#writing productivity

[badbraincake]

How To Be A Productive Writer

(I'm not productive now but when I was, this is how I did it)

1. Keep a tidy workspace. (I don't even do that anymore lol, I'm too depressed)

2. Figure out how you write best. Maybe you like to type things out, write them on paper, record your voice and write/type it down later.

3. Give yourself breaks to avoid burnout

4. Minimize Distractions , even if it seems productive. Limit searching things up and doing research mid writing session

5. Don't be too hard on yourself

6. Don't worry about making everything perfect.

7. Don't be afraid to be flexible. It's okay to totally scrap aspects of your story or entire chapters.

8. Commit to a story idea. It's the hardest for me personally but if you don't commit to any stories, you'll probably never write it.

#creative writing #writeblr #writing tips #writing advice #writing productivity #productivity

[reading-wanderer]

She can see you not writing.

Time to add three sentences to your current writing project.

#writing motivation #Dianna the cat #writing inspiration #writing prompt #reader babble #writing productivity

[em-dash-press]

Drafting Your Creative Time: Your Guide to Planning a Year of Creative Writing

2024 is about to start. You’re going to venture into another year of writing incredible stories, but what will that practically look like? I feel more in charge of my creativity by planning rough writing schedules. Here’s how you can do the same without locking yourself into a too-strict calendar that leaves your writing spirit depleted.

Set One Writing Goal

Twelve months is a lot of time, but anyone can handle a single goal. Make the next year easy on yourself by picking one thing you want to accomplish (and let’s not make it “publish my novel” if you’re just starting the manuscript on January 1, given how it takes roughly 18 months of work after you get an agent) (and that can take a few weeks to a few years, depending on your querying experience!). 

Try picking a manageable writing goal like these:

I will write 10 chapters of my novel.

I will make a collection of 5 short stories I write this year.

I will submit a short story to at least 3 contests this year.

I will publish one new work of fanfiction in the next 12 months.

I will write one short story in a new genre.

Publishing a book can be a long-term goal, but your 2024 goal should be easy to break down into manageable steps you can accomplish by yourself. You’ll be more likely to reach the finish line and work toward another goal.

Establish a Stress-Free Writing Schedule

Creativity comes and goes, but your writing will never get done if you don’t form some kind of schedule. Your upcoming year could look something like this:

I’ll write every Wednesday night between 7-7:30 p.m.

I’ll use voice-to-text to get my story-related thoughts on virtual paper for five minutes every morning before school.

I’ll do freestyle writing for five minutes on Mondays and Saturdays to keep my thoughts flowing, even if I don’t find more time to work on my story that week.

Your schedule should be realistic, which means it shouldn’t stress you out. Make it match your weekly and daily routine. When do you naturally feel most energized? When can you carve out ten minutes for your craft? 

Remember, you can always (and should!) adjust this set schedule as time goes on. Your non-creative schedule most likely won’t look the same on January 1 as it will on December 31.

Save a Few Writing Prompts

You might have a few weeks here or there when you’re juggling life’s responsibilities and can’t get to your WIP. It happens to all of us!

When you’re busy, try answering a writing prompt in three sentences or less. Use your phone, a sticky pad, or whatever’s nearby. You never know if it’ll inspire you later when you’re free to write.

In the meantime, you’ll keep using the creative side of your brain so your writing abilities don’t feel so distant.

Check out these prompt apps if getting online isn’t your thing or takes too much time from your busy schedule!

Find a Writing Community

There are so many ways to build a writing community. Start a tumblr about it (guilty as charged) or join a Facebook group. Find an active Reddit thread about your favorite genre or join a Discord server with writers. 

You don’t even need to start talking to others and making friends if it makes you anxious. Read what people are saying to get inspired by everyone. You’ll naturally join in when you get excited about something they’re discussing and keep creative writing at the front of your mind.

