Care to share your how-to´s?

[Quillwitch]

How do you make sure you are actually moving forward with your novel? How do you get the word count down? I recently read how author Linda Sue Parks writes down 3 chapters she wants to write ( draft i´m guessing) then gives herself 30 minutes to do some free writing for each one. She does that until she has her story´s first draft finished. Sounds good, if I had the discipline. How do you all do it?

 

[Carol Rose]

I set a word count goal each day, depending on the EDJ (Evil Day Job) schedule and whether I believe I can sneak in writing that day at work. On weekends or days I take off work, my word count goal is higher. I keep track of the word count in a plain, old-fashioned lined notebook, where I also make story notes that I later type into my main document where I keep detailed story and series notes. And then I just write. Sometimes I go over my word count goal which is awesome. Then I adjust my schedule. If I don't reach it, I don't sweat it that day. I simply try again the next day.

 

[Quillwitch]

I set a word count goal each day, depending on the EDJ (Evil Day Job) schedule and whether I believe I can sneak in writing that day at work. On weekends or days I take off work, my word count goal is higher. I keep track of the word count in a plain, old-fashioned lined notebook, where I also make story notes that I later type into my main document where I keep detailed story and series notes. And then I just write. Sometimes I go over my word count goal which is awesome. Then I adjust my schedule. If I don't reach it, I don't sweat it that day. I simply try again the next day.

Evil Day Job! I love it! Those are some great ideas. I think I´m going to have to get myself a notebook. I have ADD so it´s always been hard for me to get organized. And do you work linearly or do you jump around when you are writing your story/novel?

 

[Carol Rose]

Evil Day Job! I love it! Those are some great ideas. I think I´m going to have to get myself a notebook. I have ADD so it´s always been hard for me to get organized. And do you work linearly or do you jump around when you are writing your story/novel?

I write in a linear fashion. It's the only way I can keep the story on track.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I don't keep quite such close accounting, but I do create quarterly plans for myself (a habit from when I had to have a quarterly plan as a Peace Corps Volunteer--most volunteers grumbled about them, but I appreciated them and have been doing them for over 20 years now). By having a whole quarter's worth of goals laid out, I can pick and choose on any given day what I work on. If for whatever reason I'm not getting anywhere on the writing, I shift to something else on my plan. Sometimes I'll make a shorter-term to-do list, but I've always been a bit of a slave driver when it comes to getting things done, so I don't often need more guidance than the quarterly plan.

 

[Quillwitch]

I don't keep quite such close accounting, but I do create quarterly plans for myself (a habit from when I had to have a quarterly plan as a Peace Corps Volunteer--most volunteers grumbled about them, but I appreciated them and have been doing them for over 20 years now). By having a whole quarter's worth of goals laid out, I can pick and choose on any given day what I work on. If for whatever reason I'm not getting anywhere on the writing, I shift to something else on my plan. Sometimes I'll make a shorter-term to-do list, but I've always been a bit of a slave driver when it comes to getting things done, so I don't often need more guidance than the quarterly plan.

That sounds like a good plan!

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I always thought that I was quite well-organised, partly from having done jobs that were highly systemised, like librarianship, teaching and managing busy companies, but I recently acknowledged that there's so much going on in the process of creative writing that I needed to make a note of things to do and not rely on memory to prioritise tasks.

I went over to the Linux operating system earlier this year, which features a Notepad app on which I write a list of stuff that needs checking; this helps my efficiency. I dislike being nagged, but if I do it to myself it sort-of works!

I once knew a quiet gentleman, who regularly used the community centre IT suite that I managed. If I were casting a mad professor for a film, I'd have chosen him, as he was impressively qualified in matters of science, so much so that he had several money-generating patents in his name that meant he'd retired early. I used to see him regularly consult a little notebook that he kept in an inner pocket of his suit jacket, so being a nosy writer I asked him what it was. He gleefully revealed that for years he'd been writing down a list of ten things to do before he went to sleep at night. His sleeping mind often worked on the tasks, and on waking he worked through the jobs one-by-one; any that he failed to complete went to the top of the list to tackle the next day.

He made me feel woefully disorganised, and, nowadays, I think he was on to something.

