How much time to write..

The day finally came. No more full time job and therefore oodles of time to write, and then the writing took over. The biggest surprise was how many hours I found myself in front of the word processor. The beautiful Valencian countryside became a blurry backdrop outside the window. My good diet went by the wayside, and just as bad, so did any form of exercise. Luckily my wife, Sally had a few choice words and the balance improved. However a clear strategy was needed.

I have found the best approach is to set myself a word count that is low. For me it is 1500 words per day. I start writing at 08.00, then when I reach that target, I feel great. If it is early in the day, I might carry on for an hour or so, but any self inflicted pressure is no longer there. Feeling mentally satisfied, I can then get out of the house in the afternoon, help Sally with our overgrowing garden or enjoy a coffee in town.