Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Getting Ready to Write
There is preparation involved in most jobs.We get to the job site, we clock in, chat with our co-workers to find out what's new since the last time we saw them. Maybe we grab another cup of coffee while we read the latest "rules/guidelines/policies/procedures/protocol" from the higher-ups. Then, after we're warmed up, we tackle the job, whether we're ready or not.
There's a similar process for writing.
"Getting ready to write" involves cerebral preparation, a girding of the mental loins. It requires switching from the real world to the make-believe one. You have to get yourself ready to battle the inner critic, or to dig deep for the character's motivations, or even to figure out where the heck the story is supposed to go next.
While "getting ready to write" sounds like a whole bunch of fancy schmancy procrastination, it's actually a vital part of the writing process.
I mean, who can write when their desk is filled with clutter, even if it's been there since Miami Vice was a hit TV show? Everyone knows it's next to impossible to stay focused on a story when the dust bunnies are making so much noise racing across the carpet. I can't even hope to concentrate on word count when I know there's a sock that's gone AWOL from the laundry basket. I've got to find that poor lost soul, so I can witness the heartwarming moment when it is once more reunited with its mate.
Finally, when all the prep work is completed, and the conditions are exactly right for writing. . .the day has vanished, right along with our high hopes and good intentions.
So how do we keep from getting stuck in the "getting ready to write" phase?
I'm not claiming to be an expert, but these are some things that have worked for me:
1. Sit down and write something -- anything -- before you check email/Facebook/Twitter. All of these things are important, and need your attention, and will advance your writing career at some point. But do they really deserve to be higher in the hierarchy than your writing? If these social media tools can survive without you looking at them while you were asleep for a whole night, surely they can wait another 15-30 minutes while you rev up your writing brain.
2. Laugh loudly when you try to convince yourself some chore needs to be taken care of first. All of us are first-class avoiders. We instantly recognize an avoidance scheme when we hear one. So why do we continue to try to fool ourselves this way? Okay, we do it because it's usually successful. But it's time to reconsider this behavior. When we say, completely straight-faced, "I know I can write better if I alphabetize all my lip glosses first", we need to respond with, "Readers are waiting on this story, and they don't care if Pirate Plum is filed next to Walk-the-Plank Watermelon."3. Set a time limit. This sounds easy, but it's not, because if there's anything a getting-ready-to writer is good at, it's bargaining. "I'll just play one more game of solitaire. . .okay, just until 10:30. . . I mean 12:30. Okay, definitely after lunch." Give yourself an iron-clad, non-negotiable amount of time to goof off get ready, and then when it's done, write. If it helps to motivate you, think about your characters weeping and wailing because of your constant abandonment. Imagine them staring at the bestseller lists, muttering, "We coulda been a contender", right before they turn their accusing eyes your direction.
We're writers. We write. That should always be the reason for any and all "getting ready to" activities.
After all, what's the point of preparing if we never get the words into a written form?
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30 comments:
May I add... Riding the Promotional Cruiser to the next stop. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next...
It's the must promote the book that is out right now before working on the next book...
Or books.
I work hard at avoiding that one. I don't always win.
That's good idea, to prepare for writing. I try to sprint with friends now. So we meet online at 8 pm, write 20 minutes, chat for 5 minutes and another 20 min etc. It's quite motivating.
My Darcy Vibrates…
I think something that works for me is setting aside a time during the day that I write. I don't have a lot of "alone time" so I designate an hour of that alone time to writing every day. It doesn't sound like a lot, but you can write 1000 words in an hour. Books can be written 1000 words (or 100 words) at a time, in a given hour every day. My hour is the one right after the kids go to bed. By the time I settle in, it's about 9 every day.
If I think of it like, "this is my writing time" when I'm not writing it's like when I think, "this is my time to shower" or "this is my time to clean the bathroom." I feel guilty. And, well, I was raised Catholic. I don't need anymore guilt, thankyouverymuch.
Loving this Donna. Especially "a girding of the mental loins"
My trick (and this only works because I'm a morning person) is to stumble to the coffee pot, then sit down, and immediately start writing. Before I'm fully awake, before I've opened email or facebook (cause once I open either, 30 minutes has elapsed and half my writing time is gone).
I'm like Marn - I have one hour a day I try to dedicate to straight-up writing. My hour is from 5:30 - 6:30 am, but that's just me :) What I really should do is look at it after the kiddo is in bed, and then sleep on it, because that way when I wake up, my subconscious has done all the hard work for me and I can just start typing!
