I originally posed this question on the "Does he hate us?" thread, but more people will see it this way and I really hope to get an answer.
How the heck is OSC able to DO all the things he does? From reading Uncle Orson's Reviews, he's apparently doing much more than just writing 20 novels.
He's also apparently... - watching LOTS of television (American Idol, Smallville, 30 Rock, Amazing Race, Medium...) - reading (or listening to) LOTS of books (everything from YA novels to history books about Pompeii) - listening to LOTS of music (opera, country, blues) - watching LOTS of movies (mostly with his family, it seems) - shopping and eating at places all over Greensboro - keeping up on current events and world affairs - and playing LOTS of board games.
Somehow he finds time to not only DO all of this, but also make notes and write REVIEWS of these things!
All while supposedly writing the ENDER'S GAME script (and those 20 other books)!
As a writer myself, I need to know his secret. I have a whole list of books and films I can never find time to read or see, let alone all the undeveloped writing projects that are backlogged.
Has OSC ever mentioned how he's able to keep up on all this stuff at once?
ps- just remembered that he also TEACHES too!
Posted by Glenorand (Member # 9444) on :
honestly, i think a lot of it is simple time management. Things like listening to books when you are out driving can add up to a lot of time. If you think about it, even a fifteen minute commute to work turns into a half hour dailiy commute. Do that several times a week and you have a lot of time to listen to things. That and i honestly believe that when you put the important things first(like family), then the other things will just fall into place.
Posted by Omega M. (Member # 7924) on :
I don't know; I bet a lot of us do enough different things every week to write a decent review column, if we pay attention.
Posted by scoooot (Member # 9249) on :
Time management may be simple, but it's not easy. At least not for me.
I can see how the audio-books help, but he's gotta have some other tricks up his sleeve too. That's what I'm hoping to find out. Does he use a voice-recorder to make notes or to do dictations? Or voice-recognition software to type up a messy first draft for him? That sort of stuff.
Posted by Launchywiggin (Member # 9116) on :
My guess as to how he manages:
quote:Originally posted by scoooot: - watching LOTS of television (American Idol, Smallville, 30 Rock, Amazing Race, Medium...)
lots? let's call it an average of 2 hours a day, and that's probably generous
quote:- reading (or listening to) LOTS of books (everything from YA novels to history books about Pompeii)
in addition to keeping up on the news, this looks like about 2 hours of leisure reading a day.
quote:- listening to LOTS of music (opera, country, blues)
This can be done passively throughout the day, but let's say he devotes 1 hour a day to paying close attention as he listens to music.
quote:- watching LOTS of movies (mostly with his family, it seems)
I don't think he watches more than the average guy. I watch about 3 movies a week which is about 6 hours a week = averaged to 1 hour a day
quote:- shopping and eating at places all over Greensboro
For shopping and eating out, I think he'd average 2 hours a day
So far, we've got 8 hours devoted to the things you've got listed. If he slept 8 hours a night, he would still have 8 more hours in the day to write (3), teach (average 1), work, eat (2), and spend time with his family (2). All of that adds up to 24 hours in the day.
I think OSC is an example of what you can accomplish if you truly get the most out of every day. I imagine he is constantly doing something, and that's how he does it. He's also got a very supportive family, church, and fanbase (that's us!) that help keep him going every day.
Posted by Steve_G (Member # 10101) on :
If I didn't work 9 hours in a cube every day, I could devote a lot of attention to my hobbies as well.
Posted by Darth Ender (Member # 7694) on :
Clones
Posted by scoooot (Member # 9249) on :
Launchy, I agree with everything on your break-down except for the most important thing... the writing time. Maybe OSC can write as much as he writes in 3 hours a day, but I expect that number is closer to 5-6 hours.
What I'm looking for here, though, are tips for maximizing your time as a writer. He's obviously found SOMETHING that works for him, and time management is something I struggle with, so I'd love to hear what he has to say on it. Every writer is different, so what works for him may not work for others, but it's always interesting to hear what methods people have discovered to harness their creativity.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
quote:For shopping and eating out, I think he'd average 2 hours a day
No, I doubt he eats out other than on weekends and only shops a couple times a week if that. And I don't think it's time management. I believe he once said that when his wife tells him they need more money, he works extra hard on finishing a project. It doesn't sound as though he writes fiction consistently everyday.
He also works out everyday now. Though I think that is when he listens to albumns and audiobooks. I'm actually kind of bummed because I'd been listening to Ender's Game on audiobook and now it's over and I'm trying to get motivated to walk now.
Posted by Steve_G (Member # 10101) on :
Luckily there is a lot of the Enderverse on AudioBook. I listen to them on my daily commute. I'm currently part way through Xenocide. I own most of 'em now, but am still missing a couple books in between and Children of the Mind. One day it would be nice to own them all and listen to them straight through on a road trip. Of course I might be the only one in the car who thinks that's a great idea.
Posted by Lord Of All Fools (Member # 3841) on :
Don't forget that he teaches classes at Southern Virginia University.
Audiobooks are a big key for "reading" books when you don't have much time to sit down and read.
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