habits

Writing Habits: Getting Back on Track

Published on by Kristi Holl

There is a famous quote: “If you take one day off writing, your muse will take off the next three.”

In other words, it will take you three days (after skipping writing) for you to get back into the flow of your writing project. Even taking one full day off will cost you in focus.

De-Railed Once Again

Because of some unexpected events in January (including a contracted nonfiction project that was taking hours and hours more research than I had figured on), I laid aside my novel about mid-way. After five weeks, I was at a place to pick it up again. But I couldn’t get moving.

So I did what I am always telling other writers to do. I found an online challenge that lasted a week. (Beth Barany ran the challenge through a special Facebook page. For my challenge, I chose “writing 500 words per day” for a week on my novel.) I got behind early in the week, and on Friday had to write 2,000 words to meet the challenge for the week, but I did it, and I got unstuck. I’ve been able to write 30-60 minutes every day since–and I plan to keep it up.

The other thing I did was buy an ebook (free on a daily free ebook notice I signed up for) and read Master Your Time in 10 Minutes a Day by Michal Stawicki. I had also let go of several smaller projects in January that I wanted to restart (reading, studying) that had overwhelmed me. But by using his “10 minutes a day” approach, I got back into all five projects again. I set my timer, worked hard on each thing for ten minutes, then moved on to the next thing. I learned (again!) how much I could get done in ten minutes. More importantly, though, I got unstuck and moving again.

Time of Re-Entry

I don’t know why this is, but when you finally get back to writing, you can expect some uncomfortable, not-fun writing days, producing stuff that stinks. Several writers I’ve read lately say that if you’ve been away from your writing for a week or more, you can expect about ten days of writing that is no more fun than getting teeth pulled when you start again.

When I say “away from your writing,” that’s what I mean too. Sometimes–and I am sooo guilty of this–we fool ourselves that we’re writing when we’re:

  • Reading a writing magazine or blog
  • Marketing a story (looking for publishers and agents)
  • Blogging
  • Journaling
  • Answering email to writers, editors and family members
  • Speaking at writer’s conferences
  • Going to book signings or book store readings
  • Posting to Facebook or Twitter

That’s not the kind of writing I mean. Those are writing-related tasks, and writers today have more and more of them, it seems. They have to be done. But they don’t take the place of writing.

In the Flow

To stay in the groove, so to speak, you don’t have to write for hours and hours every day (although hours are lovely and the more, the better.) I have found that if I work on my novel for even twenty minutes a day, I can avoid that horrible getting started angst the next day. And I don’t have to waste time trying to remember where I was, what the characters were feeling, what the plot problem was, or that new insight I realized about the theme. Our brains seem to be able to hold onto those things for about 24 hours.

As Heather Sellers said in Page by Page, “I try to avoid missing days. The not-writing days aren’t worth it! It’s too hard to get back into it. This is why athletes cross-train off season. This is why people who are successful with weight management stay below a certain weight. It just isn’t worth it. Getting back into shape is just too hard. It is easier to keep doing it, tiny little writing periods, day after day. Without missing a day.”

Too Late?

What if you’ve already missed a few days, or weeks, or months of writing? Then start again. But you can also take this to the bank: your writing will stink, you will hate it or question your story or your talent or your motives, you will feel self-indulgent, and writing for twenty minutes will feel like hours. But this really uncomfortable period is usually necessary. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that–if you stick it out for about ten days straight–it will pass. The muse will return, the writing will be fun again, you’ll realize how much you missed it, you’ll love your writing rituals and routine, and you’ll wake up eager to write as you did in the past.

Once you regain that wonderful writing state, do everything you can to maintain it. If you know you have a super busy day tomorrow, set your alarm twenty minutes earlier and write before the day takes over. It doesn’t take much writing to stay in the flow–not nearly as much as it takes later if the writing stalls.

Write daily, if at all possible. As the note stuck to my computer says, “You don’t need more time…you just need to decide.”

A Writerholic’s Many Faces

Published on by Kristi Holl

Did you know that, contrary to popular belief, workaholics (and the sub-group writer-holics) don’t work all the time?

