I get really distracted if I am not binge writing alone and able to sit down, stand up, turn on the kettle, and then get into the groove. I get to places I can't get to if I am only writing for a short period. Of course, editing, proofing, cleaning things up I can do in shorter periods with distractions (humans I care for) nearby. Right now my life is not set up for me to have little writing retreats (I used to get away/alone time--like house-sitting, or kicking peeps out of my own house, etc. ) which I used to do. With life changes, currently I am trying to write for shorter periods but it's really hard for me. My mind doesn't focus or quiet. I miss my binge writing sessions--has anyone gone through something like this?
Absolutely—what you're describing is something so many writers go through, and your feelings make total sense. There's something deeply satisfying about having long, uninterrupted stretches where we can fully immerse ourselves in the work—following thoughts where they lead, getting into flow, moving freely between thinking, pacing, tea-making, and writing. It’s a rhythm that feels both productive and creatively nourishing.
But when life shifts—and especially when we’re caring for others or juggling more demands—it can be really frustrating to feel like those immersive writing retreats just aren’t possible. You're not alone in this, and you're not doing anything wrong. Many of us have had to adapt to writing in shorter, more fragmented ways, and it’s a tough transition.
One approach I often recommend is to divide writing tasks into two categories:
High-focus tasks like brainstorming, making conceptual connections, or writing new material—those really do benefit from longer blocks of time, so it’s worth protecting whatever chunks you can find for those.
Lower-focus tasks like revising sentences, proofing, adding citations, or formatting—these can often be done in the smaller bits of time we do have, even when life is swirling around us.
It might not feel as ideal as your old writing retreats, but with some gentle experimentation, many writers do find a rhythm that works even if it's not their ideal mode.
I am a deep procrastinator. It helps me to have a deadline...like a paper for a conference. Then I do some gentle, non-urgent writing. The comes a bit of deeper thinking. The last two weeks of finishing is pretty much all binge. I try to remember to leave a day of letting the paper/manuscript rest and a day to read it carefully and make corrections. There is usually also one last day of binging somewhere in there--like when I decide a section isn't working or the argument was more lost than I thought. Right now, I'm all good intentions, but in a deep fallow (a polite word for doing nothing) period.
Interesting question. I write more consistently with a co-author (literally someone to report to). I do need deadlines that then eventually produce some binge writing and then some slower, thoughtful writing. I suppose knowing that if something has a deadline also means I'll draft chunks normally, but binge towards the end. But, I'm not sure these long "doing-nothing" periods happen because a binge will happen. Binging only happens with a deadline. It's more reluctance, I guess, to have others evaluate my work etc as readers. Mostly the response is positive, so that's really strange. Here's a good insight into me: One of my grad school advisors, apparently frustrated with me, said, "Mary, you can't just run on brightness, you have to do the work." Oddly enough that came when I asked for advice on "what to read" after I'd spent over 4 hours looking properly--guides, stacks, reviews etc.-- for good ones. But, he nailed me in that comment. (He also signed my my Ph.D. exam pass later.) I've always got interesting insights into things, I tell good stories 9one reason I was a successful teacher) and can state someone else's argument clearly...but can't develop arguments well myself. But, it's silly of me to claim that I'm a lazy procrastinator when I did a fair amount of hard things in my life/career. I think, too, that my young years taught me to survive with brightness, as there would rarely be a real due date. I went to 13 schools K-12. The longest period at one school went from mid-3rd grade through 6th. 6 different high schools 9-12. We were poor (both parents were HS grads and, though not college grads, well educated. (But Dad drank too much...]. Compared to that chaos, my adult life has been very stable (in part due to the very good man I married). So...I need to get me a deadline owned by someone else, like a conference paper. It will help focus me on a particular segment of the treaty topics and 3-5 weeks before the paper is due, I will binge, regroup and revise...and send it out.
I'm definitely a mix of longer binge writing sessions with shorter sessions for editing. It's been a very long time since I was binge writing right up agains a deadline, so I tend to think of my longer writing sessions as a mini-writing retreat. For example, when my spouse is out of town for work trips, I like to sometimes spend 6+ hours in a day on a project, moving between tasks like brainstorming, mind mapping, outlining, writing prose, revising, etc. That ends up feeling fun. I was also prompted by your post to think about times in the past when my chronic illnesses were acting up and writing was very hard to do, so when I had a day with focus and energy I might focus on writing more because I didn't know if later that day or the next day might be more challenging. Of course, as you said in your post, it's essential to rest after a lot of output (and depending on how you feel, "a lot" will look different every day). Thanks for sharing this post, Jenn, and I'm looking forward to hearing what other folks have to share, too!
I think it makes complete sense why you'd prefer longer, bingy, sessions for drafting and use the shorter ones for editing. It's easier to jump in and out of editing than it is to continue with the flow. I think that one thing that people often lament when they get into grad school or faculty positions is that there is less and less time to do the very thing that many of us got into this career to do: that is, dive head first into the idea world and get lost for a while. When we can carve out those spaces from time to time, for you it sounds like when you have your space to yourself, that you can find that flow. Lovely! Thanks for sharing!
