Guest blog by James Scott Bell . . . and a contest

Routines For Writers is thrilled to have James Scott Bell with us today. He’ll be sharing his routines with us as well as launching our very first contest! Details on the contest are below this post. After you read his blog, go check out the free download of a sampling of his new book, “The Art of War for Writers” (Writers Digest Books).

          My day starts early. I get up while it’s still nice and dark and start the coffee brewing. I hop on the Internet for news and blogs and some email. I usually get to my writing desk around 6 or 6:30.

          First order of business is to prioritize my writing day. I always have a list of projects, and stack them according to their importance. Obviously, if I’m on deadline, that project will be at the top. But I’ve also planned out my writing a year in advance, so I always have more than one thing to work on.

          I’ll take a look at my previous day’s writing and clean up obvious errors, make things clearer, touch up the style. No major revisions, though. I do my major edits after a draft is done.

          Then I’m off to the races, as it were. I have a weekly quota of words to do. This is, I think, the most important practice of all for a writer. You have to produce the words. Doing that makes you a better writer, teaches you discipline, and eventually adds up to a book. Then, over the course of time, many books.

          I aim for a daily quota, but know there are just some days where things happen and I can’t write. By keeping focused on a weekly count, though, I can adjust. I aim for a thousand words each day, but if I miss a day I know I can make it up tomorrow.

          I also take one day off from writing each week, Sunday. This recharges my batteries and makes Monday more productive.

          I try to get my daily quota in as early as possible. It makes the rest of the day go more smoothly. I’ll write in my office at home, or pack up and go to Starbucks. I like to have a little activity going on around me. Often I’ll pop on the Bose headphones and listen to movie soundtracks as I write.

          Coffee, of course, is a given. But I don’t overdo it. I don’t want to end up like Balzac, who drank dozens of cups of thick, black tar each day. He was convinced of its magical effects on the imagination and the speed of his writing, but he died of caffeine poisoning at fifty-one.

          I try to write when I’m not writing, too. I carry around a little notebook, so when ideas occur to me I can jot them down. Or I’ll do a voice memo on my phone so I don’t forget something. This causes me to get a far off look sometimes, even if I’m in a conversation with someone. It’s a curse of the writing life.

          If I’m editing a draft, I’ll have a file folder or notebook of pages with me. I do that work only after I’ve done my writing quota.

          Now, I well understand most people don’t have total flexibility for their writing. There are full time jobs, family obligations, maybe health challenges. But I do believe everyone can get in a weekly quota of words. How many words varies. My advice is to set a realistic goal, one you know you can reach, and then up it by 10%. Make that number what you go for.

          Maybe there’s only one day a week when you can write for a length of time without interruption. Plan accordingly. You’ll be pleased when you look up six months from now and see a book, or most of a book, completed.

          That’s pretty much all there is to it. I look at my writing for what it is, my job. I get up every day and go to work. I try to do my best with every page. Then I clock out.

James Scott Bell can be found online at his webpage , on Facebook on KillZoneAuthors facebook blog and on Twitter. He is offering a book to one commenter who can tell us his favorite movie director.

We will perform a random drawing from all those who post the correct answer in a comment by midnight tonight. The winner gets their choice of one book from this list.

• Plot & Structure
• Revision & Self-Editing
• Try Dying
• Try Darkness
• Try Fear
• Deceived
• No Legal Grounds
• Presumed Guilty
• Sins of the Fathers