Put on Your Seatbelt

I got two different requests for posts today, both were REALLY good. So, tomorrow I’ll blog about writing a beginning, and today, we’re going to talk productivity.

I’ll say now, my idea of productivity is my own. I already know several people think I’m insane, and that what I do isn’t the right way to do things. But this is how I do it, and hopefully elements of this post will apply and be helpful.

If you’re looking for a really detailed schedule of: I get up at this time, I eat breakfast, I go into my office…well, you ain’t getting that. My life is crazy. I have three kids, ages 5, 3, and 17 months. I don’t have daycare, or a nanny, I have a husband who changes diapers, but who also has a life and a job. We work around each other, with each other, when we can.

So this isn’t going to be neat and organized because…my life isn’t neat and organized. As a result, I’ve had to come up with a system that works AROUND my life.

There. That was the disclaimer. Now buckle up. 🙂

I think one of the biggest keys to being good and productive, and meeting those all-important deadlines, is to know your process. While mine varies with each WIP, I know a few things: Beginnings are slow for me. Because beginnings are where I tend to make the most mistakes. That means I spend a lot of time trying to get the setting, pacing, details right. Typically, I submit a partial to my editor. Still. Because if I can iron out those issues in the first three chapter, I can usually move ahead with less revisions on the full. (Key word: Usually)

I also know there will come a point where I’ll look at my writing and think it’s horrible, amateur crap. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever written and if I keep on the way I’m going, and stare at the EBIL WIP directly, it will suck my soul out through my eyeballs.

But I know that this happens to me. I also know that it’s typically NOT TRUE. I’ve let those moments master me before, I’ve let them pry my butt out of my office chair and send me into a days long tailspin of WHAT AM I DOING???

It’s not worth it. The times I’ve done that, I’ve had more revisions than the times I’ve simply acknowledged that this point of panic happens to me and I need to write through it.

Inevitably, toward the end, I start thinking “DARN I’M GOOD!!” (note: I’m sometimes wrong about this too, but what can you do?)

All of this matters because it’s key to ME being in control of my writing. Not my emotions, not a muse. My muse cannot stop time, or move deadlines. That means I’m in the driver’s seat.

Another thing I can’t control is wait times. Even for published authors, there’s waiting, and that waiting can be short, or it can be very long. (By long, I mean 4weeks, which is not as long as it is when you aren’t published, but it’s a long time when you consider the deadlines)

This comes back under the Things I Can Control heading. I can control what I do in those wait times. Whether it’s working on proposals, or a new MS, or catching up on promotional things, I always make sure I’m keeping busy. And I’m always writing. Why? Because this is my job. Because I like to feel On Top of Things and because I love to write. I never feel as good as I do when I’m working on a book. It’s my passion. It also allowed me to get two books halfway finished during wait times, which was extremely helpful later on!

My schedule is also tailored to my comfort level. I am procrastinator by nature and I have worked darn hard to master that. I was the one in school writing papers the night before it was due. I was the one who opened their books an hour before the test to brush up real quick. That was stressful. Much more than it should have been. So as got older I worked at dealing with that. Staying ahead makes me feel confident, it makes me happier.

One thing I do is set myself an alternate deadline. I know this doesn’t work for some people, but because I’m competitive, I’ve found it works wonders for me. It’s a challenge I set for myself, and I want to win at it, because that plays to the part of me that always wished I were athletic, so I could play sports. And win.

As I’m writing this post, I’m recognizing the theme in my process: Keeping control.

In a business that has so many things things outside of our control, I think it gives me a lot of peace to focus on what I can control. It also frees me up to just write, if I’m not worried about those other things. Reminds me of the verse that says, ‘Which one of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature.’ (Or, to apply it directly to writers, which one of us can get a contract/better sales/more words on the page by worrying)

Worry hinders productivity for sure!

Another thing that is specific to me and how I work, I don’t write for big chunks of time. Unless I’m at the end, then I want to put a big block of time in. Otherwise I usually work for an hour or two in the afternoon, then work again in the evening. It’s easier for me to concentrate that way, and the break helps me ponder my WIP while I fold clothes. But, barring a few exceptions, my schedule and my attention span don’t allow for 8 hour time blocks where I write. It just doesn’t happen. But I can still get it done, with the time I do have.

I think that’s another big thing I had to learn. To write when I can, make the most of the little bursts of time available (nap time, school time) rather than waiting until I have a Long Time To Work. Because waiting for that opportunity means…a lot of huffing around and moaning about not having time, when really, I did, I just defeated it with my whiny-ness about having no time.

Now we come to The Maisey List, my quick reference of productivity tips and tricks. Feel free to pick the ones that you think might work for you!

1. If you aren’t feeling it…write anyway. Write through that slump, that feeling of I Suck. Don’t let it defeat you.

2. Set earlier, but reasonable, deadlines. This helps avoid last minuet crunch time.

3. Word challenges! The 1K 1Hour challenge on twitter has helped me break through walls, and really get words out on days when it wasn’t flowing. (See my competitive nature. Racing the clock, or other writers can really get me moving!) It also gives a sense of not being alone, which I think is also helpful.

4. The Shower. I don’t know what it is, but when I’m stuck on a spot, a twenty minute shower always helps me think it through. Don’t question the magic of the shower.

5. Be flexible. Yes, I have preferences for when I would *like* to write. Times of day when it seems to flow better. But that just doesn’t always happen. But I’ve found that I’ve gotten to the point that I can make most any time work these days, because I forced myself to do it back when It wasn’t easy.

6. Even when it flows like molasses in January. Do it. Do it. Even when you don’t wanna do it. Some days I bust out 5K. Some days I struggle to get 1K. But it all adds up. And I take what I can get.

7. Set goals. I hate, hate hate to lose. If I set out to write 5K in a day, I want to meet that goal, darn it. It lights a fire under me, it gets me motivated.

8. Holding hands with number 7…give yourself permission to celebrate your achievements. Every day. Even if it’s 300 words. Give yourself permission to be happy with your process. To be happy with your WIP. To think you’re good. A little but of positive helps a whole lot!

So that’s how I manage it. It’s haphazard, and unscheduled, and I love it. Everyone is different, but hopefully there are some tips in there that will help you out! And hey, share some of your own in the comments!