Darlene Franklin – A Day in the Life – Part 1 of 1

Shannon here: Darlene Franklin shares a day in her life as a writer. Be sure and follow the link to Darlene’s 50 book jubilee giveaway on July 10th. Here’s Darlene:

My situation is unusual in that I live in a nursing home. So a lot of housekeeping and other responsibilities are taken care of for me. Does that mean I have extra free time? No. My time is less my own than ever. It depends on the routines of the nursing home and the availability of help.

Having said that, I’ll take you through a typical day in my life.

I struggle to wakefulness by 6:30 or so to have my quiet time. If I don’t get it in before breakfast, it tends to get neglected in the bustle of the day. That habit hasn’t improved as I’ve grown older.

I plan my writing goals in advance, focusing on one primary writing or editing project at a time. Reaching my goal takes a solid 1-2 hours work each day. A pre-writing routine adds time. I’ll do some exercises to warm up and increase those helpful endorphins. I might take a short nap, or spend a few minutes working on a coloring page. 

I usually work in 15 minute intervals. I’ve built a career (50 books in July!) by doing the hard, plodding work of writing, fifteen minutes at a time.

The rest of the day, as I have time and energy, I work on short-term projects. I write a monthly column that appears in five different places. I then turn that column into a magazine article and look for places to market it. I write blog posts like this one. Lately I’ve started creating memes and videos about my books, to give extra oomph to my marketing efforts. I’m as prone as everyone else to lurk around social media a little more than I have time for.

Scattered throughout the day I have showers, physical therapy, and meals. I wrap up the day watching classic TV on my television or enjoying newer shows on my computer. I’ll often read, complete word search puzzles, and color Bible verse pages.

Life is never dull. But as my friends have said about me for years—starting with writing as the single mother of an extremely troubled teen—if I can make time to write, anyone can do it! (with a caveat: Only if you’re crazy enough—make that called—to do it.

Please check out my 50 book jubilee on July  10^th!  Games, guests, tons of prizes: https://www.facebook.com/events/1700850980218471/

About Darlene: Best-selling hybrid author Darlene Franklin’s greatest claim to fame is that she writes full-time from a nursing home. In July she will reach fifty unique titles in print and she’s also contributed to more than twenty nonfiction titles. Her column, “The View Through my Door,” appears in five monthly venues. Her most recent titles are Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands and Acadian Hearts. You can find her online at: 

Darlene’s Website and blog                        Darlene’s Facebook                   

Darlene’s Amazon Author Page                            Darlene’s Twitter

About the book – Acadian Hearts: 

Rich summer cottager Lucretia “Luc” Phillips and Eddie Bourgoin, the son of a local fisherman, were once best of friends—until he went to work in the family business and she went on her European tour.

Upon her return, their childhood friendship bursts into full-grown love, but the walls separating them have grown higher than ever. Will their risky plan lead them to a lifetime of happiness—or break them apart forever?

Can’t wait for the jubilee. Get your copy now: Acadian Hearts e-book

Come back June 30th for H.L. Wegley!