Productivity Tips for a Figment of my Imagination (And You.) · 4:07am Jan 5th, 2016
I’m writing this blog post for an imaginary person who has one trait: He made a New Year’s resolution to write more[1]. Some if you non-imaginary people might have made a similar resolution, or set a writing goal for the year, or just think that writing more would be a good thing for you to do.
My imaginary friend who asked me for advice[2] has made this resolution before, and it never stuck. So I put together a list of tips for him to try to help him keep writing.
I’ll be honest, a lot of this is common advice or common sense. I’m putting it here because if someone is dedicating (or re-dedicating) themselves to a writing goal, it might serve as a reminder to put some of these well-known practices into place from the start. Also, some of these are contradictory. There are a lot of different ways to write, and what works for one person might be the worst possible thing for another.
I’ve tried to separate them by common problems writers have so people[3] can narrow down the things that are most likely to address their issues, but if you find nothing from one group is working you might want to look at the other ideas; your problem might not be what you think it is.
[1] Oh, and he’s male. So I guess he has two traits, which is more than a lot of OCs I’ve seen…
[2] No, it’s not weird. Shut up.
[3] Both real and imaginary.
Momentum
Some people are perfectly fine, once they get in the habit of writing. Maybe you’re the kind of person who writes a 20,000, then you skip a day, and one day turns into two, turns into a week, turns into…
If you find yourself doing that, you need to keep up momentum.
Write anything once a day. If you get home at three AM, totally drunk, write a sentence. If you’re so sick you can’t get out of bed, crawl to the computer and write a sentence. No excuses. You can set a longer target goal for yourself for normal days, but if you know you need momentum, make “I wrote a sentence” your emergency fall back position for the not-normal days that will inevitably come up.
Stop in the middle of a sentence or scene. Preferably one that you’re pretty clear on how it should end. It can be more daunting to start writing than to keep writing, and it can be hard to write yourself into a scene, so if skipping a day is going to mess you up you need it to be as easy as possible to get started. Jumping into something you know how to finish can help with that.
Arrange a reminder or check-in with your friends. Sometimes it just slips your mind, and you’re laying in bed, trying to fall asleep, and you remember “Shoot,” (your mother taught you not to swear) “I forgot to write today!” To keep this from happening, try to make sure you get a reminder sometime late enough that you’re not going to put it off, but early enough that you still have time to get it done. I used to have an email reminder at 11PM. If I hadn’t written anything by then, I could make a plan to do it in the next hour or so.
Inspiration
No real Scotsmen writers get writer’s block. But this advice is for an imaginary writer, and a lot of apparently fake writers I know who do.
Some people just need to be into it to write, and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially if you’re writing fanfic where literally the only reason to write it is for fun. If that's you, you can try:
Set goals based on your personal timetable. People who need inspiration to write don’t always get it in a steady stream, so to keep yourself from feeling like you’ve failed and giving up, try to adjust your goals to take that into account. Instead of a daily writing goal, try a weekly or monthly one. I know there are times when I’ll write nothing for two weeks, and then do nothing but write for two week straight. For me, looking at my writing by month gives a much clearer picture of what I’m actually doing.
Put new ideas in your head. Whether you’re trying to find a story idea or just stuck in a scene that won’t go anywhere, sometimes your brain has just arranged every thought you’ve ever hand in every way it knows how, and nothing is happening. At those times, try giving it something else to work with, the more different the better. Read or watch or listen to something totally different, a different genre, a movie you’ve never seen, a different playlist. This might work right away in an obvious way, like seeing a character or plot you could do something with, or it might take a few days for things to tumble around and jolt something into place, but sometimes you just need a fresh perspective.
Outline and make notes. Writers who wait for inspiration to strike are likely to be writers who don’t want something as constricting as an outline. But try not thinking of it as a checklist, and think of it as a list of prompts instead. The outline is only for you, it can say as little as “Scene where Rarity talks to Opal.” If there’s a scene you’d rather write next, you can skip that, but if you’re staring at the page that might be enough to get your gears turning.
Another problem with inspiration is that it doesn’t always happen in order. An outline can also be good for giving you a place to stick that bit of conversation that doesn’t happen until chapter five, or to lay out that perfect idea you had for the waiter OC who shows up later.
Allow yourself more than one project (but keep it under control.) Sometimes your brain is chugging along on a project, then it quits. It wants to play with a new idea it had. Some writers can crack the whip and get it back to work, but for others, trying to do that will grind everything to a halt. If you’re the latter, consider dividing up your writing time in a reasonable way: write the new idea one night, then push forward on the old idea the next night. Or alternate weeks. Or, if the new idea is short, give yourself three days to finish it. (In my first year here, many of my oneshots were written that way: I had three days to get them done, then I had to go back to work on The AppleDash Project or Best Young Flyer. If the oneshot didn’t get done in time, it got scrapped.)
Deadlines
Some people do their best work under the gun. If you have trouble focusing or finishing things, a deadline can be a blessing. This past year, half of my stories were written on deadlines (and my three highest rated, at that.) So if you find you stall out before crossing the finish line, a deadline might be what you need to get your foot on the gas.
