Stewart O’Nan on Time Management

Stewart O

Stewart O’Nan is well documented in the field of writing. He has a dozen novels to his credit, several of them critically acclaimed. He has been overwhelmingly successful in this difficult field and thus is a great source of advisement.

O’Nan’s essay in the book, Telling True Stories, demonstrates many key facets of writing.

His first critical rule was: never stop. He explained how he would start a project earlier on in his career then put it on the shelf for awhile. He would then predictably lose interest and never finish it, or devote the deserved attention to perfecting it.

He sites fiction writer, David Bradley, in stating all first drafts are crap. He explains that no matter how marvelous your vocabulary is, or how beautifully you paint the picture, it’s still crap. No worries though, there is always time to fix it.

He recounts reading first drafts of fantastic novels such as Grendel. He insists it started out truly terrible and evolved into a masterpiece.

He also implements several other important rules:

1. Hold yourself accountable

2. Keep your manuscript with you.

3. Take all short breaks you need to keep yourself motivated.

4. Always have a notebook and pen with you.

5. Carry your characters with you.

…and so forth.

He actually details a total of 14 crucial rules that prove invaluable in any brand of writing. His knowledge speaks for itself in his actual work, but it really shines through in his essay on time management.

This article is truly brilliant and showcases one of the best minds in the field.

This excerpt is from an online essay entitled the world is not enough. It demonstrates an effective lead.

THE SUCCESSFUL, mostly non-violent protests against the World Trade Organization this week surprised only those Americans who have the luxury of avoiding all forms of media. For weeks before the fateful demonstrations, anyone who saw the news on TV, heard it on the radio or read it in the paper knew that this was going to be the Battle in Seattle.

~ by jessej21 on December 3, 2008.