One of the questions I get asked most often is: how do you manage to write so much?
I’ve been a full-time indie author since 2017, and this is my only source of income. That means I have to keep producing new work—but I also have to do it in a way that works for my circumstances.
I’m legally blind, with only about 5% vision in my good eye. Some days my sight holds up well. Other days it’s not so cooperative. I have to work with what my eyes will allow me to do. If my vision is giving me trouble, I rely entirely on dictation.
My mornings are sacred. I spend the first three hours writing—no email, no news, no notifications. I dictate my first drafts during this time, and that usually means 3,000 to 5,000 new words before lunch. Afternoons are for editing, marketing, and business tasks.
One reason I stay productive is that I don’t force myself to work on a single project from start to finish. I follow whatever excites me most at the time. Sometimes that means a project comes together in a few weeks, sometimes it takes years. By moving between projects, I never get stuck or blocked—and over time, I produce more than if I just powered through one manuscript.
I think of it like Brandon Sanderson’s “crop rotation” method. I might spend a spell drafting new fiction, then move on to editing, then tackle marketing or admin. If my energy dips, I’ll switch to something smaller—a short story, a blog post, or some worldbuilding.
Right now, that means I’m:
- Editing book 4 of Ravenglass Legends (and posting chapters on Patreon).
- Editing book 7 of The Ravenglass Throne (also posting on Patreon).
- Rewriting Hunters from a space Western into a nautical fantasy (yep—also on Patreon).
- Going through alpha reader feedback for The Silent Watcher standalone.
- Getting ready for the August 31 launch of Punks Versus Zombies.
I’m also lucky to have a big advantage with editing—my wife is a professional editor. She fits me in between her clients, which means I don’t have to wrestle with Word’s track changes or navigate endless comments. She can literally turn to me and say, “Hey, Jon, what did you mean by this?” and I can answer straight away. It’s faster, smoother, and far more efficient than any editing process I’ve had before.
Because I work this way, my projects finish at different times and in different stages of readiness. Some are with my editor while I’m still drafting others. That’s why there’s often a gap between when I finish a book and when it reaches shops.
For readers who don’t want to wait, I post my pre-edited final drafts on Patreon as soon as they’re done—sometimes months, or even years, before they’re available anywhere else. You’ll also find short stories, lore documents, and other bonus content there, so you can follow along with my process in real time.
If you’d like to read my work early and see how it all comes together, you can join me here: patreon.com/joncronshawauthor.
Even as a free member, there’s plenty to enjoy.
Thanks for being part of the journey,
Jon
