve into a character attribute before I can continue the story. Those breaks will allow me to return to my schedule so it all averages out in the long run.
I keep myself balanced by spending time with my rescue dogs, working in the large organic garden that I keep, and by reading every day.
It's all about being organized and flexible -- having a schedule and knowing I can accommodate changes to that schedule when necessary. I keep a running list of projects, both writing and others, that I add to each day. Everyone morning I look at that list and decide what is most time sensitive and select the ones to tackle during the day when I need a break from my computer. Knowing I'll take care of the most pressing things allows me to sit down and work at writing with a clear mind and without feeling guilty that some important task is not going to be completed. I break large projects into their component parts and chip away rather than trying to accomplish everything at once.
One of the most difficult parts of being a writer is successfully dividing my time between the creative side: writing, revising, editing -- and the business side: answering emails, promotion/advertising, public appearances, reviewing books for my blog, keeping my website and Facebook Page current, and so on. Having said that, I'm not at all hesitant about putting those business and household demands aside when I'm deep in creating a story and I'll keep writing for as long as that creative fire is burning. Those intense moments don't last indefinitely so I take advantage of that surge because I know there will be pauses when I need to work out a plot point or delve into a character attribute before I can continue the story. Those breaks will allow me to return to my schedule so it all averages out in the long run.
I keep myself balanced by spending time with my rescue dogs, working in the large organic garden that I keep, and by reading every day.
Janet Squires
I have a new picture book series, GRACIE JANE, that will launch this summer so I'm busy making plans for marketing and promoting that book. I'm also wrapping up my adult novel HERMIT'S REST which is the sequel to DESPERATE STRAITS -- Peacemaker Award 2015 Best Novel Finalist. In my spare time, I work on the screenplay for DESPERATE STRAITS and I'm outlining my ideas for a second children's series.
Janet Squires
I can't remember a time when I didn't share my life with at least one dog. My interest in animal rescue and welfare issues made writing MONTY The Courageous Survival of a Rescue Dog (to be released Summer 2014) an opportunity I couldn't resist. I've fostered numerous dogs in addition to the rescues that are part of my family. Monty's story was one I had to tell.
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