by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
My favorite way to write is in fifteen minute sessions. That’s short enough for me to stay laser-focused on my story, but long enough to make some real progress.
It helps that I can usually write several pages in this amount of time. This post is for anyone who would like to get more writing accomplished in short sessions.
Outline
This is a no-brainer, although I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It wasn’t my cup of tea until I started running into plot holes and also realized I wasn’t working as quickly as I could. If your story is already loosely mapped out, you’re going to write right out of the gate instead of trying to brainstorm every single writing session.
Note where you left off and where you want to pick up each day
This may seem to go along with outlining, but should work for almost everyone, even if you’re not usually an outliner. If you make a small note at the end of every writing session stating where you left off with your story and where you want to pick up, it prevents you from wasting precious time rereading what you wrote the previous day. (It also prevents you from going into left-brain, editing mode.)
Think about the story before you open your laptop
What do you do before you start writing? If you write the first thing in the morning, you’re probably like me…brushing your teeth, walking downstairs, making coffee, feeding the dog. While I’m doing those rote tasks, I’m thinking about my story and where I’m planning on going with it that day. When I open my laptop, I’m ready to go.
Turn notifications off
If email or other types of notifications are distracting to you, turn them off. Or disable the wifi on your laptop.
Use a timer
I love using a timer when I write because it helps me keep focused until it goes off. Frequently I’ll find myself writing even after it goes off.
Be flexible in terms of when and where you write
This relates more to finding those fifteen minutes to write, but it’s important. If you can’t write first thing in the morning, grabbing those fifteen minutes can be tough. If you can be flexible enough to write on the go, in public, or at different times of the day, you may be more successful in establishing a writing habit.
Write daily, if possible, for easier sessions
This won’t work for everyone but, if possible, write every day, even if it’s just for 5-15 minutes. If you can do this, you’ll find it’s much easier to hop back into your story each day and that the percentage of easy writing days increases.
On those rough days where your session can only be five minutes:
You really can make progress on your story in five minutes time, if you make lists. A short list is a quick way to brainstorm ideas. The lists can be related to your ending, your middle, descriptions of important settings or characters, etc. For more ideas on using lists on busy writing days, see these three posts of mine: here, here, and here.
Are your writing sessions long or short? How do you stay focused and productive (no matter how long they are?)
Tips for more productive 15-minute writing sessions: Share on XPhoto on Visualhunt.com
I could at least get a hundred words or more down in fifteen minutes. (I’m a really slow typist.)
I remember you saying that! 100 words a day is still good…it’s the consistency that does the trick. :)
I can write fiction in short little blocks. With non-fiction, I do need an hour or more.
I can totally see that with non-fiction. So much info to organize and wrangle!
I really like these ideas, Elizabeth. They do help make the most of short bursts of time. I think it’s also important to focus more on the story you’re telling then making it polished. When I don’t have more than 15 minutes to write, I concentrate on just getting it down. Revising and polishing can come later.
Such a good point. We can’t fix empty pages!
Elizabeth, this is inspirational — thank you. I need the push every now and then.
Hope it helps, Prashant! It’s so much easier when goals are kept easy and it’s not a huge time investment each day. :)
This sounds like a great way for me to squeeze in some writing for myself. Thanks!
Good luck with it, Natalie!
Thinking small is so helpful to me when I’m in first draft mode. Whether it’s smaller chunks of time or focusing on a small part of my novel (scene, dialogue, etc), I can be more productive. I get into trouble when I start looking at the whole arc and panic that it isn’t going the way I thought, or I didn’t do this or that. If I can keep the long view at bay until I’m revising, I’ll actually have something to revise, LOL!
Thanks for a great post, Elizabeth.
It’s eating an elephant a bite at a time! Glad someone else works like this. :)
Hi Elizabeth – oh dear I’m coming after eating an elephant!! When I have something I need to concentrate on I have sub notes … and then follow through – but I’m not writing a story (usually) or certainly not a book . These ideas always help – to me it’s essential to have that outline in one’s head at least … and then jot those points down and then write … now back to that elephant!! Cheers Hilary
But you bring up a really good point…this isn’t something that works well for everyone! And,depending on the project (and you’re in a lot of nonfiction), it can take some time to jump back in and refocus. So don’t try it unless you really need to try something different! If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. :D
I actually get my writing done despite being a rare blood courier by writing at least 15 minutes in the morning and in the evening. I can usually get a page a day done that way. Better something than nothing, right?
Of course, sometimes during the day a better way to express myself or a more unique twist to what I wrote earlier comes to me so that I write only a half page a day – but a better half page!
Sometimes, Pandora plays a selection as I write that blossoms an entirely new twist to the scene I am writing as with my short story, Perchance to Nightmare, when Pie Jesu by Sarah Brightman came on. Yeah, Pie Jesu figures into a horror story. Who would have guessed? :-)
That’s cool that you allow some serendipity in your writing! Music can be a great inspiration. Sounds like you’ve got your writing time nailed each day!
Great advice! A writer can do a lot in 15 minutes. So there is no excuse on writing something each day. I have to work from outlines, even with short stories.
Teresa
I loved making my stories up as I went along until it blew up in my face, ha! Now I wouldn’t dream of not using an outline (although I will ditch the outline from time to time if I get a better idea).