Productivity - 2/9 - Write to Done

10 Simple Ways to Double the Speed of Your Writing … Right Now

A guest post by Henri Junttila from WakeUpCloud.com.

Imagine being able to produce the same amount of writing you do now in half the time.

Or even producing double the amount of work you do now in the same amount of time. It’s not only possible to do, but very simple.

I’ve written thousands of articles during the period I’ve been making a full time living online, and I’ve discovered that the only thing holding me back from writing faster is myself.

You see, we all have beliefs within that tell us what our writing speed limit is. As I’ve let go of these beliefs and blocks, I’ve found myself writing faster and getting into the writing zone effortlessly.

With all that said, let’s look at ten simple ways you can double the speed of your writing, right now:

1. Outline

The first thing that has proven highly effective for me and my writing is to outline my articles before I start writing.

I know this sounds ridiculously simple. The problem is that most people know about outlining but never use it in their writing properly.

For example, with this article I brainstormed a good headline, and I then wrote down the 10 different ways that you can double the speed of your writing.

It’s nothing fancy, but it works wonders for me and as you implement it into your writing, you may notice the same effects.

2. Single-Task

The next step is to single task, and eliminate any and all distractions while you’re writing.

I know this is hard with Twitter, Facebook and e-mail beeping for our attention, but I’ve found that I can significantly increase the speed of my writing by simply doing nothing other than writing.

Another really simple tip, but the magic lies not in complexity, but in simplicity.

So focus on getting your first draft done and then allow yourself to check e-mail or whatever your addiction is.

Or you may want to wait until the end of the day until you reward yourself.

3. Destroy Your Inner Critic

Our inner critic gets in the way of writing the first draft fast, because it wants to have everything perfect before you’ve even written the article.

You can simply thank your inner critic for caring about the quality of your work and focus on getting the first draft done.

Tell your inner critic that you will edit the article after you’ve written it. The magic in writing well is not in producing a perfect first draft, but editing and rewriting afterward.

4. Voice-to-Text

Another fantastic way to increase the speed of your writing is to use voice to text software such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

In fact, I’m using this very program to write this article. It allows my hands to take a break and it lets the inspiration flow freely.

It is not without mistakes, but it is amazingly accurate, especially when you’ve used it for a while and it has gotten used to your voice and way of speaking.

5. Brain Dump

Whenever I’m stuck, I set a goal to write as fast as I can. If I run out of things to say or write, I will simply repeat the last word to keep the momentum going.

Brain dumping is a great way to get all your ideas out.

Once you’ve got the ideas on there, you can pick and choose the ideas that you think are relevant to whatever message you’re trying to convey.

6. Deadline

If you want to dramatically cut down the time you spend writing articles, I suggest you get an egg timer or a regular clock and set a deadline for each article.

If you’re writing a 500 word article, you may want to set a deadline for 10 minutes.

This will force you to get everything out as fast as possible. It will also help to suspend your inner critic and focus on what’s truly important.

7. Routine

We all have routines and rituals that help us get into the right state for writing.

Mine is often making a cup of green tea and sipping it while I outline whatever I’m going to work on.

Think back to the last time you felt really good about diving into your writing. What did you do? How did you feel? Where were you?

8. Place

There are places where you seem to get into the flow of writing effortlessly. For some people this may mean going to a coffee shop, while others like sitting in nature with no distractions at all.

I personally prefer writing at my desk with total silence. I may listen to music from time to time, but often enjoy the silence.

Find your own sacred writing space and spend your time writing there as much as possible.

9. Replicate the Zone

Think about a time when you’ve been in the zone. How do you know when you’re entering the zone?

What do you feel inside your body? What is it that tells you that you’re now in the zone and your writing is flowing effortlessly onto the page?

You see, when you identify what the zone looks like to you, you can replicate it.

10. Passion

This may seem irrelevant at first, but have you ever noticed how much more you get done when you’re passionate about the topic you’re working on?

I certainly have.

Being passionate is not only important in writing, but in every area of your life. If you constantly do what excites you, you will produce high-quality work while at the same time feeling good about yourself.

As you finish reading this article, I want to remind you that you already have all the resources within you to easily write faster, better, and higher quality articles.

We often get in our own way, and as you become aware of this, you can begin to realize that you can get into the zone whenever you want.

Henri writes at Wake Up Cloud, where you can get his free course: Find Your Passion in 5 Days or Less. And if you liked this article, you will enjoy one of his top articles: How to Get Inspired to Write in 10 Minutes or Less.

Join Leo Babauta and Mary Jaksch in the A-List Blogger Club!

Categories: Productivity

It’s Time To Finish Your Book: 9 Productivity Tips for Writers

A guest post from Joanna Penn from TheCreativePenn.com

Life is full of distractions and our writing time can be eaten away if we don’t impose some discipline. We find our work in progress or book idea has sat unfinished for too long and that’s just depressing. Well, I know how you feel. After twenty years of saying I wanted to write a novel, I finally wrote my first one in just over a year. That’s not hugely fast but I had spent so long talking about it that it felt like a breakthrough!

Here are some of my tips for being productive as a writer that will help you finally finish your book whether its fiction or non-fiction.

1. Know yourself. I first tried to write a novel years ago but spent a lot of time trying to make it sound like Umberto Eco i.e. literary and important. It wasn’t easy for me to write this way and I wasn’t enjoying it either. If you’re not enjoying the process, chances are your readers won’t enjoy the book anyway. So I looked at my bookshelves. They are full of books on psychology and religion as well as fast-paced, explosion-filled, high body count thrillers. So I decided to write a religious thriller with a female kick-ass ex-military psychologist for a protagonist. Kind of Dan Brown meets Lara Croft! I had so much fun writing it. It won’t win any literary prizes but I’m embracing the thriller genre and loving it! So be realistic. Look at what you like to read and forget what the critics think.

2. Stop reading and start writing. Most writers have shelves full of books on writing. Learning the craft is definitely important, but you will actually learn more if you put pen to paper. Definitely keep reading for pleasure and research but don’t use reading as a procrastination tactic. Write first, then go find a book that will help when you actually hit a writing problem. This also applies to courses, seminars and events which of course should be done within reason but can also be an excellent way to avoid writing.

3. Model success. Ok, I know I said stop reading but I do suggest reading books in your genre and breaking them down into areas you can model. Pick one that has been successful and go through it critically. I used James Rollins’ The Judas Strain and went through every chapter, noting first and last sentences, point of view, action, length of chapter, character, dialog and exposition. It took me several days to work out how he put it all together (and Rollins is a master thriller writer!). I then took the principles and worked out how I could apply them, for example, ending every chapter with a cliff-hanger. This is modeling, not plagiarism. You can’t use other people’s plot ideas but you can look at the ‘rules’ in your genre and apply them. Some may criticize this as formulaic writing but readers have expectations and if you disappoint them, you run the risk of not selling your book.

4. Diarize your writing time. Your family, day job and health will always come before writing but there are pockets of time where you could write if you plan in advance. Go through your diary and identify blocks of at least 30 minutes where you could write. Then mark them down as if they are business appointments and treat them just as seriously. Tell people you’re busy at that time. You can’t interrupt a business meeting for a phone call, coffee with a friend or Facebook, so don’t interrupt your writing.

5. Use Write or Die for your first draft. You can’t edit a blank page and writing your first draft is just a matter of getting the words down. Write or Die is cheap and simple software where you set a time or word count limit and then you have to keep writing. If you stop for more than a few seconds, the screen starts going red and violins screech. You can even set it to kamikaze where your words start disappearing. It definitely keeps you writing and even in 15 minutes you’ll be surprised at how much you can produce. Of course, you will edit later but at least you have something to work with. This was the key to completing the first draft of my thriller Pentecost and also for writing extra scenes later. It works whether you have a rough outline or if you just want to write stream of consciousness.

