Have you ever sat down to work on your book but instead, came up empty? You have every intention of writing up a storm, but the right words somehow just don’t come. Instead, you end up wasting time and watching the time fly.
If it sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Most aspiring authors stumble at some point to hunker down and discipline themselves to do the one thing they itch to do: write.
Here’s how to stop make the most of your writing time.
Claim Your Spot
Every aspiring author needs a comfortable place to write. A sanctuary where their words, sentences, paragraphs that turn into pages and books.
A crucial element is your environment. If you want your words to flow, you must create in a space where you feel comfortable. It can be a room in your house, a section of your guest, or the dining room table you never use. Or, if you’re out of indoor room, but are blessed with a yard, consider investing in a swanky backyard studio .
Can’t find a spot? Use your local library. It’s quiet, has great natural light, and virtually no distractions.
Dedicate your writing space and banish all people and things (yes, this means your smartphone) that can hinder your writing time and you’ll soon find your word count soar.
Don’t Start at The Beginning
Have you ever started writing with the full intention to produce, but ended up stalling? We all have. If you’re writing a book and have gotten stuck more than once, you may have made the rookie mistake of starting at the beginning.
And why not? It sounds sensible that you would start from the beginning.
1. Write your flap copy first. Your flap copy (or jacket copy) is that 200-word or so pitch that summarizes what your book is about, why it’s important, and how it will help the reader.
2. Create a book outline and chapter summaries.
3. Write your first draft, chapter by chapter, skipping over the places that need fleshing out or more research.
4. Find all missing information and go back and fill in the empty spots.
If you write your flap copy first you’ll have the core message that can guide you over the writing process and help you use your time more effectively.
Time Yourself
You want to write a book? Commit to writing for a set amount of time. What’s the point sitting at a desk, staring at a blank screen if you don’t know ahead of time how long you’ll be there?
Nothing too fancy needed here expect for your smart phone or a stop watch. As you produce within your writing schedule, you’ll see your word count grow. And seeing constant, tangible progress has a way of energizing you to do more.
Time constraints are meant to keep you on a schedule (so don’t expect your writing to be perfect as first drafts aren’t meant to be), and to help you build a writing habit.
It’s not sexy, but to optimize your writing time, you must schedule into your day.
Use Writing Prompts
I don’t mean a prompt writers sometimes use as a daily exercise. Or morning pages to discard thoughts that may not have anything to do with your book. (Although, to keep your sanity and focus, writing morning pages is a great way to purge your thoughts and clear your head, and it can boost your productivity.)
· Your prompt can be a statement, a question, a quote, a statistic, or a strong written comment that gets your juices flowing.
· It can be from your last chapter or writing session. At the end of each session, write an opening sentence or two to set yourself up for the next day. If you already have notes, copy them onto that chapter’s first page.
If you set up a writing prompt for reach session, you’ll have a “word reservoir” and you can trick yourself to write.
Keep it simple
If you streamline your tools and processes you’ll boost your chances of crossing the finish line.
· Carry a small notebook and pen everywhere to jot down ideas, themes, questions or research as they come.
· Managed your manuscript with writing software such as Scrivener. It allows authors to organize files, store images, outline, write, and edit multiple types of word processing files from one powerful platform.
· Not big on technology? Consider writing on a word process such as the Alphasmart Neo. Many writers use them for this single purpose because they’re virtually distraction-free. Because nothing is stored on the device, it turns on faster than a laptop, and allows you to store multiple files or transfer them to a computer via USB cable.
No one said writing a book is easy. But if you treat your writing time as sacred and approach it as any professional, you’ll waste less time, experience less frustration, and banish writer’s block.