How do you maintain a good schedule?

[Amateur_Artist2008]

When I started publishing chapters, the first three were written day after day. Then, I started slowing down a bit going to a chapter every 1-2 weeks. I then slowed down to a chapter a month. I had a 4 month unofficial break in between chapter 13 and 14, and now it's been 2 months since I've posted a new chapter.

I started really strong because I had a rough draft for the first couple of chapters already written out beforehand, but now, I've been writing my rough drafts first and THEN I work on my chapter. It probably doesn't help that I've been sort of making it up as I go, with also a bad habit of procrastination mixed with perfectionism. I've also noticed that my chapters have slowly increased in their word count, going from around 800 a chapter, to about 3k a chapter, maybe even more.

Does anyone have any tips for this?

 

[CanOfTuna]

I just wrote the whole book before posting to get a good backlog. About 2 months worth

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I don't...

 

[NotProudofmySmut]

Thats the neat part - I don’t

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

Discipline

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

No jobie~.

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

Plenty of time wasted on sleep.

 

[Jerynboe]

I write at least a little bit every day, but honestly, there’s no trick to it. I just kind of do. I’ve been maintaining a weekly schedule for more than two years and it’s kind of just habit now. I genuinely feel like I have failed a task that is of at least moderate importance when I miss my deadline, even though it is a self-imposed deadline.

 

[onehunter]

Sometimes life gets in the way, but after slowing down for a bit, I've been trying to stick to having one or two scheduled chapters ready per week. Staying a little ahead makes it feel easier for me.

 

[blushiemagic]

My plan is to write the entirety of the first book before I post anything at all. That way I'll have between 6 to 12 months of backlog. As for how that plan is actually going... I almost got to the halfway point, then I fell into a rut of endlessly editing the chapters I already have

If your chapters start to get even longer, like 4k+ words, you might want to start splitting them to buy more time.

 

[code_sike]

When I started publishing chapters, the first three were written day after day. Then, I started slowing down a bit going to a chapter every 1-2 weeks. I then slowed down to a chapter a month. I had a 4 month unofficial break in between chapter 13 and 14, and now it's been 2 months since I've posted a new chapter.

I started really strong because I had a rough draft for the first couple of chapters already written out beforehand, but now, I've been writing my rough drafts first and THEN I work on my chapter. It probably doesn't help that I've been sort of making it up as I go, with also a bad habit of procrastination mixed with perfectionism. I've also noticed that my chapters have slowly increased in their word count, going from around 800 a chapter, to about 3k a chapter, maybe even more.

Does anyone have any tips for this?

I've just been flying by the seat of my pants in regards to writing each (not that I can publicly endorse it but im doing fine so far), once per week. That's why I have my releases at Sunday/Monday so I have a 48 hour window and all is fine.

I saw someone make a great point in one of the threads that the sweet spot is really 1500-2k words per chapter. In your case taking your long chapters and splitting them is ideal, and for your shorter chapters even extending them to 1k or 1200 will give you room for more substance. The way I end my chapters sucks because I always find myself going above 3k, but as long as the plot moves...

My biggest asset is the fact that I didn't just come up with my story the day I started writing it; as a passion project, I have a whole backlog of concepts and scenes related to it that I can take inspiration from, and so far writers block hasn't hit me very hard. Try just writing random shit down in a separate doc and see what sticks. Something sucks? Banish it to the bottom and never scroll down there!

At the end of the day you're not gonna lose your job if you mess up a release because you are your own boss hiring yourself for free. Write for yourself (and especially your pride in your plot) and not solely for your readers, I say.

 

[Makimaam]

It probably doesn't help that I've been sort of making it up as I go, with also a bad habit of procrastination mixed with perfectionism

As someone who does this as well, my approach is to write around 30 chapters before even considering publishing. Each chapter is at about 1.5–2k words and I keep the length consistent. Once you’ve built a backlog, the sunk cost effect helps keep you going since you’ve already invested so much effort into the story.

I’d strongly advise against stretching your updates to once a month, especially when you’ve only published a few chapters. For a new author, that can give off the wrong impression to readers.

 

[Sylver]

I write on weekends from 5-7pm.

I'm on Act 3 so more stuff involving more characters and story. Now chapters are taking 3-4 hours of writing, so my chapters are being published late around 8:30pm

Note to self: Need to backlog my stuff. Can't keep my readers waiting

As someone who does this as well, my approach is to write around 30 chapters before even considering publishing. Each chapter is at about 1.5–2k words and I keep the length consistent. Once you’ve built a backlog, the sunk cost effect helps keep you going since you’ve already invested so much effort into the story.

I’d strongly advise against stretching your updates to once a month, especially when you’ve only published a few chapters. For a new author, that can give off the wrong impression to readers.

Have a decent outline in mind with crucial events written ahead of time, then have fun foreshadowing and linking to those events. My writing is similar, but I have an outline and know what happens ahead. It's the in-between where I get creative. You can make it up as you go along, but be sure to know where you're going. Risk driving blindly and you might lose your audience as they too won't know where the story is heading

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Being unemployed helped. Became darned near impossible once I picked up a second job.

 

[OmegaC]

Procrastination and perfectionism aside, you also need to keep the Deci Effect in mind

---

Spoiler: My Baby

 

[Corty]

Quoting Yoda.

And by being addicted to storytelling. That helps too.

 

[JayMark]

I don't...

This. I don't

What's a backlog?

I'm a POS...

 

[CountVanBadger]

Psychological abuse. I'm not CountVanBadger when I don't write at least 1000 words a day. I'm PeasantMcSkunk.

 

[Naomi_Writes]

When I started publishing chapters, the first three were written day after day. Then, I started slowing down a bit going to a chapter every 1-2 weeks. I then slowed down to a chapter a month. I had a 4 month unofficial break in between chapter 13 and 14, and now it's been 2 months since I've posted a new chapter.

I started really strong because I had a rough draft for the first couple of chapters already written out beforehand, but now, I've been writing my rough drafts first and THEN I work on my chapter. It probably doesn't help that I've been sort of making it up as I go, with also a bad habit of procrastination mixed with perfectionism. I've also noticed that my chapters have slowly increased in their word count, going from around 800 a chapter, to about 3k a chapter, maybe even more.

Does anyone have any tips for this?

What you’re experiencing is actually a pretty natural shift in how writing feels once the early momentum runs out. At the start, you already had something ready to be published, so everything moved quickly and felt effortless. Now you’re in the real work of building the story as you go, and that always slows things down.

The increase in word count is also part of it. A chapter that used to be 800 words, now 3k, changes the entire rhythm of your process without you even noticing. Add in writing without a full roadmap, and it becomes easy for each chapter to feel heavier than it should.

One thing that might help is giving yourself a small buffer again. Even a loose outline for the next few chapters can take away that pressure of deciding everything in the moment. It does not have to be detailed, just enough to show you where you are heading.

It also helps to let go of the idea that each chapter needs to come out perfect. Sometimes it is easier to think of it as moving the story forward first, then shaping it later when the full picture is clearer.

Most writers go through this exact slowdown. It is less a problem and more a sign that you are now writing the story in real time instead of relying on what was already prepared.

 

[Zagaroth]

I am incredibly inconsistent, as any and all interruptions/delays are amplified by the effects of ADHD. Including the self-inflicted ones.