{"id":262,"date":"2016-03-21T09:32:07","date_gmt":"2016-03-21T09:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/?p=262"},"modified":"2022-05-30T15:41:25","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T15:41:25","slug":"10-ways-to-increase-your-fiction-writing-productivity10-ways-to-increase-your-fiction-writing-productivity","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/articles\/10-ways-to-increase-your-fiction-writing-productivity10-ways-to-increase-your-fiction-writing-productivity","title":{"rendered":"10 Ways to Increase Your Fiction Writing Productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s admit it: for most novelists, finding\u00a0time to write<\/a>\u00a0is a real hassle. We usually can\u2019t afford to quit our day job in favor of writing. Our writing time becomes precious, and there\u2019s little we can do to change that.<\/p>\n

But we can make the most of what we have. Here are 10 tips to show you how.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Know what you\u2019re writing.\u00a0<\/strong>Even if you\u2019re a seat-of-your-pants, anti-outlining writer, you should know in advance what you\u2019re sitting down to write. I\u2019m not talking about the entire novel or story. Just the current scene is enough.
    \nWrite at the top of the page where the scene takes place, who\u2019s in it, and what\u2019s the purpose of the scene. (While you\u2019re at it, choose the most interesting answers to these questions.) This will help you stick to the point and complete the scene faster.<\/li>\n
  2. Brainstorm first, write later.\u00a0<\/strong>Don\u2019t try to come up with exciting new ideas as you write. Do that beforehand. When you\u2019re writing, you\u2019re limited by sentence structure, flow, coherency, etc. That\u2019s not a good mind frame for new ideas.
    \nPrepare a list of questions to brainstorm (such as a scene\u2019s locale, a story twist, a new character), and brainstorm them separately from your writing project. Let ideas flow freely, record everything that comes to mind, and don\u2019t bother with censorship\u2014that will come later. When you divide your time between brainstorming and writing, each process becomes more efficient and takes less time.<\/li>\n
  3. Write a skeleton first.<\/strong>\u00a0(Even if you\u2019re not writing a morbid tale of the undead.) Stick to the basics first. Worry about flow and coherency, not about language. If you have a transitional paragraph or an action paragraph, sum it up in a single dry sentence and move on. If you\u2019re writing dialog, write it in script form, and don\u2019t worry about their exact wording. For example:
    \n
    \nIn a bar scene, Todd looks at Mary and smiles.
    \nTodd: You look pretty.
    \nMary: You look like a jerk.
    \nTodd is insulted, circles the table and confronts her.
    \n<\/strong>
    \nThat\u2019s actually pure Telling instead of Showing. Now, you\u2019ve probably heard before that you should Show, not Tell. But Telling is so much faster to write! You can draft your entire scene in Telling mode at a fraction of the time it will take you to Show it. Then, when you\u2019re done Telling and have a complete scene, go over it again and replace every sentence with a vivid, immediate description that Shows.<\/li>\n
  4. Turn off the Internet.<\/strong>\u00a0Seriously. There\u2019s nothing online that you can\u2019t do without. Even if you\u2019re missing a word, a phrase, or a research detail, write it down in the margin (like Fermat!) and get back to it later. So-called research on the net so quickly becomes browsing lolcat gifs on Facebook.<\/li>\n
  5. Create your writing den and guard it like a dragon.<\/strong>\u00a0Even if it\u2019s a corner of your desk, when you\u2019re in your den\u2014or in your writing mentality\u2014no one may enter, no one may interfere, and you may not step outside to \u201cjust do the dishes\u201d or \u201cjust pay the bills\u201d. (Trust me, the dishes will wait for you. I have experimented.)<\/li>\n
  6. Limit your writing time.\u00a0<\/strong>Sounds counter-productive, doesn\u2019t it? But the fact is, we work better when we know in advance precisely how much time we have. When you have half a day off, most of it might fizzle away as you work leisurely. But if you know you only have two hours to write, you\u2019ll make the most of these two hours. So set clear limits and stick to them.<\/li>\n
  7. Write in bursts.\u00a0<\/strong>Take your carefully allotted writing time, and divide it into writing bursts of 45 minutes, followed by a rest of 10 minutes. When it\u2019s time to write, write. When it\u2019s time to rest, get up, step away from the keyboard or paper, stretch, massage your eyes (carefully!), take deep breaths, and generally let your system recharge. Come back to your writing with renewed stamina and motivation, and a fresh look on your writing.<\/li>\n
  8. Don\u2019t edit.<\/strong>\u00a0Unless you\u2019re in the editing phase, where, of course, you should. But as you write your first draft, don\u2019t allow yourself to backtrack and edit things until you\u2019re done. It will not improve your writing. It will not be as efficient as doing a pure editing pass over the text. It will only waste your precious writing time.<\/li>\n
  9. Write whenever you can.<\/strong>\u00a0That means on the bus or train (but not in your car!), when you\u2019re waiting for an appointment, when you have a free hour, during lunch, etc. Always keep a notepad and pen on you, or type your writing directly on your phone. Keep a notepad in your bathroom, too, in case you ever spend some quality time there.<\/li>\n
  10. Use\u00a0<\/strong>http:\/\/writeordie.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0If you work well under pressure, consider using this website to challenge yourself. It combines many of these tips: it allows you to set up a writing burst, and prods you to write without editing by brutal means. Plus, it can be fun.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ready to make the most of your writing time? Go try it now! And share your own productivity ideas in the comments below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","categories":[24],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/262"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}