Read Lots of Books

I always feel more connected to my writing when I’m actively reading. Artists of any kind need a source of inspiration to keep their creativity flowing. Keep an actively growing To Be Read list with apps like Story Graph (a Goodreads-type app that isn’t owned by Amazon and gives so much more information about your curated reading history!).

Visit your local library if you don’t have the money for new books all the time (who does?). As you get inspired by what you read, you’ll also pick up skills from authors you admire or note things you don’t want to recreate. Study each story’s structure and character development. You’ll return to your WIPs with renewed passion.

Embrace the Scary Editing Stage

Your first draft is your thoughts and dreams poured out on paper. The editing stage is where you refine and re-write your work until it shines. Set aside specific time for editing after completing a first draft of any story. Even if your editing phase doesn’t take very long, working on line edits and developmental edits will make your work so much better.

It’s also a normal form of frustration for writers, but one that happens no matter where your writing goes (on fanfiction websites, short story contests, a literary agent’s desk, etc.).

Schedule Your Rest

Writing might feel like a natural hobby, but your brain and body still need to rest after periods of intense focus/work. Schedule rest periods into your daily or weekly calendar. It’s time to recharge in whatever ways best suit your body, like:

Sitting outside

Walking in a park

Reading

Sitting in a hot bath

Going to the movies

Sleeping in

Keep in mind that sometimes you’ll need more rest than others. Extend some self-compassion by checking in with your physical and mental energy frequently during the next year. If you take time to rest, you’ll be less likely to burn out creatively.

-----

This next year will be full of growth, challenges, and joys in your writing life. Embrace every second by resting and writing in new ways.

#writeblr #productivity #writing productivity #creative writing #creative writers #writing advice #writing tips #writers of tumblr #writing #writing community #writing help #writing resources #writing inspiration #new years resolutions #creative writing resolutions

[ahb-writes]

8 Ways to Write More, More Often:

Set smart goals and stretch goals. Smart goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based. Stretch goals are the little bit extra you can reach if a writing session goes well.

Build small habits. Small habits are easier to build than large ones. Writing fifty words every day for a week can become 500 words daily more easily than starting with a big and daunting target. Big habits begin small. Consider establishing a system that works, instead of setting lofty goals that you aren't quite sure how to reach.

Work on perspective and your locus of control. "Locus of control" refers to whether a person sees events as unfolding due to external forces more, or due to their own agency and action. Keep reading for more on how this connects to productivity. Keeping productive (not just in writing) comes easier to people when they believe in their own agency, in the power of actions they take to create the outcomes they want.

Check in with a productivity or writing coach. If you struggle with creating the systems and accountability to stay productive, ask for help. A writing buddy or coach can hold you accountable with kindness and thoughtful, measured input. A writing coach helps through a combination of discussion about your work and ideas, feedback on writing identifying improvement areas and providing stimulating questions and/or suggestions, and encouragement and support when you most need them.

Embrace the motivating power of groups and teams. Writing is a solitary pursuit but a caring writing group may help you sustain your commitment to your story. It's easier to keep showing up together. The best writing groups provide a safe place to find something like beta readers who are writers, too. A place to renew your focus through productive discussion.

Use planning and productivity tools. Calendars, spreadsheets, or a place where you record your daily writing streaks help you keep track of progress. Your story planning tools may be as simple as a calendar to set alarmed reminders for writing sessions or sprints, or a more complex system.

Build in vital breaks. Build breaks into your writing routine – self-care keeps muses happy. In planning smart goals and stretch goals, writing sprints and sessions, remember to build in breaks. Not writing is not necessarily not writing. Burnout is both easy to reach and easy to avoid.

Feed your writing focus. What are the ingredients of better productivity in writing and other endeavors? Motivation. Focus. Intention. Discipline. Identify your best creative environment. Eliminate prominent distractions. Schedule focused time.

#writeblr #fiction writing #novel writing #writing tips #writing productivity #writing advice #now novel #writing #productivity #productivity hacks #smart goals #accountability

[estellaedgewater]

Day 15 of writing until I finish my book.

