Earlier this year I blogged about my obsession with my writing progress. I am scrupulous about recording my “writing statistics”, and either beat myself up when I fail to meet my targets or celebrate with high fives when I hit them.
Having just finished the second book in The Human Race “Thrilogy”, I am taking a short break before starting the third and final instalment of the series. This week, contemplating the best time to put pen to paper, I decided to compile statistics for my writing progress for the last four years. As you can see, they make for some interesting viewing:
As is plain to see, my writing progress plummets after October. And – 2009 being an exception – it falls off a cliff during the winter months.
Once the clocks spring forward in April, I’m off again and cranking out pages… until the clocks go back an hour again in October. I’m not sure what this means, but I’m clearly a summer writer and obviously prefer to write my words in the light! In fact, I find it almost impossible to write once the clocks go back again and the early nights begin drawing in. My creativity and energy go into hibernation, along with the rest of my body.
So, the good news is that I don’t have to start writing again until April! (But shhh, don’t tell my publisher…)
Fortunately my publication dates fit neatly with these bizarre bursts of productivity. For my third book, I will be planning the new plot from October through to April, when my writing schedule will commence. Then, a six-month burst of writing progress – before I trail off again in October.
However if I do manage to write an entire novel in that period, it will be a first. A book usually takes me 12 months, or two calendar years when you take my winter sleep into account.
If you like to write, does your writing progress with similar peaks and troughs? Are you a permanent grafter or, like me, do you enjoy bursts of productivity, which you have to make the most of?
This post was selected for Lovely Words Vol. 38, hosted by Writing as a Sacred Art and Self-Publishing: Carnival of the Indies Issue #13, hosted by The Book Designer.
British thriller writer O.C. Heaton, author of The Human Race, is fascinated by the past, present and future of human evolution. (Image credit: Ross Parry Agency)
My writing definitely has peaks and lulls and like you, I wondered about it. When I quit my full-time corporate ratrace job in 2005 to write full-time for the first time in my life, I started mapping it. I’m an engineer and immediately noticed a sine wave pattern. Actually, I guess it’s a cosine
I have a distinct, repeating pattern where I climb “above zero” for 2 weeks and then sink as steadily for 2 weeks “below zero” where “zero” is an average amount of writing. The peak (and bottom of the trough) are at the 2-week marks and the “bell” lasts about 5 days on each of the two sides of the zero line.
Yes, you suspicious and analytical minds out there, my cycle is definitely tied to my female hormones and menstrual cycle. I am most creative at the peak during the 3 days when I’m ovulating and yeah, hit the 3-day low when I’m about a week ahead of the onset of menses and my hormones are at their lowest.
I thought it was fascinating and some great discovery I’d made–until I found out there have been studies done (by WOMEN of women for women and definitely NOT done by men) that have proved this cycle again and again, some dating back as far as the turn of the 20th century. Yeah, back to the days before women even had the VOTE women were tracking, recording and discussing the fact that we have creative skills which cycle.
I scheduled my writing around my cycles, up and down, and in fact, I found I do my best editing in the 2 weeks “below zero” (which makes sense since I think of editing as “destructive” while writing is more “creative). I’m not the only creative woman to notice or use this “insider” information to exploit my ups and downs.
Women writers like Emily Dickinson essayed on the subject. Women artists in the 60s celebrated it. Women libbers in the 70s extolled on the subject as proof of how “superior” we are at some things. That kind of set the movement back, now didn’t it? (oops)
While I do know men have “cycles” and have hormonal ups and downs, sadly for them, the cycles aren’t as neatly timed and traceable. A man’s cycle of hormonal ups and downs can be anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 weeks and worse, it can vary from one “month” to the next. I don’t know if men actually CAN track their creative ups and downs so as to schedule their productivity but if there’s a way to measure their testosterone and progresterone levels on a daily basis and map it, I suppose they could track it. However, since, as I said, their cycles vary wildly in length, duration and frequency, I doubt men can ever PREDICT it the way we can.
I wonder if you might find your climate/weather-related writer tendencies are also affected by your monthly cycle. And I have to say, you don’t look like a summer writer at all to me; you get really unproductive in July/August compared to April through June–I’d say you’re a SPRING writer, not a summer one, and you seem to have some rebounds in AUTUMN as well. So 2 books a year, grrl
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Ooops, guy, not grrl
Not sure why I thought you were a grrl when Joel tweeted the link to this article.
Now more than ever I stand by the suggestion that you could try to track your writing by your hormonal levels and find out if your progesterone going up affects it as much as the weather. You’ll have a hard time finding a pattern though, since you don’t have a predictable cycle like we grrls do. It’s been such a boon to me to actually “know” ahead of time when I can plan on being productive and when not.
-sry
Sarah, The Webbiegrrl Writer recently posted..Welcome to the Webbiegrrl Blizzard
Hi Sarah – no worries. I’m mistaken for many things but this is a first!!
I’ve never considered tracking my hormone levels but its a thought. Actually to be honest I couldn’t see myself doing that. although it reminds me of something my Mum did when I was a kid. She was heavily into BioRythems. Remember them. You could track your physical, emotional, and intellectual cycles on a daily basis. And I did so for about 3 months. Every day although at the time I was never sure how it helped me. Maybe I was too young (12).
BTW, great blog. I have read the 22 laws. It was a great read and i like the way you”ve linked it to being an Indie Author which is http://www.theraceison.co.uk/blog/wp-admin/#comments-formclearly relevant given your followers. Nice touch with paying to access your blog as well. I haven’t seen that before.
BTW Great blog. I’ve read the The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing – its
Hiya, thanks for having a look at the blog. I’m basically rewriting the classic Ries/Trout book specifically FOR Indie Authors, so it’s not my original material ORIGINALLY but it’s all my original material “as applied.” I’ve been an Al Ries fan for over 20 years. It’s kind of hard not to be. The guy really DID “write the book” – or books, several of them.
Circling back to the discussion, I’m sure you could map your circadian rhythm (which is what I think you mean by biorhythm) but I’m talking about specific hormones–sexual hormones, male and female. They seem–at least, in women–to be directly linked to mental creativity levels. How a man would measure his various hormonal levels is a mystery to me. A woman doesn’t really need to “measure” so much as check the calendar. Unless a woman’s monthly cycle is totally irregular, it’s pretty quick and easy to calculate when you’ll “peak” with the creative energy and when you’ll be in a “trough.” It’s a 3-5 day span for each curve (for me) but it takes a few days up and down the curves so it’s a full 10 days on either side of the “zero.” I’m not sure what the “zero” line equates to though.
It’s fairly common for people to dismiss the idea that men cycle but that’s a misconception. Men definitely cycle; problem is your cycles are not as predictable or regular. But if you can figure out how to measure, you can map and if you can map, you MIGHT find a pattern–other than spring and fall weather. Seems extreme temperatures (hot OR cold) just bother you. I don’t work well without sunlight. I’m a desert dweller at heart
L8R
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