My New Writing Sessions

I've never really had a structure to my writing sessions. I've always simply sat down and put words on the page. I wrote until I didn't feel I could do anything more creative, and that was it for the day. Sometimes, like when I'm in the middle of writing a novel, that's not a bad thing. I would write until I got to a good place to stop, usually after a fairly significant amount of words. Other times, usually when I was in a spot that was proving difficult to write, where the words simply didn't want to come out, very few words would be written. I have to say, this process has worked marginally well--I've finished three novels and have over twenty short story publications to my credit, not to mention a good many Friday Flash stories right here on this blog. So why not keep doing what I'm doing? Easy! I've found a way that works better for me, and I hope will result in even more productivity.

I've learned this month that if I work for a half-hour, take a ten minute break, and then work for another half-hour, I get a lot accomplished, even if I start out not feeling very creative. The fact that I know I'm going to be planted in my writing chair for the next half-hour gets my mind moving. I give myself permission to simply stare at the clock for the full thirty minutes, but how boring is that? My mind, conscious and sub-conscious, would much rather spend that time writing than mindlessly count down the minutes, so I inevitably find my pen dancing across the page. And since I know I'll get a ten-minute break shortly, the time doesn't seem like an unendurable chunk.

Why a ten-minute break? It's a good, quick refresher. I get up to get a drink of water, I read an article or two in Writer's Digest or a few pages in a "how-to" writing book, I count the number of words I've written in the previous half-hour (what can I say, it relaxes me), or I work on a Sudoku or logic puzzle. Anything as long as it's not pertaining to what I've been working on. When the ten minutes are up, I find I can slip easily back into work mode for another half-hour blast.

The great part about this is it can be tailored to any amount of time. I've been doing it for an hour (or an hour and ten minutes if you count the break), but there's no problem adding on extra half-hour chunks with breaks in between if you're feeling more ambitious, or if less time is available some days, a single half-hour block with no break afterwards. The key is to keep the creative mind motivated. If my mind knows it only has to produce at half-hour clips, it's going to get the work down, and the world count is going to rise (hopefully with words that are working for that story--but that's always the worry, right?).

So what does this mean for you? Try it and see. Figure out how much time you want to spend on a writing session and break it down into chunks. Have an hour exactly to write? How about two twenty-five minute sessions with a ten minute break? Two hours exactly? How about two thirty-five minute sessions with a half-hour session added in (and two ten minute breaks sandwiched in, of course). Play with your schedule. See what works for you. Find out how the time limit mixed with short breaks does for your creativity and productivity. And, above all, have fun with it!

My Writing Process Pt. 2

Last week I gave insight into how I am working on my newest work as a whole, but I thought this week some of you might be interested in seeing how I write on a daily basis.

I make it a priority to write six times a week, and usually I do seven. Sometimes that seventh day is maybe a hundred words, but as long as something is on paper, I view it as a good day. The other six days, I require a few pages, not just paragraphs. And I say pages, not 500 or 1000 words, because I write longhand. I often get sneered at when I say this (or sometimes people will tell me in a hushed voice like I might not know that I can write directly into the computer), but I enjoy the process of writing with a pen and paper. I also like the quick editing I can do when I get around to entering my pages into the computer. It's not an official revision step, but it's a helpful part of the process for me. Will I continue to do this? Probably not for my next novel attempt, but maybe I'll go into the reasons for that in a future post. I'll never give up on the pen and paper approach fully, though.

When I sit down, the first thing I do is pick up a "how to write" book. It doesn't matter which one I'm reading at the time, and I have plenty to choose from (as I'm sure most writers do). I'll read a couple of pages of that and set it aside. I might also read an article in Writer's Digest if I still haven't finished the latest issue. This ritual gets me thinking about writing, which is an important step in getting started.

To be honest, the first 15 to 20 minutes don't usually go very smooth. Even though I'm in the writing mode, it's still not usually easy to kick-start the process. I don't usually get many words on the page at this point, but as long as I'm staring at the page, writing thoughts are going through my head. After this initial struggle, however, the words usually start to flow. As you all know, some days are better than others, but as long as I stick to it at my desk, I'll get my page count without too much trouble.

What do I do when I hit my goal? Depends on the day, and how the session went. Sometimes I can breeze through in an hour, and I may stick with it and keep working. Other days can be a struggle, so once the goal is hit, I stop at a good spot and leave it for the next day.

There you have it. My method isn't glamorous or ground-breaking, but works for me. As I said last week, I know many writers like to see how others go about their business, so that's your peak into my typical writing sessions. I'd love to hear any comments you might have about it, or how you structure your own time. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing!