SPA Girls Podcast – EP85 – How to Write Faster
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This week we talked about ways to speed up the production of your books, from getting your head in the right space from the get-go, to planning, scheduling and lastly ways to make sure you plain-old write faster.
It’s a great episode because it yet again demonstrates how we’re all different and things that will work for one, won’t necessarily work for another. But what we are able to do is offer a whole bunch of ideas and suggestions for practical ways that you can amp up your writing schedule. You don’t have to try them all, but it will give you something to think about as you write your next book. 🙂
How to write faster by getting all your ducks in a row, and your mind in the game!
The familiarity of an environment when you are first starting out in your writing career can often help you be more creative. Over time, you can modify this, and write anywhere, but to start with this can help get those creative juices flowing.
If you write with music, then play the same playlist. Get those headphones on, or speakers turned up, and sit for a few minutes and listen to it. After a period of doing this, your mind will instinctively think, right, I know this music, it’s writing time!
Whatever trigger you need to switch on, then find it, and use it repeatedly.
If you’re not a plotter, then you’ll start your writing not knowing the direction you are heading. The familiarity of music and or environment will help with this and get you started with your writing session.
Make sure when you sit down to write that’s what you are going to do. You don’t want to start and then open FB, or check your emails. Writing time is for writing.
Sometimes, it’s good to start with a sentence you’ve written at the end of the last writing session. This will help you with direction, and where to start.
We think acknowledging that you are a writer will help with the mindset too. If you don’t call yourself a writer, then no one else will! The first step to being successful in this game is accepting what you are and want to be.
Meditation is also an excellent writer’s tool. Clearing your head can help get rid of other thoughts, and free you up for writing.
A proviso on what’s written above is be mindful of setting yourself up for failure too. You need to be able to write in different places, and if you need to have your candles, and a knee blanket, that’s not always easy on an airplane or in a hotel room.
FYI, there is no substitute for passion! If you are not passionate about your writing, then no amount of props, will help. Same goes for discipline too!
Sometimes you can get a bit stale sitting in your office all day every day. Maybe you will need to get out of the house and go to a café, or park, and write.
Don’t stifle your creativity by being hard on yourself. High expectations will in some cases stop you from getting those words down. Be happy with 100 words written, if that is all you can write that day. The point here is that you’ve written, and that’s important. Don’t set yourself up to fail.
Sometimes writing with other writers, can be motivating. Watching their creativity can also be inspiring.
Accept that writing is hard work! Fun, yes! Rewarding, definitely, but also hard work!
Using dictation can help with productivity, but it is not easy to learn. Again it’s about consistency.
Links
https://www.nuance.com/dragon/support/dragon-naturallyspeaking.html
