One way to force yourself into thinking of writing as a "real job" and not just something that brings in a little mad money is by actually punching a time clock. As much as I like to write I do get distracted, so I downloaded a time clock. When I decide to me in serious writing mode, I start the clock, if I start to wander, play stupid games or just surf I have to hit stop.
I've decided on a monthly pay period and have a goal of how much money I want to be in my paypal account by that date. It's my job to see that I do whatever I need to do to get there. I only partially recorded my writing related activities today, but now that I have given myself a set of rules and a system to abide by I expect that my tracking system will be very telling.
I'm still definitely in the "starving artist" mode, but I am finding more opportunities all the time. I applied to two new websites today, and am awaiting their decision. More than ever, I believe I can do this, but no more today.
Tomorrow's agenda looms large, but I will make it work. But first, I am calling it a day. A drink of water and bedtime beckons, and that is all for now.
The time clock is a good idea. I also get distracted from my writing during the day. No sooner will I sit down and I need to put another load of laundry in the dryer, the dog needs to go out, I decide it's time for a snack break and so on. When I'm writing fiction, it is a whole different story. I can sit down and start writing and before I know it, it is 2:00 in the morning and I still want to keep going. I think I'm distracted easily from my "paid" writing because I don't find as much satisfaction from it as I do from writing fiction. However, until I get paid for the fiction, the other writing needs to get done too. :)
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