5 Ways to Improve your Writing Productivity

This week, I decided to share a few ways to write faster. These tips have helped me make my writing sessions more productive. Here we go. 

1.    Outline: Outlining your story is crucial to writing success. An outline is the foundation of your story. If you’re more of a pantser, go with a more general outline. Brainstorm and get your ideas together before you sit down to write. Jot down a few points about your characters, main plot elements-the beginning, the middle, the end and the hook or climaxes and chapter summaries and you’re good to go. Making a plan helps you fight writer’s block and sagging middles. It will keep you on track when you drift off. Outlining is the best stage to conduct research. Outlining will help you narrow down the areas which need research.
2.    Timetable: Now that you have a basic idea and outline in mind, it’s time to get the ball rolling. Try creating a timeline for your writing. There are many ways to fit writing into your timetable. You could either choose the amount of time you can spend on writing each day (say, 2-3 hours every day) or a fixed time slot (3 pm -5 pm) or a daily word count goal (like 2500 words) and write until you hit your daily goal. Fixing a time slot works because it helps you make writing a habit. Either way, you need to commit to writing by sticking to a writing goal. Make sure your timeline is flexible to account for sickness, unexpected trips and unproductive days. 
3.    Identify Writing Triggers:  You become more aware of your writing triggers as time passes. For example, I’ve been listening to Adele’s 25 when I write for almost two and a half months now. Now, every time I hear her voice, I automatically pull out my manuscript and begin typing. Something in my brain just goes off. My mind links Adele’s voice to writing. Another of my triggers is a fixed time slot.  I write 10-12 every night. Even if I’m not working on a book, I write a journal or a blog post. That’s because it’s a habit now. Habits are great triggers. Once you settle into a routine, these little triggers will help you stay on track. Now, when I want to write, I put in Adele’s 25 and my mind goes into ‘writing mode’.
4.    The Writing Session (3-2-1): It is very tempting to sit down and start typing away on the keyboard. Even if you’ve created a comprehensive outline, you need to gather your thoughts first. Your mind is still thinking about the last thing you did when you sit down to write. For example, you may have been eating or sleeping or exercising, and your mind is still thinking about that. To ease the mind into writing, I recommend using the first twenty minutes of your writing session to brainstorm, outline and fine tune the section you’re going to be writing today.  Thinking helps increase productivity. I came across this method in Chandler Bolt’s book, Book Launch and I’ve been using it since.
5.    Get Away: Writing can be very monotonous, so you need to take some time off. No matter what genre you write, every writer’s work is influenced by their experiences. You need to get out there and live life. Try a new activity, meet your friends, go to a party, watch Netflix- do anything that is not writing. These experiences will help you approach your writing from another perspective.
If you feel like you need to improve your writing, read a book on writing or take a course. I tend to read a lot of books on plotting, writing and style when I get stuck. Reading books help you identify the issues with your story and correct them.
You could also use this time to read your favourite books. Notice how those writers tackle plot problems. Aside from being motivational and entertaining, books are a great way to improve your craft.

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