What motivates you as a writer? Fame? Money? Glory? We all hope for those to some extent, but what really gets you to sit down and put words on paper?
If your anything like me it's pressure. Unless there's something that makes me feel a real need I just can't bring myself to do it. I think that's why deadlines came into existence, to get people like me to do it.
So what use is this to us? Well like I said before the best way to improve is to write, a lot. You can't always be writing for publication. Sometimes you just need to write for practice. But how do you motivate yourself if you're writing for something as nebulous as practice?
Set your own deadline. Make it something real, something with consequence. When you write to publish the consequence is simple. You don't get published. Do something for yourself to make it real. Whether the outcome is positive or negative depends on you. Personally I'm not much for self flagellation. I bribe myself with a pack of trading cards for a game I enjoy. It works for me.
Now just figure out what works for you and get to it. The clock's ticking.
Showing posts with label writing schedule. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing schedule. Show all posts
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Back to School and Your Writing Schedule
Back to School and Your Writing Schedule
Copyright Cheryl C. Malandrinos - All Rights Reserved
Back to school season is upon us and that means it’s time to get your writing schedule back on track now that the lazy days of summer are almost behind us.
Even if you don’t have kids going back to school, it’s a great time to get serious about your writing career so that the last two quarters of the year are productive.
Here are some tips to get you started:
Clean Up Your Work Area
Nothing puts the stops on motivation quicker than a messy work area. Clean out everything you don’t need to make room for all those exciting new projects you want to tackle.
Stock Up on Office Supplies
If you have a child going back to school you’re probably going to be visiting an office supply store anyway. Why not make a list of everything you need to stock up your home office for the next month or two? This will save you an additional trip to pick up envelopes etc when you’re ready to submit that next query.
And don’t forget to swing by the Post Office to buy stamps.
Create or Revise Your Contact List
Every writer needs to have one of these. Yes, it’s a time consuming task, but once it’s done all you have to do is add new contacts as you make them or update the information for your current contacts. I keep all my contacts in Microsoft Outlook. It sure beats looking for one business card in a pile of hundreds. And my contacts automatically feed into my electronic Address Book so I don’t waste time looking for a person’s email address when I need it. Just one click, and it’s done.
Now that you’re ready to start writing, here are a few ways to stick to your writing schedule:
Review Your Goals
Summer usually means we don’t set as many goals or try not to stress when we don’t meet them. It’s time to figure out what you’ve accomplished and what is still outstanding. Make a new to-do list and post it over your desk so you can keep it in plain sight.
Track Your Time
As a writer, you’re probably juggling multiple projects, performing research for assignments, and balancing all that with your home life.
Knowing where your time goes can help you accomplish more.
Whether you use a spreadsheet, time-tracking software, or a pencil and paper, record how you spend your day.
A sample of my day might look like this:
9 - 9:30AM: Answer/send emails
9:30 - 10AM: Eat breakfast
10 AM - 11AM: Marketing/Promotion
11 - 11:15AM: Short break
11:15AM - 12PM: Marketing/Promotion
12 - 1PM: Lunch and Laundry
1 - 1:30PM: Get Sarah down for a nap
1:30 - 2PM: Research Writer2Writer article
2 - 2:15PM: Short break
2:15 - 3PM: Begin first draft of Writer2Writer article
3 - 10PM: Family Time
10 PM - 12AM: Work on next chapter of memoir
12 - 12:30AM: Read books that need reviewing
Not only will this help you know where your times goes, it will help you get a handle on where time is wasted.
Write When You Feel Most Productive
I’m not a morning person. So, I don’t try to write in the morning. Ever!
If you look at my schedule above, you’ll notice that I do research and write for a short time in the early afternoon and then again late at night.
Each person has his/her own time of day when he/she is the most productive. That’s when you need to write. It might not always be possible, but do try to schedule your normal routine around your peak writing time if you can.
Take Breaks
It might feel right to forgo a break to get more work done, but it’s not a good idea.
Regular breaks are important to keep you focused and healthy. Our bodies simply aren’t meant to be sitting down for long periods of time. And a short break might help you figure out what role that secondary character plays in your latest novel.
Make this back to school season a time to commit to your writing. With these few simple steps you’ll be ready to make the most out of your writing time.
Copyright Cheryl C. Malandrinos - All Rights Reserved
Back to school season is upon us and that means it’s time to get your writing schedule back on track now that the lazy days of summer are almost behind us.
Even if you don’t have kids going back to school, it’s a great time to get serious about your writing career so that the last two quarters of the year are productive.
Here are some tips to get you started:
Clean Up Your Work Area
Nothing puts the stops on motivation quicker than a messy work area. Clean out everything you don’t need to make room for all those exciting new projects you want to tackle.
Stock Up on Office Supplies
If you have a child going back to school you’re probably going to be visiting an office supply store anyway. Why not make a list of everything you need to stock up your home office for the next month or two? This will save you an additional trip to pick up envelopes etc when you’re ready to submit that next query.
And don’t forget to swing by the Post Office to buy stamps.
Create or Revise Your Contact List
Every writer needs to have one of these. Yes, it’s a time consuming task, but once it’s done all you have to do is add new contacts as you make them or update the information for your current contacts. I keep all my contacts in Microsoft Outlook. It sure beats looking for one business card in a pile of hundreds. And my contacts automatically feed into my electronic Address Book so I don’t waste time looking for a person’s email address when I need it. Just one click, and it’s done.
Now that you’re ready to start writing, here are a few ways to stick to your writing schedule:
Review Your Goals
Summer usually means we don’t set as many goals or try not to stress when we don’t meet them. It’s time to figure out what you’ve accomplished and what is still outstanding. Make a new to-do list and post it over your desk so you can keep it in plain sight.
Track Your Time
As a writer, you’re probably juggling multiple projects, performing research for assignments, and balancing all that with your home life.
Knowing where your time goes can help you accomplish more.
Whether you use a spreadsheet, time-tracking software, or a pencil and paper, record how you spend your day.
A sample of my day might look like this:
9 - 9:30AM: Answer/send emails
9:30 - 10AM: Eat breakfast
10 AM - 11AM: Marketing/Promotion
11 - 11:15AM: Short break
11:15AM - 12PM: Marketing/Promotion
12 - 1PM: Lunch and Laundry
1 - 1:30PM: Get Sarah down for a nap
1:30 - 2PM: Research Writer2Writer article
2 - 2:15PM: Short break
2:15 - 3PM: Begin first draft of Writer2Writer article
3 - 10PM: Family Time
10 PM - 12AM: Work on next chapter of memoir
12 - 12:30AM: Read books that need reviewing
Not only will this help you know where your times goes, it will help you get a handle on where time is wasted.
Write When You Feel Most Productive
I’m not a morning person. So, I don’t try to write in the morning. Ever!
If you look at my schedule above, you’ll notice that I do research and write for a short time in the early afternoon and then again late at night.
Each person has his/her own time of day when he/she is the most productive. That’s when you need to write. It might not always be possible, but do try to schedule your normal routine around your peak writing time if you can.
Take Breaks
It might feel right to forgo a break to get more work done, but it’s not a good idea.
Regular breaks are important to keep you focused and healthy. Our bodies simply aren’t meant to be sitting down for long periods of time. And a short break might help you figure out what role that secondary character plays in your latest novel.
Make this back to school season a time to commit to your writing. With these few simple steps you’ll be ready to make the most out of your writing time.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Life of the Overcommitted Writer
Well, it's still Tuesday for about another fifty minutes, so I guess I can't call this post late. I remember the days when I used to have this post all planned out a week in advance. That was before I began living the life of the overcommitted writer.
Who is the overcommitted writer? This will give you some idea of who she is:
* She has no less than 10 ideas racing around in her head begging to be written, but she has no time to write any of them down
* She spends no less than 8 hours a day on the computer
* Her family eats lots of fast food or TV dinners
* Her housework piles up until she can't take it anymore and spends an entire day cleaning out of sheer frustration
* When she is lucky, she gets more than 5 hours of sleep each night
* She is the woman who volunteers for every project put on at her church, her children's school, or by local town committees
Doesn't this writer sound hopeless? She's a lost cause, right? Well, not exactly.
The trick to not getting overcommitted is to learn how to say "no". It's not a dirty word, but a lot of people--especially women--find that tiny word so difficult to say.
Saying "no" does not mean you are a bad person, self-centered, or ungiving. It simply means that you realize your body and mind can only do so much with the time you have. If you're constantly running around with little or no time to relax and enjoy life, then your physical and mental health will suffer.
But how do you say "no" and not feel like a bad guy? Honestly, I'm still trying to figure that one out. I have read lots of articles about ways to say "no" and tips on how to get to the point where you can say "no" comfortably, but I'm not there yet. Writer Donna Birk had this great article I found at http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Birk1.html, which talked about the stages of learning to say "no". I'm in Stage 1, where I have identified that I need to say "no" to things. This is also the stage where I am able to see places where I could have said "no" but didn't.
As part of my goals for the end of 2007 and into 2008 I have made my writing a top priority, right next to spending more time with my family. I've already started to put into motion things that will allow me to do both. Once I was at the point where I realized I needed to say "no", I stopped living the life of the overcommitted writer and began living the life of the the writer who is going to make the time for the things that are the most important to her.
You can do it to!
Who is the overcommitted writer? This will give you some idea of who she is:
* She has no less than 10 ideas racing around in her head begging to be written, but she has no time to write any of them down
* She spends no less than 8 hours a day on the computer
* Her family eats lots of fast food or TV dinners
* Her housework piles up until she can't take it anymore and spends an entire day cleaning out of sheer frustration
* When she is lucky, she gets more than 5 hours of sleep each night
* She is the woman who volunteers for every project put on at her church, her children's school, or by local town committees
Doesn't this writer sound hopeless? She's a lost cause, right? Well, not exactly.
The trick to not getting overcommitted is to learn how to say "no". It's not a dirty word, but a lot of people--especially women--find that tiny word so difficult to say.
Saying "no" does not mean you are a bad person, self-centered, or ungiving. It simply means that you realize your body and mind can only do so much with the time you have. If you're constantly running around with little or no time to relax and enjoy life, then your physical and mental health will suffer.
But how do you say "no" and not feel like a bad guy? Honestly, I'm still trying to figure that one out. I have read lots of articles about ways to say "no" and tips on how to get to the point where you can say "no" comfortably, but I'm not there yet. Writer Donna Birk had this great article I found at http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Birk1.html, which talked about the stages of learning to say "no". I'm in Stage 1, where I have identified that I need to say "no" to things. This is also the stage where I am able to see places where I could have said "no" but didn't.
As part of my goals for the end of 2007 and into 2008 I have made my writing a top priority, right next to spending more time with my family. I've already started to put into motion things that will allow me to do both. Once I was at the point where I realized I needed to say "no", I stopped living the life of the overcommitted writer and began living the life of the the writer who is going to make the time for the things that are the most important to her.
You can do it to!
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