6. Ditch your TV. I hear screams at this suggestion but hear me out! Four years ago, the TV was banished from our house and since then I have written four books, started a business and now have a Top 10 Blog for Writers! (as well as a day job and home life). TV is a time suck, the programs you want to watch are padded with adverts and you end up watching other shows just because they’re on. I still watch programs I enjoy (Glee, Fringe, Bones and Castle!) but I download episodes on iTunes so it takes 45 minutes instead of hours of distraction. This leaves more time to be creative or to spend time blogging/social networking.

7. Work 4 days a week. This is seriously life-changing but takes some sacrifice. Just imagine what you could achieve if you had a full day to spend on your writing instead of the day job. When I decided to really focus on blogging and writing, I moved to four days a week and dropped to 80% of my income. That extra day gave me the energy boost I needed to kick-start my writing and online business. It also meant I could schedule meetings and marketing tasks by batching them together, allowing me more concentrated time for writing at the weekends. This is the one thing I recommend to anyone wanting to start a business/write a book or achieve more in their lives.

8. Set deadlines. I always aim to have a book written for my birthday each year which continually keeps me producing. Decide on your deadline for finishing your book and then work backwards from that date and set smaller specific targets. For example, to be publishable by January, the book needs to be professionally edited in Oct/Nov to allow for rewrites, which means a decent draft needs to be finished before then. Assuming that’s the third draft, the first draft needs to be finished in August. If I write 5000 words per week in between working and real life, then I need to start the book by the beginning of June. Plan these steps out and then mark them in your calendar for tracking.

9. Be accountable. If you set a goal, you need to tell someone in order to make it real. Blogging is fantastic for accountability because you owe it to your readers to walk the talk. Authenticity is critical these days. You can also share with your writing group or a coach. At the very least, write it down in a journal or email it to yourself at FutureMe which will send an email on a specific date in the future when you should have achieved your goal.

With even some of these methods, you’ll be able to boost the speed of your writing and creation time and finally finish your book. So what are you waiting for?

Read more by Joanna on her blog TheCreativePenn.com. It’s one of the Top 10 Blogs for Writers. Joanna Penn is the author of Pentecost, a thriller novel, out now on Amazon.com. Check out the trailer video below. Or click here to view the video.

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Categories: Productivity

The 3 Traits of a Writer—and Why You Can’t Succeed Without Them

A guest post by K.M. Weiland of Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors.

Writers come in all shapes and sizes, from all personal backgrounds, all walks of life, and all cultures and countries. We’re a varied bunch, but we all have something in common: in order for any of us to make it past first base in this business, we have to possess three traits. These traits are non-negotiable. If we don’t possess all three of them, we’ll never be writers, and we’ll certainly never find marketable success.

What are these traits, and how do we solidify them in our lives?

Trait #1: Talent

In some ways, talent is the easiest of the three, since it’s something over which we have no control. We’re either talented, or we’re not. Generally speaking, talent incorporates one or all of the following:

An aptitude for words, which can include (but isn’t necessarily limited to) an understanding of language and a perceptive ear for powerful and rhythmic phrasings.
An instinctual understanding, however raw in the beginning, of story structure.
An insatiable curiosity, a desire to discover truth, and a willingness to be audaciously honest about the human experience and the world in which it takes place.

I consider talent the least important, simply because it’s the only one of the three traits that is useless without the other two. Still, it’s important to recognize that without that original kernel of talent, all the watering and weeding in the world won’t cause the growth of a burgeoning tree.

Trait #2: Learning

I use the word “learning” instead of “knowledge” because “learning” indicates more than a static pile of facts stored in our brains. Learning encompasses the following ideas:

An ongoing process that suggests a mindset in search of enlightenment more than a simple checklist of facts to be mastered.
A hunger for knowledge that is further stimulated, instead of sated, by the actual discovery of knowledge.
A willingness to devote an endless amount of time and energy to studying the craft.

