Planning For Writers Sneak Peek

Synopsis:

Finding the time to write a book is becoming harder and harder. With day jobs, family obligations, household chores, and hobbies, many writers struggle to get any writing done. While this is very true, publishers and readers expect writers to publish multiple books every year, and to somehow find time to also market their books through blogging, social media, and networking. 

Some of what this book will help you do, whether you write fiction or nonfiction, is:

• Find enough time to write with a day job
• Write and publish more books in less time
• First drafts written quicker but still well written 
• Deal with distractions and interruptions
• Finding your most productive writing routine

Excerpt:

Finding vs. Making Time & Tracking Time to Write

Finding time means you’re trying to squeeze in writing between other activities. And based on how packed your schedule is, you may or may not ever actually find that time to get writing done. But making time to write, that has a whole other connotation. Making time means you’re proactive.

Making time is a commitment that requires a trade-off somewhere. The more intentional we are about these trade-offs, the more joy we have in our lives. So, the next time someone suggests you just make time for something, stop and think about what the trade-off would be. If it is worth it, you can start to figure out how to drop one thing and make time for another. If it’s not, feel confident that you are making choices about time that match your values.

Everybody on the planet has the same amount of time every day. How we choose to use that time makes some of us writers and others of us short-order cooks. If you are a short-order cook who wants to write, however, you should probably take a bit of time to think about how you use your time.

Note that the choice is not between writing and doing something else you don’t want to do. The choice is among a nearly overwhelming array of things that seem appealing: checking in with your friends on Facebook, reading for pleasure, or having people over for dinner. Then there’s going to movies and the theater and the opera and family get-togethers and on trips and watching way too much television. Sometimes people would even rather do laundry and dishes than write.

Creating A Good Writing Habit

If you aren’t clear about focusing on your top goals, you will easily become overwhelmed. There will always be too many “should”. If you’re not very careful about choosing the most important goals, you will be overwhelmed by all the things you feel like you should be doing.

Ask yourself, what do I really want? Is writing every day really one of those things your top goals? It’s okay if it’s not. Perhaps writing only ranks tenth on your list, behind family, schoolwork, your health, and work. But if writing consistently is toward the top of your list, you need to decide what else can be let go. Get clear on your focus, say no to the less important things, and then follow through.

1. Write for Just Fifteen Minutes. I’ve found that professional writers rarely write for more than five or so hours a day. Why? Because writing is mentally exhausting! However, this also means you can get a surprising amount done in a short amount of time. To keep yourself focused as you write, consider writing with a timer. You might not have five hours to write, but almost everyone has fifteen minutes. Could you start your writing habit with one fifteen-minute story per day?
2. Stop checking e-mail! Too many of us use e-mail to-do list instead of using a to-do list as a to-do list. This leaves us reacting to life rather than living it according to goals. Reaction is the opposite of creating. That’s why it’s so difficult to write when you’re checking e-mail every five minutes. I’m not saying you shouldn’t check e-mail. Just don’t do it during your daily writing time.
3. Lower Your Expectations (for now). It takes practice, a lot of time, and some luck, to write a great story. Settle for an account (for now). When you sit down to write your first story, it might not be very good. But later, you’ll rewrite. Then perhaps you’ll rewrite it again after that. Maybe you’ll rewrite it one more time, and afterward, the story will be remarkably better than it was on your first, quick draft.
4. Make It Social. Humans are social creatures, and by Making writing a social experience, you’ll find more enjoyment in it. You will be more likely to keep it up. How do you make writing social? Make friends with other writers, whether through this community, by taking a writing class, or joining a local critique group. Publish your writing, whether that means printing out a story and giving it to a friend, posting it on your blog, or self-publishing your book. Throw a party for your fellow writers. Who doesn’t love a great soirée with interesting people? Go to a writing conference to learn more about the craft and connect with other writers. Don’t buy into the myth that writers are solitary creatures who lock themselves in the attic to slave on their masterpiece. Every great writer I’ve ever studied has had a close network of other writers and creative people who would inspire, encourage, and support them.
5. Celebrate Progress. Too many of my friends—people who have written books, gotten published, even made the bestseller’s list—stop celebrating how far they’ve come. These were people who struggled with the same problems you struggle with: not enough time to write, not making writing a habit, feeling overwhelmed by all the other things they SHOULD be doing. They came so far, and yet they’re often too eager to move on to the next goal to celebrate their progress enough.

If you write today, you should feel proud and celebrate your progress. If you’ve written every day for the last five years, you should feel proud and celebrate. If you want to cement writing as a habit in your life, reward yourself each time you do it, celebrating the fact you are making progress, the fact that you are creating, celebrate that you are writing.

The Importance of Tracking Time

Like any finite resource, time must be managed properly. And since writing is perhaps one of the most time-consuming crafts one can undertake, time management is an essential skill for any writer. Let’s examine some ways to streamline our writing time. To be clear, this isn’t about devoting less time to writing—it’s about getting more accomplished with the time we have.

The biggest personal win in starting to track your time is awareness. You become aware of how you spend every minute of your day. You get a clear image of how much time you devote to each working task. Just the same, it allows you to catch bad habits, such as “briefly” checking your social media, your phone, or taking too many breaks.

By tracking your time, you increase your control over the time you spend during the day on each part of your project. You will reveal how much time you spend on the things that are not important. This will show you time stealers and habits that kill your productivity. It allows identification of things you need to do more—or less—of. It keeps you accountable and makes you less likely to waste your time. And last, it will give you a more realistic expectation of how long things take.

Ways To Track Your Time

1. Keep a time log for a week. Write down how long you spent on a writing task and how much you got accomplished.
2. Use a timer app for a week. If you spend most of your time at your computer, you can track your time with apps such as Toggl. The app allows you to enter the name of a task, and then you simply click the start/stop button when you begin and when you’re done.
3. Use time tracking software for a week. If you think you’ll forget to start and stop the timer each time you switch tasks, use time-tracking software that automatically tracks what you do on your computer and gathers the data for you.