I’ve learned that none of my words exist without coffee

#writers #writerslife #writeblr #writing #writing productivity #coffee and writing #coffetime #coffee #i need coffee #coffee in the morning #novel writing #writers on tumblr #writing community #writing challenge #daily writing #creative writing #my writing

[lilawithanh]

I can barely write two pages together for a research paper, but oh boy give me a brain worm involving two or more of my favorite imaginary people and bam 20 pages in under two hours. Somebody please lobotomize me, I hear it makes you more productive.

It’s so hot when he scratches his head and pretends to be stupid.

#writing productivity #fanfic #research #i need a lobotomy #brain worms #sobbing #peter falk #columbo #secretly not a himbo #my favorite kind of himbo #he loves his wife and putting away killers #and Dog #but that’s it

[kimboo-york]

Join a community of writers who support each other in our writing goals!

It’s a positive environment filled with encouragement and gentle accountability!!!! All writerly persuasions welcome! Pro, amateur, fanfiction, non-fiction are all welcome!

For more info: houseofyork.info/1mwc/

#1MWC #1 Million Words Club #Writers groups #writing community #writers supporting each other #positive reinforcement #Writing Accountability #writing productivity #writing support #am writing #writing sprints #writing prompts #writers supporting writers #writing encouragement

[tinathemastermind]

RANDOM QUIRKS FOR CHARACTERS

bite nails all the time

can't sit still, so constantly flails legs and arms

eat things in even numbers

always adjust the glasses (if the character wears glasses)

always talks to himself

can't sleep with the door open

always tapping fingers on random things

always staring at people when lost in thought

can only concentrate on something while listening to music

fix clothes all the time

make random, weird noises

is always humming

is always listening to people in a conversation, but hardly understands what they say and ask: "can you repeat that please?"

gives nicknames to all people

becomes introverted with no friends around

always waits for the person to say "please" when asking them for something

always want to kiss or date someone, but when an opportunity presents itself, they refuse it

can't watch a movie or a tv show without saying something about it

hope y'all like the ideas and sorry for the bad english, i'm brazilian

(any brazilians out there?)

#fanfiction prompts #random prompt #quirks #new to tumblr #idk man #are you okay #pedro pascal supremacy #creative writing #writing productivity #writing prompt

[wythmoonie]

ya’ll… somethun about that across the spiderverse soundtrack has got me WRITING. every time i sit down and play it, it’s like something overtakes me. i blank out. when i come back to reality, the next five chapters to my fic have been written and i am hungrier than a cryptid who hasn’t been able to hunt for months bc someone put up warning signs around my hunting grounds and the dumbass humans are actually respecting the signs

#fanfic #writing productivity #my writing process is so fucked LMAO #i either have to be in a hot bubble bath or #listening to the same four songs over and over again #the god of inspo takes over me #and by the time i come back to reality hours have passed #and i look like a half starved wombat

[forthelanterns]

Today I will...

in no particular order:

keep on top of social media (because one of the jobs I applied for recently was a social media position) / do research on streamlining stuff like that for various sites

answer all the asks in my inbox (4 as it currently stands)

join @did-i-do-this-write and (I think?) @365runesofwriting in writing 100 words for every ask I answer

Answer the find-a-word game I was tagged in, except where 'find-a-word' means 'if you don't have the word, write a tiny story in a selected 'verse for it'.

put in the submission calls I have curated into my spreadsheet of doom

curate the information I have on serial fiction into once comfy spot for my brain

... I guess ask if anyone would wanna see that as a post maybe? With the caveat that I am still reading into the whole thing and may not have the most accurate information or ability to answer questions.

remember to make my writing update post tonight.

keep up with work writing/checking in with that side of things to make sure I have actually secured the jobs I think I have lined up.

do a creative or recharging action that is not *making* words. Reading is okay, as is TV or movies, or video games. Doing that solo-journaling RP poking is stretching it but can be allowed for now.

