[stylist] {Disarmed} FW: 7 ways to find time to write

Wed Feb 5 14:09:23 UTC 2014

Y'all,

Thought I'd forward this weekly newsletter to the list. I've been reading
her tips for a long time now and not sure why I hadn't thought of forwarding
for a possible tool. Some tips are well known, but some I found  very
helpful in the past; such as eliminating words with  "tion"  because you'll
be able to reduce word count and say it clearer without it.

Anyway, hope it's helpful to you.

Brad

From: powerwriting at aweber.com [mailto:powerwriting at aweber.com] On Behalf Of
Daphne Gray-Grant
Sent: Tuesday, February 04, 2014 12:13 PM
To: Brad Dunse
Subject: 7 ways to find time to write

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Power Writing
Super fast tips to punch up your prose
February 4, 2014
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome!

We're all short of time, so how on earth can we find the time to write? Here
are some ideas...

Reading time: About 3 minutes

PW #413: 7 ways to find more time to write

If you want to connect with an entire community of writers, or, possibly,
win a book, please read this column on my blog
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=GpEgnbvHSEFGWnNo
BPkc1w> .

Last week I wrote about wasting time
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=yNdTCBqVPqeUj5WN
9yiRXg> . Today, I write about finding it. While it's certain that most of
us have mind-manglingly busy lives, it's also true that we can usually find
enough time to watch TV, dabble in Facebook or go for a coffee with a
friend.

I'm not suggesting that you abandon these activities. But if you want to
write you need to carve out some protected time. I don't know your schedule
so I can't predict what precise time will work for you, but here are seven
strategies you can employ while you look for it:

1.	Write first thing in the morning. Even if you're a night owl (as I
used to be) it's so much easier to write first thing in the morning. There
are fewer distractions -- little email, no phone calls, no screaming
children (unless, perhaps, you still have babies). But even better, your
cranky, critical inner-editor is slower to awaken than your creative brain.
If you can squeeze in 30 minutes -- even 15 is a good start -- of first
morning writing, you are far less likely to become incapacitated by doubt
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=osN13Ex2Q6LLA3HY
I157iQ> . This has been the experience of writers such as Merrill Markoe
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=0XLI62EhKoa73nsh
i8AcvQ>  and it's been my own, as well. After writing for just 30 minutes
every morning for the last few months, I've hit the 34,000-word mark for my
next book. (Only 36,000 more words to go!)
2.	Write for the same small amount of time -- at the same time of day
-- five consecutive days a week. Writing is a job so treat it like one.
Clock in and clock out at the same time.  This will allow you to develop the
power of a habit. And habits, unlike willpower (which depletes you
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=uFVKUwhmaCyfgYIR
U64bXA> ), are self-sustaining. Start with 15 minutes and build from there.
3.	Resist the urge to do more. I know you may have developed the
college student's habit of leaving your writing until the very last possible
minute and then writing in a white-heated fury. Yes, you can do that. But
it's not a smart strategy because: (i) it reinforces the idea that writing
is a horrible job that can be done only in desperation (do you really want
to feel that way about writing?), and, (ii) it's utterly unsustainable. You
can write like a desperate zealot a couple of times a year but not five days
a week.
4.	Shut down your distractions. Writing time doesn't count if you allow
yourself to be distracted by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or your
email. Shut those things down and write! Reward yourself by playing with
them when you've finished your writing.
5.	Give yourself a goal and track it. For my book, I have created a
little table for myself in Word. It has five categories: the date, my
feelings about writing that day, the number of words I wrote, the cumulative
total of words I've written for the book, and the total number of words
remaining. See sample here
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=IhUGeeTLoM.jVayQ
uD7qcg> . The benefit of this kind of tracking is that it helps me know
exactly when my rough draft will be finished (by early May, I expect) and it
allows me to celebrate my own momentum. Seeing the required number of words
being steadily accumulated, day-by-day, is my cheesecake, my caffeine, my
pain-killer. It keeps me going.  
6.	Reward yourself. I remember to reward myself for my big
accomplishments but I'm not so good at tracking the littler ones. This is a
mistake. Big achievements are made possible by a thousand small actions.
Celebrate them! Reward yourself for writing every day. It doesn't have to be
expensive: a latte, a song from iTunes, a magazine. It can even be free:
time watching fantastic French cat video
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=ad9sRYUuIPzk30kB
_kENnA> s
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=ad9sRYUuIPzk30kB
_kENnA>  on YouTube, time on Facebook, a conversation with a friend.
7.	Make a plan for the next day. This is my most strategic piece of
advice so I've saved it for last. When you finish your day's writing, take a
couple of minutes to make a plan for what you want to write the next day.
Put this plan in a fresh document so that when you open it up (tomorrow)
you'll be greeted with instructions about what/how to write. This will take
away the horror of the blank page and give you the benefit of specific
directions about what you want yourself to do. 

You may be sleepy when you awaken. But you're not so sleepy you can't write.

How do you protect your writing time? We can all learn from each other so,
please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in my blog
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=GpEgnbvHSEFGWnNo
BPkc1w>  (just scroll to the end for the "comments" section.)  And,
congratulations to Robyn Conti, the winner of my first book prize,
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=ebbqhxiSo1m6L0nA
nxEsxg> Beautiful Ruins for her comment on my Jan. 28/14 post. Your book
will go into the mail as soon as you email me your street address, Robyn.
Anyone who comments on today's blog post
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=GpEgnbvHSEFGWnNo
BPkc1w>  (or any others in February) by Feb. 28/14 will be put in a draw for
a copy of the novel
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=FzJQ.r7bVK8f6SpM
RpFY8A> A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif.

Details, details...

Do you want to write faster, better? My popular online course offers an easy
way to add structure, support and speed to all aspects of your writing life.
Learn more about my Extreme Writing Makover
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=SgE3a5XmTH5kCgNC
1TlC1w> . The course is delivered weekly by email for an entire year so it's
an exceptionally convenient way to learn.

Nervous about signing up for a course? My super manual 8-1/2 Steps to
Writing Faster, Better teaches anyone how to write first and edit later.
It's a terrific resource for copywriters, corporate writers and business
owners. You have a choice of two versions -- basic (an e-book) or premium
(e-book and printed copy -- plus additional goodies, including my handy
booklet, 72 Ways to Beat Writer's Block). Here's where you can learn more
about my guide
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=UDKKQxzDgOSkLNzg
jPIb7Q> . (And if you buy the premium version you'll get a discount on the
course if you sign up for it later!)

Want some one-on-one coaching with me? I take a limited number of clients
every month. I am now booking for February and March. See details.
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=Q8JuiX0jmpUSoaRQ
XjPpMA> 

To see other blog posts I've written since last week's newsletter, please go
to this page
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=4z5TxI00ZQUE6D4g
tCQfmA>  and scroll through my recent entries. (They're all short.)

If you found value in this newsletter, please forward it to colleagues and
friends who might be interested. They'll thank you and so will I!

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(it's fr/ee!), just enter your name and email address in the box underneath
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<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=1loQpUXAPtDsAPqH
EC2eIg> 

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<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=_gduYDUK4WujvY9h
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<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=0ICvrv9v4CuKz4Yi
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