In fact the term can describe “any person who is driven to do too much, whether that person works sixty hours a week or runs around like a chicken with its head cut off…Some work addicts appear motionless, but their minds are racing.” (Diane Fassel in Working Ourselves to Death.)

Three Faces of a Writerholic

While my goal and life-long desire as a writer has been to be consistent with my writing output, it is seldom that way. Sometimes I work long hours with a huge output (like writing 50,000 words last November for NaNoWriMo), sometimes it’s in spurts, and sometimes approaching deadlines make me freeze (afraid that I can’t do what I promised in the contract.)

I knew my writing output was sporadic, but I thought each style was a problem by itself. I am beginning to see that they’re all just different faces of perfectionism.

Obsessive Writers

This writer works long hours, taking on project after project. She feels compelled to do what she needs to do to keep going. I used to blame it on the financial needs of raising children alone–and that certainly contributed to the pressure–but after the need passed, the behavior remained. According to Joan Webb, “it is a matter of identity for her. If she stopped to rest, it would prove she is inferior, lazy or both–and that would be unthinkable.” Yup, this was me for many years.

Binge Writers

This writer works in spurts, but with great intensity and energy and focus. These intense bursts of work are sometimes (for the writer-holic) ways to avoid dealing with other issues (children’s problems, marital woes, a looming health concern). “Work, projects, tasks and accomplishments become the medication of choice so that she doesn’t have to feel her emotions, deal with her disappointments or ask deep questions,” says Webb. I’m guilty of this one too–not as much as in the past, but it’s definitely a factor sometimes.

Anorexic Writers

Deadlines can often turn me into this type of writer. The perfectionist in me isn’t satisfied with writing “sh****” rough drafts, as Anne Lamott calls them in Bird by Bird. After having had 42 books published, you’d think this would no longer be an issue! But it is.

Webb contends that the work anorexic is “afraid she’ll do it wrong, so she procrastinates, and the resulting guilt immobilizes her.”

What Type Are You?

Do you identify with any of the above descriptions of workaholic and perfectionistic writers? (If so, these tendencies probably show up in how you  approach other things in your life, like your fitness efforts and your relationships.)

Do leave a comment and share your own experiences in this area.

Pulling Weeds and Planting Flowers

Published on by Kristi Holl

Writers are good at pulling up weeds, but they sometimes forget to keep going and plant flowers in the dirt. After you pull weeds, don’t forget to plant flowers.

Many writers in December and January talked about their goals for the new year. Many are working hard to break habits that keep them from their writing dreams. It’s why you pull weeds–they can choke out your flowers. Bad habits can choke your writing dreams.

Here are a few weeds that writers should pull:

  • mindless Internet surfing
  • writer’s block
  • procrastination
  • saying yes when you should say no

But is that all you need to do? NO.

Don’t Forget to Plant

I have a neighbor who keeps weeds pulled and has a lovely, clean, raked, raised bed of black dirt. Any time a weed appears, it’s yanked up.  The dirt even gets fertilized. Lots of preparation is done. Unfortunately, there never comes a time when flowers are planted.

Writers do the same thing. They pull weeds. (e.g. conquer writer’s block, set up a writing schedule) Then they fertilize. One such writer, who dreams of becoming a novelist, writes every day. She journals first thing in the morning, and the words flow as she processes her day and makes plans. She posts faithfully on her blog two or three times per week, writing several thousand words each week. She belongs to an accountability group and checks in faithfully.

She blogs about writing issues while dreaming of selling that first novel, or novel series, to a traditional publisher. She has overcome her writer’s issues (“pulled the weeds”) and puts in daily writing time, telling herself that it’s just a matter of time. Week after week, and month after month, she writes, dreaming of that day in the future when she’ll have her first novel published. But it never happens.

And at this rate, it never will. Why?

Because she isn’t planting any flowers. She’ll never have anything but a lovely looking plot of black dirt.

How Writers Plant Flowers

If you dream of publishing a novel, then you have to do correct planting. Your seeds and seedlings might include:

  • studying characterization and dialogue
  • writing descriptive passages
  • practicing figures of speech
  • taking an online class on plotting
  • studying market guides

Those seeds planted and watered will one day produce a crop.