Enter a Contest. There are lots of them around the site, with all different kinds of writing periods. Shorter writing periods are great for lighting a fire under you, but if you want the same effect for a contest that offers a month or two of writing time, go for something ambitious.
Make a Promise to Someone or Arrange an Exchange. Tell your friends or followers or a group that you’re going to have a story for them by a certain date. Or make a deal with another writer that you’ll both have a fic done that the other one wants to see by a date.
Give Someone (Or the Site) a Present. Write something for a friend’s birthday coming up. Write something for Valentine’s Day, or Mardi Gras, or Easter. As long as you know what day the story needs to go out, you have a deadline.
Support
Sometimes, what you need to keep writing is the knowledge that someone, somewhere, will want to read this. This is the biggest reason that writing original fiction is so hard compared to fanfiction. But in terms of fanfiction, we have a great social set-up here and you can make the most of it to keep yourself writing. And if you are trying to write original fiction, connections you make here can help you form a support group that will let you use some of these ideas.
Find a “For Fun” Prereader. Editors and prereaders are wonderful, under-appreciated people, and you should absolutely have at least one who knows their stuff and can whip your story into shape. But sometimes that’s not what you need. Sometimes you just need a person who wants to read your story. Maybe even if it’s not finished. Maybe you need to count on them not to say anything mean at all. If you can find someone, a friend, a fan of another story you wrote, a fan of the kind of story you’re writing, and ask them to just read what you have to keep you writing, that might be the kick you need to finish it.
Release Something. If you’re working on something long, and you’re starting to feel like it will never be done, or you’re plugging away at updating a fic that doesn’t have a lot of readers, sometimes you just need to take a break, write 1000 words about ponies cuddling or killing each other or whatever floats your boat. Then get that thing cleaned up and post it on the site to get a quick hit of green thumbs or comments or faves. A new story will almost always bring some attention and remind you why you’re writing fanfic.
Arrange a Collab. Now, I don’t mean “try to convince someone to help you write the story you want to write.” A collab needs to be something both people are into, so it might take some brainstorming (unless you know the person and know they’d love the idea you want to pitch.) But enthusiasm can be infectious, and having someone else doing their part and looking forward to seeing yours can keep you on track.
Ask. As a last resort, every now and then, if you really need to hear something nice, ask people. Be totally honest about it. Make a blog post, or PM a friend, or post in an appropriate group (read the rules first) explaining that you’re feeling frustrated, and your writing is losing steam, and you could really use some supportive comments or messages. People on FiMfiction are great about this stuff, especially if you’re active and friendly and don’t do it too often.
Time
Very, very, very few people literally don’t have time to write. There are a few, but when most people say they don’t have time to write, what they mean is they don’t have time to write and play video games/watch TV/mess around on youtube.
Life is a matter of priorities, and if you really feel better after spending an hour on youtube than you do spending an hour writing, that’s fine. Not everyone has to write things, and not everyone has to write thing steadily throughout their lives. If an hour is all the time you get to unwind after working two jobs or something, just keep a document of story ideas for someday when you aren’t working two jobs, and youtube away.
But if you know you would feel better writing things, try some of these things:
Look at your other leisure activities, and decide if you can give up one. When I started really writing, I stopped playing tabletop RPGs. I didn’t have time, and that was a whole evening a week I could be writing. Video games or TV shows are other time sinks.
Use the time you have wisely. If you have a lunch break at work, get a scene outlined, or a paragraph written. Jot it down in a notebook if you don’t have a smartphone-- at least you have a running start when you do get a minute in front of a computer.
Try a daily planner. Actually write down what you need to do all day, and what you want to do all day. Often seeing it on paper can show you exactly how much time you have set aside for things like internetting or gaming, and you’ll see you really can spare an hour somewhere.
Let people in your life know that you need time. Parents, friends, and significant others will often be happy to give you some space, especially if you can tell them a specific timeframe you’ll be writing, whether that’s “every night from 9PM to 10PM” or “Friday nights after 8.”
If you have writing time and get distracted, do what you need to to stay away from the internet. This is a whole subsection, there are really too many strategies to go into, from software or apps designed to block some or all websites, to unplugging your internet, to (if you have a laptop) physically going someplace with no wifi. Escaping the internet all comes down to wanting to escape the internet: there’s nothing that will stop you if you don’t want to, and if you do want to it’s just a matter of finding the method you need to pull the plug.
I will straight up tell you there is nothing you need the internet for when you’re writing. Need to look up info or watch an episode? Do it later and fix it in editing. Want music? Download it, or buy a CD. Write in office or notepad and copy it to gdocs for your editors. If the internet is keeping you from writing, stop making excuses and get rid of the internet when you’re writing.
So, hopefully some of those things will help my imaginary friend, and any read friends trying to get their writing going and stick with it.
Since this is a Monday Blog Post, even though it’s a day late because my internet went out just as I finished, a big thank you to: bats, diremane, First_Down, sopchoppy, Bradel, stormgnome, jlm123hi, Ultiville, Singularity Dream, JetstreamGW, Noble Thought, horizon, Sharp Spark, Applejinx, Mermerus, Super Trampoline, Quill Scratch, Peregrine Caged, blagdaross, Scramblers and Shadows, BlazzingInferno, and Merc the Jerk.