I get really distracted if I am not binge writing alone and able to sit down, stand up, turn on the kettle, and then get into the groove. I get to places I can't get to if I am only writing for a short period. Of course, editing, proofing, cleaning things up I can do in shorter periods with distractions (humans I care for) nearby. Right now my life is not set up for me to have little writing retreats (I used to get away/alone time--like house-sitting, or kicking peeps out of my own house, etc. ) which I used to do. With life changes, currently I am trying to write for shorter periods but it's really hard for me. My mind doesn't focus or quiet. I miss my binge writing sessions--has anyone gone through something like this?
Absolutely—what you're describing is something so many writers go through, and your feelings make total sense. There's something deeply satisfying about having long, uninterrupted stretches where we can fully immerse ourselves in the work—following thoughts where they lead, getting into flow, moving freely between thinking, pacing, tea-making, and writing. It’s a rhythm that feels both productive and creatively nourishing.
But when life shifts—and especially when we’re caring for others or juggling more demands—it can be really frustrating to feel like those immersive writing retreats just aren’t possible. You're not alone in this, and you're not doing anything wrong. Many of us have had to adapt to writing in shorter, more fragmented ways, and it’s a tough transition.
One approach I often recommend is to divide writing tasks into two categories:
High-focus tasks like brainstorming, making conceptual connections, or writing new material—those really do benefit from longer blocks of time, so it’s worth protecting whatever chunks you can find for those.
Lower-focus tasks like revising sentences, proofing, adding citations, or formatting—these can often be done in the smaller bits of time we do have, even when life is swirling around us.
It might not feel as ideal as your old writing retreats, but with some gentle experimentation, many writers do find a rhythm that works even if it's not their ideal mode.
I am a deep procrastinator. It helps me to have a deadline...like a paper for a conference. Then I do some gentle, non-urgent writing. The comes a bit of deeper thinking. The last two weeks of finishing is pretty much all binge. I try to remember to leave a day of letting the paper/manuscript rest and a day to read it carefully and make corrections. There is usually also one last day of binging somewhere in there--like when I decide a section isn't working or the argument was more lost than I thought. Right now, I'm all good intentions, but in a deep fallow (a polite word for doing nothing) period.
Do you find that your doing-nothing periods are necessary because you binge-write?
Interesting question. I write more consistently with a co-author (literally someone to report to). I do need deadlines that then eventually produce some binge writing and then some slower, thoughtful writing. I suppose knowing that if something has a deadline also means I'll draft chunks normally, but binge towards the end. But, I'm not sure these long "doing-nothing" periods happen because a binge will happen. Binging only happens with a deadline. It's more reluctance, I guess, to have others evaluate my work etc as readers. Mostly the response is positive, so that's really strange. Here's a good insight into me: One of my grad school advisors, apparently frustrated with me, said, "Mary, you can't just run on brightness, you have to do the work." Oddly enough that came when I asked for advice on "what to read" after I'd spent over 4 hours looking properly--guides, stacks, reviews etc.-- for good ones. But, he nailed me in that comment. (He also signed my my Ph.D. exam pass later.) I've always got interesting insights into things, I tell good stories 9one reason I was a successful teacher) and can state someone else's argument clearly...but can't develop arguments well myself. But, it's silly of me to claim that I'm a lazy procrastinator when I did a fair amount of hard things in my life/career. I think, too, that my young years taught me to survive with brightness, as there would rarely be a real due date. I went to 13 schools K-12. The longest period at one school went from mid-3rd grade through 6th. 6 different high schools 9-12. We were poor (both parents were HS grads and, though not college grads, well educated. (But Dad drank too much...]. Compared to that chaos, my adult life has been very stable (in part due to the very good man I married). So...I need to get me a deadline owned by someone else, like a conference paper. It will help focus me on a particular segment of the treaty topics and 3-5 weeks before the paper is due, I will binge, regroup and revise...and send it out.
I'm definitely a mix of longer binge writing sessions with shorter sessions for editing. It's been a very long time since I was binge writing right up agains a deadline, so I tend to think of my longer writing sessions as a mini-writing retreat. For example, when my spouse is out of town for work trips, I like to sometimes spend 6+ hours in a day on a project, moving between tasks like brainstorming, mind mapping, outlining, writing prose, revising, etc. That ends up feeling fun. I was also prompted by your post to think about times in the past when my chronic illnesses were acting up and writing was very hard to do, so when I had a day with focus and energy I might focus on writing more because I didn't know if later that day or the next day might be more challenging. Of course, as you said in your post, it's essential to rest after a lot of output (and depending on how you feel, "a lot" will look different every day). Thanks for sharing this post, Jenn, and I'm looking forward to hearing what other folks have to share, too!
I think it makes complete sense why you'd prefer longer, bingy, sessions for drafting and use the shorter ones for editing. It's easier to jump in and out of editing than it is to continue with the flow. I think that one thing that people often lament when they get into grad school or faculty positions is that there is less and less time to do the very thing that many of us got into this career to do: that is, dive head first into the idea world and get lost for a while. When we can carve out those spaces from time to time, for you it sounds like when you have your space to yourself, that you can find that flow. Lovely! Thanks for sharing!