It All Works Together

Yes, you have to get rid of bad writing habits (“pull weeds”), and you need to establish a routine and accountability (“fertilize”). But if you don’t study your craft and write fiction (“plant flowers”), you won’t realize your dream of publishing a novel.

Don’t stop part-way into the process and fool yourself that you’re doing the necessary work. If you have a decent plot of dirt ready, then move on. Plant those flowers!

Getting the Writing Done: Crunch Times

Published on by Kristi Holl

I have several deadlines to meet by the end of this month, including finishing an outlined NaNoWriMo novel. Crunch time!

I reviewed my past “crunch time” behaviors, many of which set me back instead of moving me forward. (e.g. I often gave up eating healthy meals and grabbed caffeine-laden soft drinks and chocolate to get me by.)

But since the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over (while expecting different results), I decided to make a list of behaviors I wanted to implement from now till the end of November. These are the habits I’ve found to work during previous crunch times:

**Never sit and stare at a blank screen. When you hit a mental block, get up and move. Do a household chore you hate until you think of something to write next. There is nothing in this world that jogs my writing block loose like scrubbing a toilet. It is one of the writer’s best kept secrets.

**Close down email during the day. Check for emergency email first thing in the morning, answer any from editors, and leave the rest till the end of the writing day. Same goes for turning on the answering machine and returning calls late in the day.

**Keep up with health routines. Although my brain says, “Skip your run and get to work” or “grab that candy bar and keep working,” it never helps in the long run. I am much more productive during crunch times if I continue with my 6 a.m. run, eat my oatmeal (ugh), drink my eight glasses of water, and take breaks for healthy meals.

**Remember to stretch your neck and back. I set a timer for ten minutes throughout my work hours. Every ten minutes, I stop and do neck rolls, side bends, and back stretches. It only takes a minute, but it both lengthens the amount of time I can stay at the computer and lets me finish a work day without headaches and backaches. Every single time that I skip the exercises to save writing time, I pay later by having to quit early and having headaches interrupt my sleep.

**Give yourself a reward. Create little rewards throughout the writing day (like ten minutes of reading your favorite mystery for every hour you write) and rewards at the end of the day (a favorite DVD or dinner with a friend). I used to think rewards were silly and childish–and maybe they are–but they work!

What habits work for you during crunch times? Leave a comment with your best tip!

Writing Boundaries: Thinking Like a Nine-to-Fiver

Published on by Kristi Holl

Time pressure and interruptions–they’re always with us. Right? To a certain extent, yes.

I have several appointments coming up that will take three hours out of several different days and a couple of favors I didn’t have the nerve to say “no” to. I was bemoaning the chunk of work time that would be deducted from my work week.

How would I get my writing done?

Aha! Moment

Then I realized that my husband hasn’t missed an hour of work in more than a year, yet he keeps his doctors’ appointments and other special commitments. He does what I need to do myself–he makes up for lost time. He works afternoons and evenings. If he has  to make appointments during work time, he switches shifts,  or he goes to his appointment and works extra hours afterward. The alterations are rare though; work is a given.

He doesn’t moan and groan about time pressure, he doesn’t miss any work, and he takes care of important appointments.

Keeping Office Hours

I’m guessing that I need to follow his example in that area. If I’m going to say “yes” to a favor or a long phone call with a friend, I need to “clock out” of the office for that time, and then make it up in the evening. Or, better yet, I need to get up earlier that day and log in the extra writing time before my appointments. Too often, I go to the appointment or run the errand or babysit grandkids…and let the writing go for that day.

You can do that once in a while, of course. But this had become my habit, and my lack of productivity showed.

If I diligently make up the writing every time I quit work short of my goal for some reason, I bet I will get better at saying “no” to some requests. In fact, I can almost guarantee it as I don’t like writing at night.

I like to say “yes” to favors when I can. But I imagine I would be more productive if I thought like a nine-to-fiver and said, “I can’t do that for you this morning, but I could do it at four o’clock.” Sometimes the person wanting the favor can rearrange his schedule.

Whatever your writing goal for the day–whether it’s fifteen minutes of scheduled writing or four hours–try making it non-negotiable. Think like an office worker with a boss looking over your shoulder.