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A big one I don't see on here is don't talk to people about it until you're done.
Telling people about what you've done before you've done it gives you the same satisfaction (albeit to a lesser extent) as actually finishing the work. Only tell people you've done something when you're done. If you really must get opinions before you finish, do so sparingly. The compulsion to create is a powerful tool, and pre-emptively blowing your metaphorical load leaves you without as much reason to continue.
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While I understand that mindset, I've found that I actually need to do the opposite. Talking about it with people is my way of brainstorming, and usually where I get the framework to come together as I think out loud (and on Skype it also works as notes to reference later). It doesn't really matter if the person I'm talking to responds or not, but I do need someone there. The more I talk about a particular idea, the more likely it's actually going to happen.
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Yeah, sometimes you need to go to others and gather opinions before you finish something, but I think it's a good rule to limit that as much as possible.
It's a good habit, too, as talking about more professional grade projects is pretty frowned upon. (And can and will get you fired or possibly even blacklisted).
Heh heh
How apropos.
This has been something I have been wanting to do. I have foldeers of ideas and scene and character snippets I have been wanting to whip up into a fic or three...
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Like I said, some of the tips are contradictory. There are no rules, every writer needs different things. That is one that can help some people, and other people need the opposite.
And when it comes to professional grade properties, my husband has worked with some pretty hefty ones (one he's still under NDA about) and it's really only a matter of not publicizing things. You can still talk to your family and close friends about it. Or, at least, as long as no one finds out you did.
This is something I definitely suffer from, and haven't figured out. I definitely fall into and out of having momentum, and when I fall out it seems like I can't summon the energy to even open the writing app. I start feeling like I'm avoiding an obligation and that just makes me want to avoid it more, even though I really enjoy writing. I've tried to set myself the "write something, anything" once a day goal, but I always fall off that wagon.
This one for me was what made the biggest difference in my ability to write something of any length. I went from having a bunch of half-formed story starts that sputtered out quickly, writing something into a corner, or not having any idea where to take something after a certain point, to actually writing stories with beginnings, middles, and ends. My outline points vary from a couple of words, to whole fragmented chapters, and lots of times when I get to a outline point, I end up having to change it quite a bit from what I originally intended, but having a map - even if I change course (and sometimes destination) keeps me moving forward, because there is something to move forward to.
While time deadlines never did anything but discourage me, word count targets really helped me. I don't know when I time and mood will intersect and produce the desire to write, but when it happens I'm aiming to write a minimum amount of words when I actually sit down to write. Sometimes its easy and I go way over, sometimes I struggle, but the word target helps me when its a struggle to actually produce something and not just put it off, because who knows when the next time will be.
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I actually really agree with this addition. I've seen it lots, I've fallen prey to it a couple of times. Instead of sharing the story, you share the idea of the story and it gets it out of your system and the pressure to actually write the story, and the reward of revealing things to the audience as the story unfolds fades.
This can be a good thing if its a story idea that won't leave you alone and you don't really have an interest in writing it, but it truly can kill motivation for a story you really did want to write.
You got me there.
Great advice, you pretty much hit on all the ones that work for me. When I actually do them, that is.
I feel like this imaginary friend is me, but I know he isn't.
I find deadlines useful too. With one scheduled exception, my main story updates every two weeks. It's allowed me to write over 200k words of it in about 9 months.
Funny enough, I could even do it faster, but this way it gives my editors and my illustrator time to work too. And the funny thing... I give them a deadline and they don't miss it either.
I can definitely use the momentum tips. I've never heard the "stop halfway" idea before. I'll have to try it out. Thanks!
Great tips, ill be sure to look into this again when i continue my story :D
Can't help but feel there's an unpopular yet vital item to add to the list: willingly, honestly consider the possibility that you should not write at all.
The reason why is obvious enough for more solidly objective fields: not everyone, say, has the talent, commitment, mindset, temperament, training, or upbringing needed to prime them for team sports, or to be mathematicians, or to take up scuba-diving. Even as hobbies, it's perfectly possible for someone to take these things up while buoyed up by overconfidence; heck, the less expertise they have on the subject, the more likely it is that they're unskilled at it yet overconfident of their chances. Add in the complexities of any artistic endeavour, and the problem multiplies dramatically.
Sometimes, it's best to drop something and look for more fruitful pickings elsewhere instead of wasting valuable time kidding yourself. That's not cruelty; that's just honest pragmatism. It'd be cruelty to box your brains out trying to do something you're not actually built to do.
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I actually covered that one elsewhere!
Two important things from that post. One is that not having the temperment, time, focus, or skill to write now doesn't mean you'll never have it. Writing is something you can try throughout your life, in different situations. I know I wasn't ready to write at 21, but I was at 29. You might not be a writer yet.
The other is that if people want to write, there's something to be gained from it just like any hobby. Maybe it's dicipline, a better vocabulary or grasp of grammar, a way to make friends... no one has to be a writer, but everyone who wants to write should write. Now, they may not want to finish and publish, but that's a different question.