Small Habits
Making Writing Easier
Intro
This month’s post will be short and sweet. I want to talk a bit about four habits I stick to when writing that help to get me started and keep the momentum going when I’m on a project. As you know, focus is everything. Focus on thoughts, on surroundings, on the project. All come together to keep me on track. Without the focus, I wander into the dark, not knowing where I’m going or where I’ll end up. By sticking to my four go-to principles, I have proven and more consistent outcomes.Begin Post
Get Ready to Write
This one is key. By getting ready I mean I get my thoughts together and try to drown out as much noise as possible. Noise being distractions, be it physical or visual. Physical distractions such as an uncomfortable chair or desk location or height. I find little things like that play a big role in how focused I’ll be during a session. Visual distractions such as sitting in front of a window or television. These types of distractions can steal your focus, and before you know it, you’re no longer ready to write.
My desk isn’t located directly in front of a window, but I get enough of a view to see the coolest little gecko lizards playing throughout the day. Sometimes, I want to go out and play too. I also have an Alexa video device sitting right below my monitor (Please don’t ask me why) and yes, it can be a distraction, but, hey, it’s my article and I believe in full disclosure.
Block Out Noise
Noise can come in many forms. My writing space is near aircraft flight paths, both military and commercial. I try to keep up with the flight schedules that put them over the house so I can adjust my writing time accordingly. The flyovers don’t last long, but even brief interruptions can throw off my train of thought when I’m caught up in a hard scene to articulate. Garbage trucks, lawn mowers, and leaf blowers are all noise sources that can rob me of my train of thought.
Physiological noise can be just as bad. If I’m hungry when I sit down to write? I’ll think of little else until I stuff my face sufficiently enough to drown out that noise. And only then can I get back to where I need to be.
I think of what I’m about to write. Is it something I’m going to dread? For example, am I about to work on a chapter or scene that involves politics, uncomfortable sexual situations, or emotional stress? When I approach things I know I’m going to have to use words that will sufficiently describe stress, I try to visualize those stresses ahead of time. That way when I get to those parts of the writing, I’ve already dealt with the tough parts.
Note the technical jargon. Am I approaching a part of the writing that causes technical wording, such as a court scene, or a doctor explaining a procedure to a concerned parent or spouse? Writing these types of exchanges can be demanding if I don’t have a firm grasp of the jargon. When confronted with this, it means I may have to go back and do more research.
Commit To Write X Number of Words
I define my chunks. I think about the time I can devote to writing and then make the most of it. If I know I only have an hour to work with, I set a goal of how many words I intend to pump out during that time and make sure I stay on track to do that. Sometimes, I may commit to finish a scene vs a specific word count, but either way, I set the goal and try my best to complete it within the timeframe I have. If I finish early, great, I can watch the gecko’s play some more. If I don’t finish, I commit to making it up later.
By committing to write X amount of words in an expressed time frame, it forces me to stay on track. I know that my mind wanders. Unless I set a goal, it can take hours to write the same amount I might commit to do in, let’s say, thirty minutes. Making a commitment keeps me focused on the task at hand.
Write
And lastly, I just write. When I’ve gone over all the steps prior to this one, it’s time to put in the work. When I’m writing longer works like novels, especially during the first draft, I just write. I sit down and just hammer out the words. They don’t have to make sense as long as I stick to the current scene. As long as I get the thoughts on the page, I can always fix gibberish, misspellings, illogical quotes and the like later. I just type out what is in my head at the moment. As many of them as I can, given the time I have.
I call this my get-real approach to writing. As I tire of constantly trying to decipher gibberish and correcting the use of wrong or less powerful words, I get better as a writer. For all the going back and fixing stuff forces me to learn the proper words and uses of those words. It all makes me more prepared for the next project.
Conclusion
The habits I’ve described are the ones I’ve found over the years to help me. I take the same approach whether I’m doing a newsletter article, a blog post, a short story, or a full-blown novel. This approach works equally well in all scenarios. When I follow these habits, I can feel the productivity taking place. I don’t have to address them in order. For instance, if the second habit dictates I drown out that physiological noise, the getting ready to write habit takes a back seat. There’s nothing wrong with that. I can address these habits in any order that works at the moment.
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