 

[Quillwitch]

I always thought that I was quite well-organised, partly from having done jobs that were highly systemised, like librarianship, teaching and managing busy companies, but I recently acknowledged that there's so much going on in the process of creative writing that I needed to make a note of things to do and not rely on memory to prioritise tasks.

I went over to the Linux operating system earlier this year, which features a Notepad app on which I write a list of stuff that needs checking; this helps my efficiency. I dislike being nagged, but if I do it to myself it sort-of works!

I once knew a quiet gentleman, who regularly used the community centre IT suite that I managed. If I were casting a mad professor for a film, I'd have chosen him, as he was impressively qualified in matters of science, so much so that he had several money-generating patents in his name that meant he'd retired early. I used to see him regularly consult a little notebook that he kept in an inner pocket of his suit jacket, so being a nosy writer I asked him what it was. He gleefully revealed that for years he'd been writing down a list of ten things to do before he went to sleep at night. His sleeping mind often worked on the tasks, and on waking he worked through the jobs one-by-one; any that he failed to complete went to the top of the list to tackle the next day.

He made me feel woefully disorganised, and, nowadays, I think he was on to something.

Wow! I need a little black notebook!!

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Of use, an article from the excellent Carol Tice, listing 48 apps to help a writer's efficiency:

48 Best Apps and Tools to Improve Your Freelance Writing Life

 

[James Marinero]

I aim for 500 words per day. Sometimes I write none, sometimes 3,000. I keep a spreadsheet and note the word count every day (alt T W in Word). 5,000 is an average week when I'm in writing mode (which is about 6 months a year).

 

[James Marinero]

Of use, an article from the excellent Carol Tice, listing 48 apps to help a writer's efficiency:

A few good suggestions in there, but 48? OMG. Still, if I add up all the tools that I already use then it heads towards 20+.

 

[Matnov]

I aim for 500 words per day. Sometimes I write none, sometimes 3,000. I keep a spreadsheet and note the word count every day (alt T W in Word). 5,000 is an average week when I'm in writing mode (which is about 6 months a year).

My output has been fantastic since I set myself a 500 words per day target and I would guess that I average nearer 1000 and have maintained that for 8 out of the last 9 months.

My own particular tip that has helped me loads was with the editing process. I send my Kindle a document that I want to edit, read through it and add notes where appropriate. It does not allow me to edit directly so I have to then sit down and alter the document separately. Sounds a little convoluted and I only started doing it because I had to work on the run so to speak whilst at the day-job (well nights but you get my point) and had no other way of accessing my WIP in that environment but it is a method that works for me. The act of having to just read rather than alter seems to stir something up in my crust and it has a methodical element to it that pleases whatever part of me is in charge of such matters.

 

[Quillwitch]

My output has been fantastic since I set myself a 500 words per day target and I would guess that I average nearer 1000 and have maintained that for 8 out of the last 9 months.

My own particular tip that has helped me loads was with the editing process. I send my Kindle a document that I want to edit, read through it and add notes where appropriate. It does not allow me to edit directly so I have to then sit down and alter the document separately. Sounds a little convoluted and I only started doing it because I had to work on the run so to speak whilst at the day-job (well nights but you get my point) and had no other way of accessing my WIP in that environment but it is a method that works for me. The act of having to just read rather than alter seems to stir something up in my crust and it has a methodical element to it that pleases whatever part of me is in charge of such matters.

Nice! And can you just transfer something written in Word onto Kindle or how does that work?

 

[Matnov]

Nice! And can you just transfer something written in Word onto Kindle or how does that work?

I will probably explain this badly but you complete a document on word and then just email it to your Kindle address (I think you can find that on your settings page) and it shows up by magic. At least that is how it works for me.

 

[Quillwitch]

I will probably explain this badly but you complete a document on word and then just email it to your Kindle address (I think you can find that on your settings page) and it shows up by magic. At least that is how it works for me.

The only thing I´m certain of is the magic part. So, you don´t have change the text into any other language or whatever?

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Nope. Just send it. It's brilliant. The document passes through the Kindle Magical Vortex on it's way, where its life-support structure is rearranged so it can survive in the Kindlesphere.

