HOW TO WORK FROM HOME: Stephen Orr's Tips

Welcome to the week, and to a new blog series here at Wakefield Press! Introducing How to Work From Home: Authors talk about how they stay productive.

Like many others, we've recently begun the transition from office work to working from home. It's a strange transition to make, and we need some help. We've interviewed a collection of our favourite authors to get their best tips, tricks and truths about working from home.
Next in the series is Stephen Orr, a school teacher moonlighting as an author (or vice versa, depending on the day). Stephen has published seven novels, a volume of short stories, and two books of non-fiction. Read on for Stephen's full interview.

Is writing your full-time job, or do you have another job to keep you busy? If you have more than one job, what’s the split between that job and writing?

I’m not sure writing is anyone’s full-time job (in regards money). It’s a nice thought, though. I’ve taught in high schools since 1996, but this year I’m free to scribble thanks to the Copyright Agency and a mid-career fellowship. I used to write for several publications, but no one returns my calls (emails) anymore.

How do you usually structure a writing day?

If it’s a first draft (angst) I get up at seven, drop my son at the bus, buy bread from the man at the Northside Bakery, come home, eat, write until around eleven, go for a walk. In the afternoon I re-read what I wrote that morning, generally deleting about a third. Then I have a nap, watch The Chase (UK, the Australian one is dumb) and plan what I want to write the next day. Generally this means throwing out what I’d wanted to do and going in another direction (so that job takes time too). If it’s a second or subsequent draft I tend to dawdle a bit more.

How do you keep yourself on task when you’re working from home?

No checking emails, no drifting into the e-world. Problem being the lawn-mowers, line trimmers and angle grinders (plenty of these). So I run a fan to create white noise, but if this isn’t enough I give up, make a coffee, come back an hour later and hope (whoever) has got it out of their system. Sometimes it goes all day, and you lose a day. I used to write in the Barr Smith Library when it was quiet, but it changed into a sort of coffee clutch/drop-in centre. I love severe libraries. Wood-panelling. Signs that say ‘SILENCE!’. Crotchety old librarians who 'shoosh' everyone. Card catalogues, too. Unfortunately, all gone.

How do you take a break properly?

Coffee. Think about what I’d be doing if I were at school (phew, relief!).

Do you have any favourite treats or things to have nearby to help you work?

Not really. Alcohol might help, but I avoid that (before three pm).

What are your thoughts on getting dressed for work when your office is at home?

Pointless. I’m sure most of the people who become this anally-retentive spend most of their time watching cat videos anyway. The best writers have that sort of John Belushi c. 1979 feel. Unkempt. Disorganised. Chaotic. Probably smell a bit. Anyway, we’re just making stuff up. It’s not like we’re trying to cure cancer.

What are your top tips for working from home? Alternatively, what has working from home taught you?

I’ve learnt that most pretend jobs (like writing) can be done from home, and the only reason people ‘go to work’ is a) their boss doesn’t trust them, or b) pointless routines are good for people, or c) they want to get away from someone, or d) they prefer using someone else’s toilet paper. Probably a combination of the above.

What does your workspace look like, and where is it?  Would you change anything about it?

I’m surrounded by books, partly because I refer to them a lot (especially non-fiction work), but also because I like to look at them, smell them, re-read passages to motivate myself.

What are you working on at the moment?

A novel about a 50 year old man and his 14 year old son. Set in the Northern Territory in 1922. More than that and I’d be cursing myself.

Where can we follow you and your writing?

I have a website with depressingly low stats. This is probably because I don’t spend enough time updating it. I tried Twitter, but gave up. If you want to follow me, read one of my books. That worked well for a few hundred years!
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