Home Office Hours

Yes, it’s easier if you work at an office with a boss. None of your friends or family members expect things from you during the day when you work outside the home. So your only option when working from home is learning to say “no.” I’ve been working in my home office (mostly full-time) for thirty years. Many people still half-assume that since I’m at home, I’m not really working.

So, as usual, it comes down to this. I need to take my writing schedule seriously before anyone else will. It’s not about convincing the people in my life that I’m serious about my writing. It’s about convincing me.

You will need to do that too.

Once we do, I suspect our schedules will fall into place. The boundaries I need to set are most often on myself. And now, off to re-read my own e-book, Boundaries for Writers. I need periodic reminding on how to do this!

Writing Strategy: Acting AS IF

Published on by Kristi Holl

(First re-read the last post: New Twist on the Thought-Feeling-Behavior Writing Cycle.)

After three very busy weeks (two new grandbabies, lots of travel, a conference, two work-for-hire deadlines), I was finally able to sit down for a lengthy time yesterday and write on my novel.

Or so I thought.

I sat down all right, but once I finally had an uninterrupted moment to think, a certain situation that has been bothering me for months came flooding back. I couldn’t concentrate on my novel, and I was up and down. I walked. I ate. I sorted laundry. I worried. I ate some more. Later in the day, I Skyped a friend. But I didn’t write until…

Ah, Yes, I Remember

I picked up a book by Kelly L. Stone that was still sitting on my desk. She’s the author of Living Write: the secret to inviting your craft into your daily life. I flipped through it and landed on the chapter called “Acting As If.” I knew this was a phrase from my old recovery group days basically meaning “fake it till you make it.”

I reviewed the thoughts-feelings-action cycle. Since my thoughts were unruly, and my feelings were haywire, I figured that “acting like a writer anyway” was my best option. I read her chapter on “Acting As If.”

Writing Strategy

Here are a couple snippets to think about:

  • People draw conclusions about themselves through observation of their own behavior just as they draw conclusions about other people based on observation of their behavior.
  • Simply act a certain way based on your ideal Writer Self-Image, and over time, you become what you are acting.

Attack that Cycle!

A licensed professional counselor, Stone had many practical suggestions about how to act “as if” you’re a confident writer, act “as if” you’re a self-motivated writer, act “as if” you’re a self-disciplined writer, act “as if” you’re a future-focused writer, and act “as if” you’re a task-oriented writer. [I definitely recommend her book.]

I used one suggestion in the “task-oriented” section, acted “as if,” and got to work. Even though it was later in the day, I had the evening free and ended up with one of the most productive writing days I’d had in a long time. (I’m re-reading Stone’s chapter first thing today though!)

Don’t give up. We’re all in this together, and I’m grateful for writers like Kelly Stone who share what works for them!

Chop! Chop! Writing in 20-Minute Slices

Published on by Kristi Holl

Thirty years ago I read an article that said writing was like eating a salami. You’d choke if you tried to swallow the whole thing at once. Slice by slice, though, it was easy.

Life has been hectic lately, with few large chunks of time to work. So I went back to creating 20-minute tasks for my “slices of salami.”

The Challenge of Chopping

Chop, chop! How do you break writing tasks into those 20 minute slices? At the beginning of the summer, I made a three-page single-spaced list of such tasks, covering several project areas (a novel revision, a possible nonfiction e-book, some work-for-hire educational writing, and marketing).

The beauty of the list to me is that I don’t have trouble getting started. I pick a task–not necessarily in the order listed–set my timer, and get going! Since getting started has always been my biggest hurdle, the list goes a long way toward getting me over that hump.

Examples of Short Writing Tasks

If your main project is fiction, and you only have 20-30 minutes to write, pre-thinking is critical before you sit down at the keyboard. Otherwise you’ll waste your time getting started and focusing. I became skilled at pre-thinking when I was first taking the ICL course because I had a preschooler, a toddler and a newborn. I wrote in 10-minute slices back then.

I made long lists of tasks for the short stories I wanted to write. The tasks covered such things as outlining steps, “creative steps” like thinking of character and setting names, mechanical steps (e.g. write opening paragraph), revision steps, and marketing steps.