I should have also said - one of the things that really helps me is knowing there is an absolute end to my writing time. At 6:40, I must be moving to get ready to make it to work on time, so I find myself watching the clock and pushing to get in "just a few more sentences" before my time's up. If I had no firm end-time, I'd procrastinate forever!
Chance, I like the idea of a "Promotional Cruiser" -- if it's the kind that comes with a hot cop and blue and red sirens on it. :)
You're right that promotion can eat up the writing time. And it's not like you can NOT do it. It would be tempting, though, to do it and let a troublesome story (one that's not cooperating) slide for a bit. LOL
Enid, the online writing sprint works really well for me too. I do the #1k1hr with friends on Twitter, and it's great because of the time limit, AND the reporting back in at the end of the hour. (Not that they will do anything awful if I don't sit down and write, but still. LOL)
I think the socializing aspect of it is very important too. It's good to hang out with other writers, since they know what we're going through better than anyone else. :)
Marn, I agree with you in how much you can get done in one hour of writing. That was one of the best lessons of previous NaNo experiences, realizing how little time I actually needed to get the word count done each day.
It sounds like your writing time is something to look forward to, and that's a good thing. We don't need any more guilt. There's enough of that swarming around us as it is. LOL
I'm infamous for not going to bed until the sun is coming up. I'm more of a night owl than an early bird. Hal, your hour sounds like a wonderful plan but not even four pots of coffee could get my fingers moving at 5:30am. But I do the same thing, opposite time of the day. My hour is after the house is quiet. Usually 11:30- 12:30 (1ish). I require little sleep and my brain seems to be creative late. Only problem is that I get sucked into writing and seem to lose track of time.
NaNo this year has taught me that I am capable of writing in large chunks. And I'm still capable of writing a story when I'm motivated to do so. And since I've had a schedule change and now the Undead Monkey gets home 2 hours earlier than he used to, I'm really forced into time slotted writing time.
This gives me time to think my next scene in my head before I go back to my office and start writing. Also gives me time to decompress and read for a couple of hours.
Hal, I love your trick! I try to follow it, but I'm weak -- I always have to check my blog stats first. LOL I try to do my writing in the morning, since I usually don't have to leave REALLY early on most days. It's kind of a treat to sit with my coffee and tap away at the keyboard. And the day seems to go more smoothly when I know I've already gotten some word count in.
The other night I was falling asleep while brainstorming a new story, and it was fun to wake up and start writing down all the "and then this happened and that happened" things that my brain was shooting at me. LOL
I completely agree on the value of having a set "end time". We're contrary creatures, and there's nothing more motivating than saying "you can't do this anymore" and all of a sudden we need more of it! LOL I'm always pushing the time boundaries. I think it's good to leave our characters and stories in the midst of the action, so that we're both anxious to get back into it.
Sin, I am a nightowl by nature too, and I would prefer to do some of my writing in those wee hours. I haven't been able to do it like that as much lately and I'm trying to figure out why.
NaNo was a revelation to me about being able to write 2k words in a short time frame, and now that's always the goal I strive for. The only thing I can't seem to do very well in short chunks of time is revising. That requires a longer time to keep all the continuity-type stuff straight in my head. But there are smaller bits of editing and revising that can be done in the shorter hours, something I have to remind myself of all the time. LOL
Hope NaNo is doing well for you! I couldn't squeeze it in this year, even though I thought I could. *sad face*
It's okay. NaNo is one of those things you can ALWAYS do next year.
I'm doing the ship proud for NaNo. I'm projected to win by Sunday.
Sin, you ARE doing us proud. Wow. Impressive!
Sorry I'm late. Feel like doo-doo and contemplating taking a sick day. No idea what this is (not a cold) but it's not fun.
I'm fortunate in that I don't have to work around a toddler's schedule or a spouse's schedule. I do have to work around the day job, but since writing in a cardboard box would be uncomfortable (and probably not have wifi) I deal with it.
Once I could see publication as a reality in my brain, the procrastination cut way back. I've been dreading deadlines for years and turns out I'm better when I have one. Who'd a thunk?
I write at night, generally from 7/8 to 10/11. I can turn out close to 2K on a good night or I might struggle to get 600 in that same period of time. But it's all progress, so I'll take it. Of course now I'm hitting the revision stage, no idea how to judge that. One chapter at a time, I guess.
Sin is kicking NaNo ass, as usual. It's like she has this down to a science!
