by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
This is another post in my series ‘making your life easier as a writer.’ This one covers how we can set ourselves up for a successful writing session with a little prep work.
We hear a lot about how to ensure easier mornings by preparing the night before (pulling an outfit out, making sure the kids have their school backpacks ready to go, picking up for 10 minutes in the evening), but the same thing goes for writing sessions, too.
I’m an early morning writer, but I think my tips can be adjusted for any writing schedule.
Let family members know what you’re doing. This is a tip that’s best for those lunch or evening writers, probably. But one way to help ensure you’re not interrupted is to get everyone on the same page when it comes to your plans.
When you finish a writing session, jot down a couple of sentences to tell your future self where you’re picking up. I’m hesitant to call this outlining because I know some writers aren’t really keen on it. This is, instead, more of a mini-outline. It’s just a device to help you jump into your story faster. Short is fine. Mine might look something like this: Sleuth interviews Joan. Joan says she was at work at the time of the murder.
Leave your laptop on your document so the story is the first thing you see when you open your device again. Naturally, this will only work if you don’t need the computer for your day job. But, for me, it really helps me when my book is the first thing I see first thing in the morning. If the first thing I see is email, I’ll fall down a rabbit hole right away.
Similarly, don’t check email and social media before writing. Once you do, your time belongs to someone else as you respond to their messages and posts.
Think about your story before you sit down to write. For me, this is as I’m getting ready in the morning and before I open my laptop. If you write later in the day, this could mean thinking about your plot during your commute or at quiet times of the day. This helps me hop right into the story.
Set a timer for focus. I’ve mentioned this a lot, I know. But in this age of distraction, it’s so much easier to be able to focus 100% on the story when there’s a limit to it. And frequently, I find myself continuing after the timer goes off because I’m in a groove.
These are just a few ideas, but I’d like to hear yours. How do you ensure a successful start to your writing sessions?
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I still write in a notebook for the first draft, so for me it’s a matter of just picking it up and getting away from my computer to another part of the house.
That’s a nice way to get away from all the distractions of technology!
Those are such good ideas, Elizabeth. I really think it’s a matter of organizing ahead of time, so you can sit down and focus without distractions. To me, that is so important. I even do things like make sure I’ve eaten before I start (if I can), so I won’t have to stop for those things.
Good point about eating beforehand! And maybe, having a drink nearby, too.
Social media and email can be such a distraction for me. I like the idea of having your WIP be the first thing you see in the morning.
That way, you have to purposefully make the *choice* to go check social media, which doesn’t feel very good!
Hi Elizabeth – I definitely need to look away from emails before I settle to do the writing I want to do – even posts become last minute … discipline must prevail. Thanks for these tips … tidying up one’s desk the night before, writing up the memory jogger for the continuation for the next day’s work … makes so much sense. Good reminders for me! Cheers Hilary
It’s the really little things that help me stay on track (and I think all writers are so easily distractible!)
Such great ideas! It never occurred to me to leave the document open on my laptop. I think I’m going to try that one in the future. I learned about creating a “first draft journal” document in a class taught by Linda Rodriguez. I’ve found this to be really helpful. If I’m not sure where I’m going when I sit down to write, I’ll spend 5 or 10 minutes journaling my ideas to get the creativity flowing. I also find it helpful to write out a scene sketch on a legal pad the night before if I’m starting a new scene the next day.
Thanks for the great tips for journaling ideas and scene sketches! Those are really helpful. :)
I’ve been more focused on editing than writing lately, and I miss it!
I try to leave a bullet point or 2 of where I’m headed to remind myself the next time I open the document – it really does help!
Editing is a left-brain skill (for me, anyway) and not as much fun (although I enjoy it because I know I’m near the end!)
Those bullet point notes can help a lot!
I often write down a summary of what I want to have happen when I stop writing for the day. It is super helpful and gets me going easily.
It can really make a huge difference, can’t it? Thanks for coming by, Patricia!