The list of short fiction “slices” would include things like:

  • Think of three titles
  • Revise titles to be more suspenseful
  • Decide on main character’s name
  • Decide on ending
  • Write physical character description of mother
  • Look up street names and weather in XXX town

Nonfiction “slices” might include:

  • Fact check xxxxx
  • Organize sources into alphabetical bibliography list
  • Revise (or tighten) opening

Examples for marketing might be:

  • Find three agent blogs to read
  • Find three publishers’ blogs to read
  • Read one blog post and leave a comment
  • Set up a Twitter account
  • Get domain name at GoDaddy.com

I was going to list some of my own 20-minute tasks for you, but I realized they wouldn’t mean anything to anyone but me. (e.g. search/replace name change, check epiphanies re: p. 194 MAC, make “sense” lists for each scene in last chapter) But I think the examples above give you a better idea of breaking things down into small slices.

Estimating Time Needed

Realize that it’s difficult to estimate times correctly. Sometimes I gave myself twenty minutes to do a certain task, and it only actually took me five minutes. Other times, the task took me three 20-minute periods to finish.

For example, in the past, one of my 20-minute tasks was to set up my author page on Amazon.com. (I had needed to do this for more than fifteen years!) My friend did hers in 20 minutes, but even though we were adding the same amount of info, I took three 20-minute times to finish mine. It took me the first twenty minutes just to read and understand the directions, another twenty to write the bio, and another twenty to add the book jackets and video trailer. (Actually there was another twenty minutes spent later because some of the dust jackets wouldn’t load, which I gave up on.)

Fight Overwhelming To-Do Lists with Slices

Life is too busy and overwhelming at times. Yet we need to keep writing so we don’t lose the flow and continuity.

I hope these examples have given you ideas for breaking down your own writing projects into do-able slices. You won’t choke if you take one tiny slice at a time. Now…go eat that salami!

Your Writing: Who's in Charge? (Part 3)

Published on by Kristi Holl

(First read Mental Boundaries: Who’s in Charge Part 1 and Emotional Boundaries: Who’s in Charge? Part 2.)

By now, you’ve changed your thoughts and your attitudes. However, in the final analysis, taking charge of your writing life comes down to taking action.

Are you actually writing? Have you developed the Seven Habits of a Highly Effective Writer? 

3. Actions

Taking action involves substitution. You are replacing unhelpful actions damaging to your writing with productive actions. As Making Good Habits, Breaking Bad Habits says, it’s much easier to break bad habits if you simply replace them with good habits or good goals.

Doing the action of the good habit should be your focus, not “breaking” the bad habit. Good actions will crowd out the bad ones. You won’t have time for both!

Do you have the committed attitude talked about in Part 2 of the series? That committed attitude will make choosing your actions easier.

Commitment and Choice-Making

When you’re willing to do whatever it takes to revamp your personal life so you can write, the choices become clear. You will do things like:

  • choosing to write before doing the dishes, even though it bugs you to leave dirty dishes in the sink.
  • choosing to write for an hour instead of watch TV or talk on the phone.
  • choosing to have that lower carb/higher protein lunch so your writing energy is high all afternoon.
  • choosing to retire at a decent hour so you’re alert to create the next morning.
  • choosing to make quality time with your family so you can write without feeling guilty–and without being neglectful.
  • choosing to set goals, write them down, and even make a poster for your wall so you’re staring at them daily.
  • choosing to settle family quarrels and resolve conflicts partly because NOT doing so saps all your writing energy.

You will make choices in all areas of your life that will support your writing instead of making it more difficult. [If making these choices is difficult, you might find help in my Boundaries for Writers e-book.]

Each time you come to a fork in the road, make a choice to be in control of your writing. Each choice might look small, but these decisions add up to your life. Do find that freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself–and thus, your writing.

“If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.” —Napoleon Hill

As I mentioned before, I’ve been working hard myself to improve habits in all areas of my life, including the writing. In the last year, I’ve found these books especially helpful.

 

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Writers

Published on by Kristi Holl

“In writing, habit seems to be a much stronger force than either willpower or inspiration.” ~~John Steinbeck.