 

[Quillwitch]

Great! Thank you, I´ll get on it then.

 

[emmakatherine]

I have a spreadsheet on which I have put weekly goals for working on certain chapters. I don't feel like I'm following it very well though!

 

[MrDisco88]

Essentially I write every moment I can once I've hit my paid work targets for the week, and the kids aren't around. That normally equates to about 5000 words per week. I usually get next to no writing done during summer/easter/christmas holidays.

 

[AlexT]

I used to be the world's most constipated writer. I charged every line of prose with cosmic significance. Parenthood cleared away most of those illusions. Then I read something that changed my writing habits completely, namely that 300 words a day means you can write a novel in a year. Three hundred words a day? I can do that(!) I thought to myself. That's easy, it's only a paragraph!
Suddenly writing became something achievable rather than a goal so overwhelming there was never any point in even getting started.
I now write about 1,000 words a day (as well as work full-time). I write on planes when travelling on business, in hotels, during my lunch hour or in the evenings at home when the kids are in bed. I always start writing by revising what I wrote the previous day(s). This way I can 'warm up' quite painlessly and maybe even write 2-300 words before I even realise that I've begun the heavy-lifting.
Lastly, I used to start lots of novels and never finish them. Now when I write, my guiding principle is 'FTTFFS'.
What's 'FTFTFFS? - Finish the thing for fuck's sake
Finishing a novel becomes my single, most important goal. I do not allow myself to become distracted by anything else, above all by negative thoughts such as "the whole thing is a pile of crap so why bother."
The truth is that a writer is the least suited person in the world to decide whether his/her novel is any good or not.
I might be writing rubbish or something fit to win the Nobel Prize for literature but if I don't finish my book, the question will be entirely academic and I never will win the Nobel Prize or anything else.
Moving forwards therefore becomes more important than getting everything 'perfect' whatever that means in this context.
Once I've finished I can go back and cut, amend, delete, add, take out, invent or edit in as many different ways as I want.
But the best thing of all, is that I'll be editing a finished novel!

All the best

 

[Matnov]

I
Lastly, I used to start lots of novels and never finish them. Now when I write, my guiding principle is 'FTTFFS'.
What's 'FTFTFFS? - Finish the thing for fuck's sake

Love it. Adding it to my own sweary advice column which only has a single entry so far.

JFW. - Just fucking write.

 

[AlexT]

JFW sums it up nicely - succinct and to the point. Without JFW everything is hot air

 

[Matnov]

JFW sums it up nicely - succinct and to the point. Without JFW everything is hot air

Quite. And I also found my writing soared when I switched to a 500 words a day minimum. Not quite up to the 1000 word mark but its usually not far off. Sometimes find myself getting a little frustrated with how complex some people trying to portray this writing malarkey. I am strictly a Sunday Writer in that its more of a hobby but no matter, you still need the words down on paper, metaphorical or otherwise.

And I am perhaps more than a little judgmental, but I cannot understand how people can claim to want to be writers and not manage to spew out at least a few hundred words per day on a regular basis if you have a WIP. Breaks in-between projects, I can get but if you have one on the go then it seems daft not to blast it out.

If you cannot do that, then what is the point? Bloody hell, with the advent of smart phones and the like, I can knock out that whilst sitting on the loo. Sorry to be so crass about it but ultimately if you don't actually write, you don't have a first draft and you don't have anything to knock into shape. One word after the other. As horribly simple as that.

Everything else is merely the froth and cheeky sprinkle of cocoa on the Cappuccino of a writing life . Important, without a shadow of a doubt, and the bit that draws the punters in but without the shot of strong, bitter, double espresso at the heart of it, then nothing at all. And that goes in first.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Quite. And I also found my writing soared when I switched to a 500 words a day minimum. Not quite up to the 1000 word mark but its usually not far off. Sometimes find myself getting a little frustrated with how complex some people trying to portray this writing malarkey. I am strictly a Sunday Writer in that its more of a hobby but no matter, you still need the words down on paper, metaphorical or otherwise.

