Even if you’re not doing NaNo (like me), it’s always fun to share tips and techniques that can help us crank out more words in the time we have for writing. If you’re stuck, you can check out my article at Carol’s blog on beating writer’s block, but until then, here are some of my favorite tricks for upping my productivity:
#1, first and foremost, most of all: sit down and write. Just do it. Whether you feel like it or not, whether you are inspired or not. I’m not one of those “if you’re ‘really’ a writer you must pound out 8000 words a day even if it’s like drawing blood from a stone using your eyelashes” people, but seriously, if you don’t sit down to write, it won’t get done.
Find out if you have an ideal writing time. This can be the time of day where you face the least disruptions or have the longest block of time to yourself. It may be the time that you get up four hours before everyone else in your house. For me, it’s usually staying up late (though lately my health has been preventing that for the most part. Stupid old health). Try different times of day to see if you have an easier time falling into the rhythm of writing.
Find out if you have an ideal place or medium for writing—in your house, local library, street-side café; with pen and paper, desktop, laptop, typewriter (please no, okay?); music, conversation, television or silence in the background. Experiment—and maybe you’ll also learn to write faster in places or media that aren’t your ideal, too.
Limit distractions—especially the Internet. This is one reason why I like using my laptop—I can push a button and voilà—no Internet. I usually research as I go, and this can be a huge time suck. I like when I realize I’ve spent ten minutes reading about the history of canned green beans when I’m supposed to be looking for train schedules from 80 years ago. Sometimes, you do really need to know the facts before you write a scene, at least to avoid a major rewrite—but not always. Determine if this is one of those times.
Finally, in case you’ve forgotten, I highly recommend plotting in advance. That way, you seldom spend three weeks pondering where your characters will go next and what they’ll do when they get there, and how on earth you’re going to spend 50,000 words getting from plot point 1 to plot point 2. (And also, we have a free PDF guide to plotting or the Plot Thickens blog series to help you out!)
Other things I like to do:
- Menial activities (Minesweeper or Text Twist, usually) to try to lull my brain into creativity mode. (The challenge is not getting caught up in the games, of course.)
- Think about my story all the freaking time—plan out scenes and dialogue in the car or the shower or before going to sleep at night (although that one makes it a lot harder to sleep).
- Wait. I don’t start the first moment the idea comes to me, usually—I wait at least a couple days, sometimes a few weeks. During this time, I can brainstorm. As new scenes and characters and lines come to me, I get more and more excited about the story. When I finally let myself start, I can’t wait to get it all out.
- Recognize my limitations. When I’m starting to hate the story, hate writing (every day, not just because I’m stuck), hate my characters and hate the real people around me for getting in the way of my career, it’s probably time to scale it back a little. Because, seriously, even if it’s NaNo, is it worth destroying your love (for life, writing and your family) just to get the words out? I’d rather back off than burn out—and make everyone around me resent my career, too.
What are your best productivity tips for upping our daily word count? What’s the most words you’ve ever written in a day/sitting?
Photo credits: tapping pencil—Tom St. George; flying fingers by The Hamster Factor
It just smells like you’re dying to do NaNoWriMo. It’s not too late!!
Anywho, my own real answer is to piss off your family by ignoring them for hours on end. I think I’ve have a couple of 6 or 8K days during NaNo. It’s not easy, but it’s doable.
I wish I could turn off the internet, but since I’m using an online doc, that would be counterproductive.
I was really surprised to discover my favorite and most productive time to write is between 2-5 in the afternoon. Surprised because my house is certainly not quiet during this time. I’ll have tons of BOYS running in and out of the house and a variety of interruptions. Nevertheless, I can accomplish far more during this time than any other time of day. It’s like that’s the time of day my muse has an appointment with me, any other time, no matter the quiet or lack of distractions, she is simply not with me and writing is like pulling teeth. (holy cow, how was that for a run on sentence? sheesh)
So, I try to write in the late afternoon because I know that’s when I’ll be ABLE to write.
I like to put on my headphones and listen to music. Every book I write has it’s own soundtrack, it’s own genre of music.
If I’m stuck, I’ll listen to a theme song for the book. Each of my books tend to have one song that really helps me connect with my story–and almost always without fail listening to that song will help enliven the story for me.
I also think about my upcoming scenes before I sit down to write them. I know where I left off today, so I mull over what needs to happen next. If I’m lucky, I’ll have the scene almost totally mapped out before I even get to my writing time. But if not, I at least have a jumping off point.
It’ll be interesting to see what tips everyone has.
Thanks Jordan!
My two best writing days as far as productivity goes have been marathon days where I took an entire Saturday, left the house, and went to my parents’ home–which was empty, since they were out of the country at the time–and I spent the entire day writing at their kitchen table with no distractions.
I came prepared with a list of scenes to write so I wouldn’t be wondering what came next. In both cases, the book was already well underway, and I just needed time to really crank out the middle-to-end portion.
My best day was about 14,000 words in 9 hours. I had to get up a few times to walk around, eat, shake out my typing hands, and clear my head, but it ROCKED.
I used to need a catch-as-catch-can philosophy with my writing time, grabbing whatever spare moment I had here or there. I didn’t get much done that way, but at least I was writing.
Now I have a scheduled time each day after the girls leave for school but before I need to be dialed in to the office. If I play my cards just right, I can get an hour or more a day. Having that short but sweet window for writing, I tend to spend the whole previous day thinking about what I’m going to write, so that short period of time can be effective.
I think 2000 words is about the most I’ve ever written in a day. For the most part, slow and steady is the way it’s done around here.
@Andrew—Oh, it’s a siren song of NaNo, for sure. But I will not succumb! That whole “recognizing limitations” thing. I’m just not healthy enough for it right now. Sleep has to take a priority over all my fun.
@Ali—LOL, that’s like my LEAST productive time (and with naps, it’s usually pretty quiet here then.
@Annette—*whistle* Nice. I try to convince my husband to do that for me every weekend. Doesn’t work out.
@Don—Slow will always work, as long as it stays steady!