I’ve been working on upping my writing productivity this summer. It’s a necessary focus, what with completing draft 1 of my novel, posting fifteen blog posts and two newsletters a month, and managing social media for two websites. If I want to continue on that ambitious path, I need to be super-organized, and I need to feel confident that I can hit my goals monthly, weekly and daily. So at the start of the summer I re-read a book that inspired me to better productivity last fall: Write Better, Faster by Monica Leonelle.
- What I am trying to say with this chapter/post?
- What do I want people to feel or think?
- What do I feel or think about the topic?
If those questions don’t help me jump-start the process, I may have a deeper problem. In that case, I schedule some creative thinking time, like on a walk by myself, or in bed with my notebook. It sometimes takes a few days, but I find my path again and am able to come back to the project with a fresh perspective.
What are your best writing productivity tips? Where did you learn them? I’m fascinated by this subject!
Kathy says
My feed reader hasn’t been working right, and I see that I’m W-A-AY behind in reading your blog! This is a helpful post, as I am a slow writer trying to get faster (and I’m going to check out that book). I have started a daily 30- minute writing session (now I can call it a pomodoro!) first thing in the morning after I’ve had my coffee and fully woken up. It’s been working great, but I have already learned the importance of planning. I don’t allow myself to do research during that time…I have to sit and write or revise what I’ve already written, or just sit there. If I don’t have a plan, I sit and stare at the page and I hate to waste that time. I plan to add more sessions like that, just as you’ve done. As far as productivity tips are concerned, the timer does work great, not only for timed writing sessions, but for research or putzing online, things that I tend to get lost in. The timer brings me back to reality.
Leanne Sowul says
I’m glad this helped, Kathy! I know you’re also a Laura Vanderkam fan, and a lot of her time/productivity tips are applicable here too.