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

Wed Feb 5 15:52:21 UTC 2014

Wow, this is really great advice.  My creative writing teacher 
did tell us that we should write for 10 minutes a day.
How do you sign up for these newsletters? Are all the newsletters 
about writing advice?
Vejas

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Brad Dunse" <lists at braddunsemusic.com
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 5 Feb 2014 08:09:23 -0600
Subject: [stylist] {Disarmed} FW: 7 ways to find time to write

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=GpEgn
bvHSEFGWnNo
BPkc1w> .

Last week I wrote about wasting time
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=yNdTC
BqVPqeUj5WN
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=osN13
Ex2Q6LLA3HY
I157iQ> .  This has been the experience of writers such as 
Merrill Markoe
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=0XLI6
2EhKoa73nsh
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=uFVKU
whmaCyfgYIR
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=IhUGe
eTLoM.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=ad9sR
YUuIPzk30kB
_kENnA> s
<http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=LKfzw&m=3eKSz_j80uZ9ysk&b=ad9sR
YUuIPzk30kB
_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=GpEgn
bvHSEFGWnNo
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=ebbqh
xiSo1m6L0nA
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=GpEgn
bvHSEFGWnNo
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=SgE3a
5XmTH5kCgNC
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=UDKKQ
xzDgOSkLNzg
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=Q8Jui
X0jmpUSoaRQ
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=4z5Tx
I00ZQUE6D4g
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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