Writing and Biking Don't Mix!
Finishing a manuscript can be a tedious, arduous process.
Sometimes it can feel as if you’re writing in slow motion. Like trying to run in shoulder-deep water.
Shout an “Amen!” if you can feel my frustration.
Then you look at the calendar and say, “$%!+ I’m almost halfway through the year and I’m not even close to being finished!”
Not trying to book-shame you, but many of you are probably stressed out about the progress you’ve made this year on your manuscript.
Today, I’m going to share with you some tips and tricks that I’ve learned along the way that help me pick up the pace of my writing.
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The biggest reason a manuscript can take forever to finish is because the writer starts and stops and starts and stops on their work.
Cyclists—God love ‘em!—drive me crazy. They slow down traffic, they act like they own the road, and they drive through stop lights when they can get away with it. They don’t want to come to a full stop at the light because it
requires additional effort to get back up to speed.
Writing works the same way.
If you allow a week or two to elapse in between writing sessions, you’re going to be forced to start all over again. Like stopping at a stop light. Just to get up to speed, you’ll have to drink a strong cup of coffee, review what you
wrote, and shake off the rust. Then about the time you start making headway, you take your foot off the pedal, hit the brakes and stop.
No joke—repeatedly starting and stopping requires twice as much effort (and time!) to complete a manuscript than if you buckled down and picked up momentum by writing consistently until you cross
the finish line.
The best part about building momentum is that by day 3, I can express an idea four or five different ways, and they all sound good.
So here’s how you build momentum…
Schedule DAILY writing time
When I really need to get something done, I schedule it on my calendar.
When I really need to finish my manuscript, I schedule time every day on my calendar to write. If you want to build momentum, you need to write (nearly) every day.
It doesn’t need to be three or four hours. Even an hour will do. But get it on your calendar.
Read that last sentence again.
Writing at the same time every day will ingrain the habit into your brain.
Keep in mind that your writing time is precious—don’t cancel it or push it back. Treat it like you eating a meal, working out at the gym, or going to a doctor’s appointment. It’s okay to reschedule sometimes—just make sure you aren’t
constantly breaking promises to yourself.
Do yourself a favor by setting a start time and an end time. Knowing that there’s an end in sight helps your mind engage. And make sure you isolate yourself from distractions like your cell phone, email, crying kids, hungry dogs, and the
ever-present social media.
My daily goal is usually based on word count rather than completing a particular chapter. This comes in handy as you…
Adjust the bar
As with all goal setting, start small. If you constantly miss your goals, you’re aiming too high. If you constantly hit them, set the bar a little higher. Depending on your schedule and level of commitment, a good rule of thumb is to shoot
for writing 300-500 words per hour.
If that’s too much, start with 150 words an hour or 150 words in 30 minutes and then increase your writing in daily increments. If 30 minutes of writing is too little, write as much and as often as you please.
Write it down
Track your progress by writing it down. Record in a notebook the date, time, goal, and amount of writing you accomplished that day. You could even jot down your thoughts about what worked and what didn’t, and action items for the next
day.
This. Will. Improve. Your. Productivity.
But here’s the best part: you know that good feeling you get when you check an item off your to-do list? That’s what happens when you record this in your log. Tracking your progress triggers dopamines in your brain that make you feel good
inside.
Ask other people keep you accountable
This can be scary, but it works. Ask a friend or family member to text you or call you daily to ask if you accomplished your writing goal for the day.
If you can’t count on the other person to consistently reach out, text them yourself—“I hit my writing goal today!”
Meet up with a friend every Saturday at a local coffee shop to write. Or join a writing group where everyone sits in the same room and writes for an hour or two.
Finally, tell as many people as possible about your writing project—family, friends, and community members. These people will likely ask how your writing is going. Let the social pressure and the prospect of answering truthfully to your
friends keep you focused.
It’s up to you
We all know that life happens, and you may not be able to write every single day. But make sure those days are the exception, not the rule. If you’re constantly cutting yourself slack or making excuses for why you’re not writing, you won’t
progress as quickly as you could.
Ultimately, no one can make you write but you. It’s up to you to confront the discomfort and face your inadequacies daily in your writing practice. If you make a habit of doing what’s difficult, it will get easier over time. The writers
who finish their projects are the ones who consistently put in the work.
Last of all…
Hire a Book Coach
As I've written before, I have a business coach who assigns me tasks to accomplish. Without our weekly 8:30 am Tuesday meeting staring me in the face, I wouldn’t get half as much done.
That’s why book coaching can be money well-spent.
What does a book coach do? They can help you take the quality of your writing to new levels. They can also crack the whip to ensure you finish that transcendent book.
Over half of our authors utilize the services of our book coaches.
