Structuring a Writing Life

By Heather Sellers      

When I was a young writer, I kept a timecard—if I met my goals, in terms of time at the desk, I treated myself to some kind of prize (usually clothes, music, or food). I spent a lot of time just writing. I wasn’t strategic. I did not then return to the desk in order to improve my technique. I was filling up the time with writing, in order to get the reward.

Now, I design my writing life in the same way I design a plot. When we strategize a story, we’re thinking ...