I envy people who can write in twenty-minute increments. I do nothing but spin metaphoric wheels when I try that. I need at least an hour to write. Anything less and I suffer brain freeze.
I'm an owl too, and even though I can pretty much set my own schedule these days, I find that I'm most productive when I write through the wee hours and sleep in the next morning. Unfortunately right now I'm writing all day to meet a deadline for stuff that pays and this writing silences the voices that fuel the wee-hour, may-pay-someday writing.
I'm with Chance, in that the guilt that I'm not promoting enough, that I should be Tweeting and FBing, devours loads of writing momentum. The Internet is a horrible, evil distraction, addiction, even. Suggestion #1 is particularly useful to me.
But clutter? Dust bunnies? Lost socks? I'm a slob. Order makes me nervous and my dust bunnies have evolved into elephants.
The science to NaNo: Never let yourself get stuck. Always jump. Never over think.
Pat - Yeah, that promotional stuff is a drag. And even when I'm not doing it, I spend way too much time brainstorming how to do it and what to do. Instead of writing.
Time to leave that behind and get back to the enjoyment of writing. Make peace with my sales numbers and look forward...
Seriously thinking of dropping most every yahoo group I belong to, I think that would be a great step for me to take. They depress me.
Terri, sorry to hear you're sick. There's some weird bugs going around. I went to bed last night at 9 p.m. (unheard of for me -- that should have given me a clue! LOL) Then I woke up at 2 a.m. with the worst earache.
I've dreaded deadlines too, but then realized having that drop-dead place is good, since I'd just keep fiddling around or trying things instead of getting things done.
Revision has to be measured differently -- it takes longer to accomplish since it requires being more methodical, going word by word, etc. The end result is worth it though (especially when you can say "I'm done!" and move on to another project. LOL)
Janga, I sympathize with the "paying writing" silencing the other writing. I've always wondered if that would be the case, and you're right. So I'm kinda glad I have a different creative job, so that writing can stay more enjoyable.
The shorter writing spurts are good for getting down a scene that might be spinning around in my head (before it has a chance to spin away entirely). But I think an hour is the best.
Sin, I agree about not overthinking. That's why I enjoyed NaNo, and it's what I like about being a pantser. I can do the thinking later, after the story surprises me with its twists and turns.
Pat, we should open a dust zoo! So we can display all our dust bunnies and elephants and actually make them produce some income for us. LOL
It's tough to promote, that's for sure. Even those of us who aren't published yet have to make a name for ourselves, so that when we have something to sell, hopefully we've already built up some goodwill. Luckily it can be enjoyable, but it does take up a lot of time that used to be devoted simply to writing.
Chance, I agree -- drop the things that aren't bringing you joy. There's only so many hours to devote to the internet, so make sure it's what makes you happy, or is worth the promotional time. You've got lots of stories to tell. Make that your focus. :)
Pat, we should open a dust zoo! So we can display all our dust bunnies and elephants and actually make them produce some income for us. LOL
Or a circus. Cirque du Dust.
Seriously thinking of dropping most every yahoo group I belong to, I think that would be a great step for me to take. They depress me.
Yeah. It takes a lot of emotional energy. Thing is, the kind of promo I should do--chats, guest blogs, blog tours, giveaways--bore the crap out of me. (And honestly, I probably do next to none of my own book buying based on that kind of thing. So it's hard to get excited about it.) I do, however, love lurking and commenting at various blogs, FB and Twitter. But even those can suck up a lot of writing time.
Honestly, I've love to go silent for a couple of months. But I've got the new book coming out in January. Sigh.
Ding ding ding, we have a winner. LOL "Cirque du Dust" has all kinds of awesome on it. LOVE it.
Thanks, Donna. I'm feeling a bit better. Stayed at work so I'm not burning off sick time. I could add some beasts for the Cirque do Dust. Provided you don't mind cat hair mixed with your dust bunny.
I'm sorry for not logging on earlier. I think I'd add: Don't take off a week of vacation and say you're going to write, and basically do everything else instead.
Though I have to say, I'm glad I renewed my license, got new tires and an oil change, went to the library, helped my dad, and cleaned my 2nd bedroom. But really...no writing?
Terri, I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm not feeling as great as I'd like, so I'm ignoring the cat hair comment. LOL
Hellion, that's the tough part about having more time. We *think* we'll have more of it available for writing, but it doesn't always work out that way, especially when there's so many life chores to accomplish. But, now that those are out of the way, you'll have time to write!
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