Is Your Writing Productivity in a Slump? Try a Sprint

author deadline-stopwatch-2636259_960_720 (002)One of the problems that often plagues authors is their writing productivity. It often seems like there’s not enough time in the day to get everything done. If an author is writing on the side, as opposed to a full-time job, then finding time to sit down and belt out the words can be difficult.

However, some writers are pounding out the words through a technique called sprinting. Much like the running equivalent, sprinting in the writing sense is defined as writing as many words as you can as fast as you can, for a short period of time. Usually, people who sprint set the clock at 20 to 40 minutes. Continue reading “Is Your Writing Productivity in a Slump? Try a Sprint”

Do You Need to Be Closer to More Writers?

author write-insIn real estate, they say it’s all about location, location, location. But, does the same hold true for writing? Not in terms of the state or country you live in, but in terms of whether your write alone or in proximity to other writers.

While we generally all have writer buddies from whom we ask for advice or critiques, do we have buddies we actually sit and write with? I mention this because my local writers group started a weekly “write-in.” During that time, group members meet at a public library and write together. No, not on the same project, just in the same vicinity as each other. Write-ins are fairly common during National Novel Writing Month.

When I first heard the idea of a write-in, I was a little dubious. Continue reading “Do You Need to Be Closer to More Writers?”

Fuel-Efficient Productivity for Writers Part 2

too many notebooks for author organization
Photo courtesy of Rants of the Archer

Yesterday, I said that I’d found a better way to keep a combination writer’s notebook and Capture Device (from GTD.) A way so simple, so elegant, so fuel-efficient that I can envision myself using it for years to come. I found the method on Pinterest. It’s detailed in this article in the English-language version of The Tokyo Times, which says:

This little useful hack was taught in Japan but it’s a bit messy. Also, it’s something most people will not find themselves doing all the time, but it may come in handy for the right subject. Continue reading “Fuel-Efficient Productivity for Writers Part 2”

Fuel-Efficient Productivity for Writers

IU notebook for author planning

There are tons of productivity systems to help us keep track of ourselves. Analog systems such as the store-bought day planners like Filofax, Franklin, and DayTimer are old favorites. Other analog options are the inexpensive build-your-own systems like Getting Things Done (GTD,) and the newer system called Bullet Journaling (popular, but it’s much too elaborate for me). Digital products are also available. Two of the more highly rated ones are Planner Plus and the Anytime Organizer. We can even find (or improvise) hybrid systems combining a little of both. Continue reading “Fuel-Efficient Productivity for Writers”