An inspiring quote from Ray Bradbury, plus an excerpt from my book 10 Productivity Secrets for Writers:
“I don’t need an alarm clock. My ideas wake me.” –Ray Bradbury
No matter how limited your writing time may be, it is imperative to identify when you are most productive at various writing-related tasks. Granted, you might not have all of your day to play with due to your job or family commitments, but you can still figure out when you’re best at certain types of writing.
For me, the days of writing into the wee hours of the night are long gone. Waking early never worked for me either. Whenever I did that, no matter how quiet or stealthy I thought I was, one of my kids would wake up too. Once they were older, I tried it again, only to discover I was spending a bleary-eyed hour to gain a measly 75 words or so. Not worth the lost sleep.
Lately, my best writing time is 9 a.m. to 2p.m. During those hours I can crank out the story and be delighted with the process and the resulting word count. So (most of the time) I block out that time and don’t let anyone trample on it – not even myself.
Through the years, I’ve learned editing is an entirely different matter. I can edit early in the morning and more importantly, I can edit in the evenings and late into the night. In fact, there’s usually a point in each fiction project when I do just that. Not always because of a time constraint, but I reach a point in the manuscript when I want to ride that rush with the characters right up to The End.
Finding your best writing time is a matter of trial, error, and being honest with yourself. The best way to find it is to keep an informal log for a couple of weeks – tracking your start and end time, the word count, and how you felt.
If you’re in a situation where you only have a set amount of time each day or week for your writing, the key is being able to sink into the story quickly. That comes from creating a habit. Sitting down and shutting out distractions is critical. Have a favorite room or chair, a favorite scent or soundtrack, or maybe a favorite tea or coffee to cue yourself that this is your writing time.
As you create that writing habit your word count will grow with each effort and in turn your writing sessions will become more productive and rewarding.
Live the writing adventure!
17Oct2018
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