To be a successful writer, much of your time should be spent writing— actual writing. Add onto this, any needed research. But what if you can’t find time to write?
By hook or by crook, you need to carve out a consistent writing time, even if you feel you are writing at a snail’s pace. As they say, “Slow and steady wins the race.”
It is true, sometimes our job and life obligations get in the way of writing. Personally, I know this very well. However, if we truly love writing and feel it in our bones, we must find a way to facilitate a regular writing schedule as well as learn how to keep multiple projects in the pipeline.
Here’s a list of writing tips that I’ve discovered over the years:
1. Find your best time of the day to write whether it is as a night owl or an early bird. You could wake up an hour early to write or push bedtime back a bit for at least 30 minutes before sleep. Explore which one works best for you and makes you more productive.
2. Schedule writing time that you treat as sacred as you would a doctor’s appointment.
3. Set realistic goals; have weekly and daily writing goals. Tick it off the list.
4. Steal extra time. Whenever there is a day off, a holiday, a vacation, or any spare time, schedule some extra writing time and stick to it.
5. Be kind to yourself. Things always come up, so if it can’t be avoided, then try to reschedule and give yourself grace. You are only human.
6. If you are unable to write, then at least read. Reading is a crucial step in writing.
Sometimes you might get a ton of ideas at the same time. You have to be realistic. Jot down your ideas into a list. Prioritize. Choose the one that motivates you the most. Then, let the ink flow.
Also, you can keep projects in the pipeline by writing on one, researching another, and editing the other. Though I do suggest focusing on them one by one so you can finish quicker.
Some writers edit as they go along, but I find it is better to get the main idea out as best and as quick as you can. You will have to go back to do some rewriting and editing anyway, and you’ll probably do it multiple times. However, be cautious not to overdo this. Eventually, your “baby” has to go out into the world. Keep in mind to do a great job but remember nothing is perfect.
Even if you only get 30 minutes to an hour each day, just keep consistently showing up to add to your chapter, to tweak some dialogue, or something that adds value to your book. Just keep moving forward.
If you are having some “block”, try a writing prompt exercise (there are many listed online). Possibly take a quick walk. Maybe read a chapter in some other novel. This might get you relaxed and ready to write. Again, be kind to yourself. Occasionally, you might just need the day off.
Writing needs discipline and not excuses. It depends on how badly you want to write. Is writing to you like breathing? If it is, then you have to create a way to forge forward no matter what.
Writer Rainer Maria Rilke advises, “Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write.”
Maybe you write to express yourself or you’re on a journey to guide others in life. Maybe you have a message or a story, and you feel in your soul it is a mission to write. If this is true, never give up, even when it gets tough.
Writer Agatha Christie shares that she turned from being an amateur to a professional writer by sometimes writing “even when (she) didn’t want to.” Sometimes you must give yourself an extra nudge, and once you get started you should pick up momentum.
In the end, despite writing being tough at times, it should bring you joy and relief— even a catharsis. Playwright Henry Miller states that “writing is its own reward.”
Quotes from:
Gnomes, Rubina G. “24 Quotes on Writing for Y our Writer Soul.” Medium, June 7, 2022. www.medium.com
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