Even the largest measure of talent can only carry an author so far. We must study to show ourselves approved by reading widely and voraciously, researching the tenets of the craft as seen by other authors who have proven themselves through their own devotion, and seeking and accepting the wise criticism of readers, editors, and other writers. Writing is a skill that can be learned by almost anyone, and it is in the learning that we raise ourselves above raw potential to refinement and eventual mastery.

Trait #3: Diligence

Finally, we come to the most important of the three traits, the bottom of the pyramid, the foundation for the previous two. Without diligence, we will inevitably lack the ability to grit our teeth and put our innate talent or our sought-after knowledge to practical use. Writers who possess diligence are able to bring the following to their writing desks:

A commitment to writing, even in the face of its difficulties.
A certain amount of hardheaded tenacity that allows them to keeping marching right past the inevitable discouragements.
A consistency is showing up for work every day, no matter what else has to be sacrificed.

The writing life is filled with setbacks and even outright failures. Without the determination to persevere, no writer will make it past the starting gates. We have to be willing to devote our time and energy to pursuing our craft, polishing it, and loving it even when it isn’t lovable.

In order to call ourselves writers, we have to act like writers. We must recognize our responsibility to our talent. We must open our minds to studying and perfecting the art of writing. And we must be willing to do these things day in and day out. Writing isn’t always a hobby; it isn’t always a career; but it is a lifestyle. If we can devote ourselves to pursuing these three traits, we can wake up every morning with assurance that we are writers.

K.M. Weiland writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in the sandhills of western Nebraska. She enjoys mentoring other authors through her writing tips, editing services, and her recently released instructional CD Conquering Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration.

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Categories: Craft, Fiction, Habits, Productivity, Reading

How to Set Goals That Make Sense: A Writer’s Perspective

A guest post by Linda Formichelli of The Renegade Writer

Twice a year, in December and June, I work on my “life plan”: It’s like a business plan, but it encompasses career/finances, health, relationships, and volunteering. Each section includes a brief mission statement, a bullet-point list of goals, a bullet-point list of obstacles to those goals, and a paragraph or two where I brainstorm ways around or through those obstacles.

I don’t check on the life plan regularly during the year — just when I feel inspired. And when I go to it again after six months, I often find that I had internalized and met many of my goals without even trying.

Except the income goals. For years, every six months I’d write out an income goal, brainstorm ways to meet that goal — and do absolutely nothing different in my career to try to earn that extra income.

Eventually I smartened up, and realized two key things about setting goals:

1. Your goals need to be something you can control.

As a freelancer, it’s difficult to control how many clients you gain, how many assignments you get, or much money you make (though you can always shoot for a range; after all, we need to eat). However, you can control how many queries and letters of intro you send out, how much marketing you do, and how many hours you work. Increase these, and you’re likely to increase your income as a side benefit.

Why not try it yourself for 2011? Instead of saying you want to make X amount of money or garner five assignments from national magazines, set goals that you can control — like how much marketing you do. For example, my plan for 2011 is to conduct a direct mail campaign to 900 local businesses for my copywriting (100 down, 800 to go!).

2. Your goals need to inspire you.

Guess what? It turns out I’m just not inspired by income goals. As long as I can support my family and we can do (within reason) what we want, I’m okay. However, I am inspired by the appreciation I get from the writers I help through my e-courses and mentoring. This morning I had a client who told me she had a big grin on her face as I outlined a new idea for her. Now, that I like — I just eat it up!

So my goal is to do more teaching and mentoring. (And of course, the more teaching and mentoring I do, the more money I make.) I also enjoy writing for magazine editors who treat me well, so another goal is to seek them out, hang onto them when I find them, and weed out PITA editors. As a byproduct, I make a good income because it takes me less time to do assignments from magazines with a low PITA factor.

