Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Consistent Writing

I take no pride in the fact that I'm one of the biggest procrastinators around. So of course, it's no surprise that procrastination affects the writing aspect of my life as much as it does anything else - or at least, it used to. I've found ways to work around that and to be productive so that I never allow myself to slack off with my writing.

Here are a few things that have helped me:

1) Plan out how long you want to spend writing a manuscript. If it's within three months, figure out the minimum number of words you can do per day to reach that goal. E.g. 1000 words per day = 30,000 per month = 90,000 total. This gives you a concrete idea of the pace and helps you use your time wisely. Of course the numbers will vary day to day, but:

2) Always try to meet the goal you've set for yourself. Don't tell yourself "I'll make up for it tomorrow", because you might not feel like writing tomorrow either. Once you start putting things off, it will be all the more harder to get back up to speed.

3) If you're certain you can't meet your goal, write something. That way, you won't fall behind as much and you'll still keep up the habit. And if you're lucky, you might get into the writing mood while squeezing out what little you can, and reach your goal.

4) If you feel like exceeding your daily quota, do so. Self-explanatory.

5) Figure out what time of day works best for you. Some people like to write first thing in the morning, others have to wait until they get home at night. But by selecting a specific time to write each day, you make it easier for yourself to stay focused and not procrastinate.

6) Use external motivation as well as internal. We all want to see the fruits of our labor, but unfortunately, writing is normally solitary work. So the only one who will reward you will be you. Make the process more enjoyable for yourself with incentives. Or you could:

7) Create more immediate deadlines for yourself. If you have a critique partner, you can set up deadlines for one another (such as exchanging chapters twice a week).

8) Monitor your progress. Periodically calculate how far you've come along and how long it's taken you to get there. This not only helps you keep track of things, it can also give you an idea of whether your system works, or if it needs to be reworked.

7 comments:

  1. This is a lot like what i do, my only problem is actually uploading them onto a site(that's what I do) so I'velearned to be sure to write far ahead before uploading the first chapeter, this way you can set a time to upload and not have to worry about finishing in time.

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    1. That's a great idea when you're always uploading online. It relieves the stress of having to finish the chapter on time. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. I was wondering what you thought about talent and writing? Do you think some one has to be talented to write something good or publish-able? Talented defined as in natural aptitude beyond the usual fundamental skills?

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    1. I think there are people who simply have a natural knack for things, even in writing. I have this one friend who has been writing for two years now, and I swear she writes like she's been doing it for over a decade: very poetic, very raw, just beautiful to read. Someone like that would probably have an easier time excelling, but I don't think all it takes is talent. I believe writing is a skill that can be harnessed and developed, and a good portion of writing is formulaic anyway. Follow guidelines, avoid the don'ts, learn the fundamentals of writing, and you're halfway there. So talent definitely helps, but experience and dedication can certainly help create good/publish-able works.

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  3. I was just curious, how long does it take you to write 1000 words usually?

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    1. Thanks for commenting! :)I would guess about an hour. Sometimes it could take up to two or more lol. A lot of the times even though I know what I plan to write, I have to pause to gather my thoughts, to read back so that I can keep track of where a scene is going, and so on.

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    2. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

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