How to Get Writing in Five Steps

It’s been an exciting, but also very stressful year. I started a new job, published two books, and I’m continually amazed by my children, and the myriad of ways they discover to make me worry about them. All of which is to say, I love reading and writing, and I find myself with less time and energy than I’d like to do them. But I’ve decided I really want to get back to writing everyday—when I did that in the past, I felt like my writing and creativity flowed better and more consistently. So here are some of the strategies I’m going to use to get back on track:

1. Don’t always write on a computer.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my laptop. But computers come with tons of distractions—social media, emails, work, marketing. When I’m really struggling to get going, I’ve found myself organizing my pictures instead of writing! In other words, sometimes it’s better to just go pen and paper. It keeps you honest, and is relatively distraction free. I’ve decided to go back to carrying a small writing notebook in my purse, and writing in it when I have free time. It’s an easy enough set up, and it feels like less pressure sometimes than writing on a computer.

2. Write What You Want

I think one of the reasons that I stopped writing as much as I had been, apart from life stress, that the project I was working on was sort of overwhelming me. I loved the story, and I still hope to finish this book over the summer. But writing a whole book felt like too much while I was working full time and taking care of my family. Short stories, on the other hand, feel much more approachable to me. I feel like I can handle them easier, and they don’t overwhelm me as much. So, while I know that there’s a writing rule about finishing what you start, I’m going to give myself a break from that for now and write what I want. Maybe that’s a short story. Maybe that’s a blog post. Maybe it’s an angry letter to the editor about the horrible effects of standardized testing in schools that I will never send. But I’m going to write what I want to write in the moment.

3. Use the Time You Have

I wish I had a nice two to three hour stretch of uninterrupted time in the afternoon to write in, but I don’t. Instead, I have ten minutes of lunchtime. That’s not ideal, but that doesn’t mean it’s not useful. If I can only write ten minutes, why not make the best use of that time? It helps to carry a small notebook, so that when I have a break or a quiet moment, I can take advantage of it.

4. Keep Writing and Editing Separate

Especially when I don’t have a lot of time or energy, it’s important to just get writing, and not judge my writing too much. Editing is important, but it should come later in the process. This has always been really hard for me, since I tend to edit as I go, but I think it does hold me back from actually getting the story out. So I’m trying to let go and keep going, even if I want to stop and polish something.

5. You Do You, Don’t Compare!

I can get discouraged when I see other writers who seem to write so much faster than I do, especially during NaNoWriMo, when it seems like everyone is doing 5,000 or 6,000 words a day. I have almost never written 5,000 words in a day. But I’m not going to let it bother me. I need to write my story at my pace, and just keep going. I might never write a huge daily word count, but if I keep going I’ll still finish something. Eventually. Just keep swimming!

Also, if you’re interested in reading some great science fiction books in kindle unlimited, check out the “To Infinity and Beyond!” online book fair in Story Origin!

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An Endless Bookshelf

I love books. I probably love them a little too much, because there’s so many in my home that Marie Kondo would have to devote a very special episode to sorting through them with me. Just kidding! I’d never let her near my books. Seriously, if she showed up at my door I’d drive her away with the power of salt and burning sage. I love books!

I may not ever read through all the books I own (though I’ve read most of them, and I certainly intend to try). But I love having enough books that I will always have one available to read or reread, and enough variety to suit my mood at any given moment. I particularly love science fiction and fantasy, but at any given time I’m also drawn to literary classics, nonfiction books about history, science, politics, and folklore, and even occasional thrillers. As a parent and a teacher, I also read lots of picture books, middle grade, and young adult fiction.    

My bookshelf seems even more endless when I consider the different formats of books that I enjoy. I love traditional reading, but I love listening to audiobooks on my commute or other long drives, and while I primarily like physical books, I also get eBooks from time to time. I’ve discovered many comic books and graphic novels I love as well.

Given my love of books, perhaps it was inevitable that I’d try to write a few. I started out writing short readers’ theater plays for my 8th grade students to read out loud in class (a great way to encourage them to read and develop their fluency, and an eye-opening exposure to very ruthless and honest critiques for me). Then I wrote my first novel, tried to pitch it, and went...nowhere. But I didn’t give up. I went on to write a ton of short stories, and I started having much more success and interest in those. After a while, I decided to compile my science fiction stories into a book, which become Sapience.

I’m continuing to read and write as much as I can, and my next book, Saints and Curses, should be available later this spring. My current work in progress is a middle grade science fiction/fantasy novel that I’m very excited about. I hope to finish a first draft by the end of the summer. In the meantime, I’m hoping to focus this blog on the books that I’ve discovered and read, with occasional updates about author events I’m attending and other book stuff. I hope you enjoy reading!