These goals keep me a lot happier than working my butt off to reach some magic number I don’t really care about.

So — what do you really care about? Try to set goals that make sense for you, instead of caving under the pressure to set goals that you feel you should want to reach.

Linda Formichelli has written for over 130 magazines since 1997, from Pizza Today to USA Weekend. She runs the Renegade Writer, one of the Top 10 Blogs for Writers 2010/11. She is the co-author of “The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success”

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I’m amazed at the wealth of information in the A-List Blogger Club. I’ve been blogging for several years but was not very savvy about it, and I immediately made easy but high-impact changes to my blog based on the advice there. I’m already seeing an uptick in readers, students, and clients!
Linda Formichelli, The Renegade Writer Blog

Categories: Business, Freelancing, Productivity

How to Lift Your Writing to new Heights – in Just 10 Minutes

By Mary Jaksch

Want to Write Better? I mean, a lot better – in just ten minutes. I’m not talking about some kind of writing Voodoo; I want to show you a no-fail way that can improve your writing dramatically in minutes.

Let’s start at the beginning. And that means starting with the brain, because that’s the main machine we use for writing. Whether it’s having great ideas, or choosing a structure, or dancing with words – it’s all to do with brainpower. So a simple way to write better is to boost the performance of your brain.

How to boost brainpower in only 10 minutes?

Here’s what made me consider this question: I was recently in Las Vegas at Blogworld where I spent 5 days in canned air with piped muzak. I tried to write – but my imagination was sluggish and my focus scattered.
When I got back home to New Zealand, I inhaled the pure air deep into my lungs. And I got really excited about raising my fitness. After all, as a writer I tend to sit at my desk a lot. Maybe you do too?

I started an 8-week Fitness Challenge and wrote a post, called Want to be Fit, or even Ultra-Fit? Join the 8-Week Challenge People are joining in droves. (Leo Babauta joined too and is super helpful in the Challenge forum).

As soon as I started cranking up my fitness, my creativity flooded back. It’s not only the oxygen that sharpens our skills, what makes a difference is that exercise is a circuit breaker that lifts us out of the writing rut.

Here is how to lift your writing to new heights in 10 minutes

Exercise briskly for 10 minutes
If possible, exercise outside so that you have a change of environment. Once you’re outside, walk briskly or run. If you can’t go outside, use whatever is at hand for exercise. For example, a staircase is a great exercise tool. Run or walk up one flight of stairs. Then take some deep breaths and repeat.
Raise your pulse rate
It’s important to raise your heart rate substantially. When you do that, the mind lets go of worries and preoccupations and focuses on the exercise itself. This means that you can return to writing with a clear mind.
Get out of breath
Being out of breath is good! Use it as your benchmark for brisk exercise. When you are ‘out of breath’ you are gulping huge amounts of oxygen which will refresh your brain.
Be mindful
When you exercise, leave mp3 player and phone behind. Focus on your present experience. Notice the color of the sky, the ground under your feet, and the sounds around you. When we are mindful (which is really a form of meditation), the mind becomes expansive and open.
Drink water
At the end of the 10 minutes exercise, drink a couple of glasses of water. Hydration also helps your brain to function well.

Taking ten minute breaks like this is a great habit. Not only does exercise boost brainpower, it also acts like a circuit breaker. This is especially helpful if you get stuck with the piece you’re writing, or if progress is sluggish.

Once you get back to your desk, remember to sit upright. Good posture helps your mind to focus. That’s why most forms of meditation include instructions for upright posture. When the spine is aligned, random thoughts die down and you are less likely to get caught in endless cycles of ‘what if’ or ‘if only’ thought patterns, and can open up to your full creativity.

Mary Jaksch is Chief Editor of Write to Done. Read more on her blog Goodlife ZEN. Together with Leo Babauta, Mary runs the A-List Blogger Club, an ongoing training for bloggers that members rave about:

Categories: Blogwriting, Craft, Fiction, Habits, Productivity