And I am perhaps more than a little judgmental, but I cannot understand how people can claim to want to be writers and not manage to spew out at least a few hundred words per day on a regular basis if you have a WIP. Breaks in-between projects, I can get but if you have one on the go then it seems daft not to blast it out.

If you cannot do that, then what is the point? Bloody hell, with the advent of smart phones and the like, I can knock out that whilst sitting on the loo. Sorry to be so crass about it but ultimately if you don't actually write, you don't have a first draft and you don't have anything to knock into shape. One word after the other. As horribly simple as that.

Everything else is merely the froth and cheeky sprinkle of cocoa on the Cappuccino of a writing life . Important, without a shadow of a doubt, and the bit that draws the punters in but without the shot of strong, bitter, double espresso at the heart of it, then nothing at all. And that goes in first.

Cripes, @Matnov...you're the buggerista of the literary world! (You're not snorting coffee powder, are you? )

 

[AlexT]

Absolutely.
I think the problem is that a lot of writers (especially young writers) start out imagining themselves to be Joyce, Hemingway and Jane Austen rolled into one and they quickly come up against their own limitations as well as the limitations of language in general. They fret, sweat, rant, rave and curse before despairing and walking away.
As you get older you realise that language IS frustrating at times, but then so is life. Language is ambiguous and writing is often nothing more than an exercise in calculated ambiguity. Unless you learn to live with that, I don’t think you can ever enjoy writing (though it’s often bloody hard work even so) and be productive and prolific.
But as you say, it all comes down to getting words down on the page

 

[Amber]

I have difficulty sticking with one writing project. That's what I'll call them -- projects.

This month I'm trying to write every day and so far I am happy with the experiment. I'm also trying not to switch to a different story when I get tired of this one -- as I am now. I'm tired of it. I'm so tired of it. But I'm going to continue on, even though I think it has flaws. My plan is to let it sit for a few weeks when I'm done and then fix those flaws. I have lots of other things I can work on. So, for me, the challenge is focusing on one thing.

As far as being organized I don't think counting words is a good idea for me. I started out counting but then I noticed I was putting in words I didn't need. But I've always kept a sort of journal. It actually looks like a ledger. I write the date and the time in the left hand column and then I write some notes about what I wrote about that day in the body. If I'm wondering if my story is making progress instead of only getting longer I pull up a beat sheet and make sure I have hit the important parts.

I think writers are so different and fiction is such an uncertain thing that it's sometimes difficult for us writers to find a working method and schedule that produces good results. There's so much advice out there and although most of it is good, hardly any of it is good for me.

Oh... and I almost forgot. I use Trello to keep track of scenes and storylines etc. I almost forgot about that.

 

[Matnov]

Cripes, @Matnov...you're the buggerista of the literary world! (You're not snorting coffee powder, are you? )

LOL.

I can seem a little maniacal on the subject but I just think that after my own wasting of decades waxing lyrical about my dreams of being a writer when really all I wanted to be was drunk and then, having thought I had blown it all only to discover that the secret ingredient was remaining sober and writing every day, I guess I can be like the most tedious of ex-smokers when it comes to my rantings about what I see as others procrastination.

I cannot offer any other advice in terms of all the technical gubbings and given my own lack of formal education, would not even think of weighing into the many and varied opinions on a whole range of worthy subjects around wider notions of literature and the role of the writer as both artist and crafts person.

But when it comes to the actual hard bloody slog, and in my case on the back of 60 hour working weeks out in the freezing cold and having to hit my daily target when and how I can in the cracks, then I tend to pontificate more than most. I love writing, I really do. Its how I get my kicks and if I ever I get the chance, then I would dedicate my entire life to submerging myself in the world of fiction but no matter what I still have to get my arse in gear and JFW. I love reading on here about the success of others and I truly wish only the best for everybody but there is no point in sugar coating this thing of ours.

When all is said and done, it does ultimately come down to arse on chair, fingers on keyboard. And in my case, I don't always get the chance to even sit down when I write. But thats fine, mea-cupla and all that.

Plus you lot are the only writers I know. I have to vent at somebody about this fiction itch in my crust!

 

[AlexT]

Matnov, I don’t know you but I have the feeling you’d love Bukowski if you don’t already know him

Anyway, thanks for the welcome and goodnight