For several years, I’ve had a list of “The Seven Essential Habits of a Working Writer” scribbled on a scrap of paper and pinned to my bulletin board. I had copied the list from a book by author Jim Denney, who said, “Habits are constant. Inspiration is variable—it comes and goes. That’s why habits are better than inspiration. It is habit, not inspiration, that builds writing careers.”

I want to elaborate on that list, explaining why each habit is important—and how to implement that habit in your daily writing life.

A Writer Writes

You must begin to think like a writer—and that will lead you to acting like a writer. Then you’ll build the habits of a writer—and eventually you will get to enjoy the benefits of being a writer.

Seven Essential Habits of a Working Writer are:

  • Write Daily
  • Cultivate the Art of Solitude Amid Distractions
  • Write Quickly and With Intensity
  • Set Ambitious But Achievable Goals
  • Focus!
  • Finish What You Start and Submit What You Finish
  • Believe You Can

With all of these writing habits firmly in place, you can’t help but succeed!

(This is a long post. For the full article and explanation of all seven habits, click here.)

 

 

Warning: Stop Shifting and Drifting

Published on by Kristi Holl

driftingHave you ever noticed that we never drift in good directions?

If you want to accomplish anything, it has to be by choice. “Drift” is our default setting when we allow outside distractions to capture our attention.

Have you drifted away from your writing goals set earlier this year?

Looking Back

Recall the last time you set some writing goals. Did your goals include X number of hours of writing per week, or X number of pages produced monthly? Did you sign up for one of the 30-day writing challenges? Did you perhaps start out with great gusto? Have you continued to consistently write and produce those pages?

If not, it’s because you stopped actively making choices. You let yourself drift.

When the Thrill Wears Off

I love canoeing. Paddling is great exercise for the arms, and gliding across a sparkling blue lake is heavenly. However, when the first thrill of being on the water gives way to tired, cramping shoulder muscles, the tendency is to stop paddling. We rest a bit, and that’s okay, letting our attention wander to the shoreline or herons gliding overhead.

But if you stay focused too long watching the wildlife or the cook-out on the shore, your forward motion stops. You begin to drift off course, whichever way the wind is blowing or the current is flowing.

Lost Momentum

Drifting occurs when we stop the forward momentum, and it never takes us the direction we want to go. With that fact in mind, consider the direction of your writing career.

When you made your writing goals, your writing had your attention. You were focused. You paid the price of giving up other distractions. You logged in writing hours and watched the new pages pile up.

But at some point, you got a bit tired. We all do! Something–or someone–caught your attention. And kept your attention too long. Now you’re drifting away from the writing career of your dreams.

Self-Assessment Time

Be honest with yourself about this. Has anything in the past six months or year captured your attention or affection in a way that is distracting you from your goal? Is there a distraction that started out small but has grown so that it takes up way too much of your time? (This could be a hobby or pastime, something that looks harmless or even good. It could also be a friendship that started out fine, but has somehow taken over your life.)

Is there anything (or anyone) you need to stop (or drop) from your life so you can pick up your paddle and get your canoe moving again?

Time for Action

If you’ve drifted from your writing goals, don’t keep on hoping that you’ll somehow magically drift back. You won’t. Drift doesn’t work that way. Drift takes the path of least resistance.

As a reminder: attention –> direction –> destination.

If you want your destination to read “successful writing career,” then you need to be headed in that direction. And in order to head that direction, you must choose to pay attention to your writing. This will probably require you to stop paying attention to something else.

An Honest Look

Be honest with yourself. What shifts in attention do you need to make in order to stop the drift and turn things around? Bite the bullet and make the changes. Start today!

And once you’re headed in the right direction again, guard against drift. Notice the things that compete for your attention. Pause. Take a step back before giving your attention to something. Remind yourself of the destination you want to arrive at. Then make the choice that will get you there.

If drift is a problem for you, scroll back up to the top right of this blog page and give me your email address. I’ll send you a free copy of my ebook Rx for Writers: Managing Your Writing Space and Your Writing Time. Its time-tested writing tips will help you get back on track ASAP.