Setting Yourself Up for Success

 

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig 

Good to be back from my blog break.  :)  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?

Tips for Setting Yourself Up for a Successful Writing Session:
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