#writing productivity #writing accountability #daily accountability #writeblr #writing community #writing to-do-list #writing tdl #writeblr community #writing updates #writing progress #rambles from within the vale

[megicianniacigem]

Clarkwood Universe: Enemies to Lovers - Nowhere Else to Go...

It was pitch black. My breath was ragged and I was shaking from adrenaline and sweat. I ran the mile to my closest neighbor - who despises me. Unfortunately, I have caused him multitudes of pain all by accident. I seemed to become his personal curse.

One horrible event after another happened between us until he flat-out began avoiding me. He would turn his back as soon as I came into sight. I do understand... who would want to see the face of the person that wrecked their barn by driving into it when my brake pedal wouldn't work. Or when I ran over his dog when we jumped in front of my car - I cried for weeks with guilt. Or when I came over with a big sincere apology with balloons and cake on the day of his deceased wife's anniversary - unbeknownst to me. I'm not a shitty person - it just seems like it when I'm around Jeff.

Now, I was pounding on his old wooden door trembling and cautiously looking behind my shoulder. Only minutes ago I was fighting off a stranger that broke into my farmhouse. I shivered remembering where his hands crawled over my body. The door creaked open and Jeff wasn't happy.

"What do you want? It's 2 am..." He asked. His irritation left his voice as he got a good look at me. Quickly he grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside and stared. My nightgown was ripped exposing my chest - my left tit slightly exposed to the air. My hair was like bedhead after sex - yet this wasn't pleasurable. I had no shoes on. I noticed Jeff intently looking at my exposed breast and then we made eye contact. I burst into tears.

"I had nowhere else to go" I cried.

Jeff swooped me into his arms and softly cooed at me. This was the right decision - going to Jeff was the right decision.

#writeblr #bookblr #write #writers on tumblr #feelings #free write #free writing #creative writing #short writing #writing #enemies to lovers #writing prompt #writing productivity #writing aesthetic #female writers #prompt writing #prompt #enemies to lovers prompt

[elizaellwrites]

What is happening? I'm almost done with Chapter 14 and I just put out Chapter 13 literally yesterday

I'm concerned for myself.

I've not written this much at once in a very long time

#writing productivity #writing binge #this has been going on for five days #i've written a total of 24 pages in #i repeat FIVE DAYS #am i going crazy

[lostgreekgod]

remembering that I'll become rich the moment i publish a book: :D

realizing that i have to write it down first: :O

#judith's nonsense #fic writing #writing #writing procrastination #writing progress #writing process #writing productivity #writing problems #writing community #writing is hard #writer things #writer #writeblr #writing inspo #fanfics #mutual shenanigans

[estellaedgewater]

#writers #writerslife #writeblr #writing productivity #novel writing #novelist #writing community #writing memes #author meme #meme #writing challenge #daily writing

[mightymur]

[ISBW] Evil Mur Takeover! Plus the Secret Seagull Shack

“Evil Mur Takeover! Plus the Secret Seagull Shack ” is brought to you in large part by by my supporters, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Remember, some links may be affiliate, but they support the show at no extra cost to you.   I Should Be Writing Season 20, Episode 9 Transcript “If you don’t…

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#Adhd In Writers #Cozy Mysteries #Fiction Writing Podcast #Hugo Awards Controversy #Infinite Archive Book #isbw #livestream #Save The Cat Writes A Novel #Snowflake Method #Writing Productivity

[kimboo-york]

The 1 Million Words Club is a community of writers for writers! We are: supportive, encouraging, diverse, and engaged.

We are writers from all across the genre spectrum, from fanfiction to historical literary fiction to LGBTQ+ romance!

If you are looking for a group of writers to help you with your accountability and your writing goals, please join us!

Founding memberships at only $5.99/mo are still available!

#kimboo's musings #1MWC #1 Million Words Club #Writers groups #writing community #writers supporting each other #positive reinforcement #writing productivity #am writing #writing sprints #writing prompts #writers supporting writers #writing encouragement