Writers and artists are probably the kings and queens of procrastination. We get distracted and end up somewhere on our social media scrolling or end up on Pinterest (where we originally went for inspiration). I am guilty of this all the time. Today we're going to explore how to create a writing routine that keeps you consistently writing and on track. This can go for artists, too.
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A writing routine becomes a habit once you create it and use it consistently. I am not perfect by any means, yet I have finished drafts faster than I thought I would because I didn't wait for the muse to show up. I just wrote, whether it was a paragraph or a whole chapter. You can't wait for the muse to appear if you actually intend to go somewhere with your writing or art form. You'd never get anything finished if you did that.
As for editing, the same goes. Editing is exhausting. You need to schedule breaks in and schedule out what you are doing to your draft to keep it moving. It is not easy, especially when you get to beta reading and your beta readers are taking their sweet time (and this is why you hire an editor, ladies and gentlemen, and don't just hand it to your writer friends asking them for free editing). Without further adieu, we start with writing - because a draft doesn't write itself!
Draft Writing
The idea of writing character profiles, an outline, and then writing a whole draft is a lot- but not if you chunk the character profiles into smaller goals, write the outline (rough outline), and then make the goal a chapter a week. The shorter story is that you just chunk it into smaller goals per week. Make your writing goals manageable. It helps you move faster, as well as makes you feel accomplished. Reaching your goals gives you some reward psychologically, thus it gives you a bit of a boost mentally.
Adapting to holiday schedules and chaotic family occasions can cause disruption to your writing routine. Given this, be prepared to adapt your routine or skip that week for writing goals. Even if you make your goal one paragraph instead of one chapter, you are still writing. Don't beat yourself up for a goal that is made impossible by situations outside of your control. Get back on and start again the next week.
Find a space that you can focus in and make it yours. Upon doing just that, you can make it purely a writing zone. If possible, do this where and when you won't or can't be interrupted. Depending upon time of day, you might want to find a time where no one is in the apartment with you, your kids are at school, or when not many people have woken up. Unless, of course, activity gives you inspiration. Put that time in a planner or on a calendar and commit to that time of pure writing. In this way, set goals and deadlines for yourself (that are manageable) to keep yourself moving on drafts and projects.
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Log your hours for yourself. Start with 15 minutes and go from there. If you want to finish something fast you'll thank yourself. 15 minutes per day alone can get you at least two short chapters in a book finished. Even if you're using the time to research for a book it is worth it. Make it a page or word count log. Do what works for you, unit-wise. Prioritizing also helps with getting a draft out at a quick pace. When you cut out the time-wasting in your life it ends up creating time, which you can use to pop out the draft you are working on.
Accountability may help your writing routine thrive. Grab a fellow writer or friend and tell them about what you do. Have them ask about your progress and projects. If someone is doing the routine with you, ask about their projects. It'll keep you both on track and writing. Make sure your buddy is committed, too, and can be honest with you. You may even use them for beta reading later (given you are both committed to writing and feedback). Be willing to do what they do for you. Partnering with someone is not a one-sided activity.
Editing
This is the worst part. You now have a draft, yet it isn't polished or ready to release into the known universe. So, how do you start? First, you plan out what aspects of your book to edit. You have grammar, plotline, plothole searching.....Just pick one at a time and take short breaks between. It is a good idea to save your editor some time (and yourself some money) by doing as much editing as you can before sending it to a paid editor.
Start by leaving your draft alone for a week or so. Go take a break and relax, maybe work on another draft (like I do) to keep the creativity flowing. This will ensure you don't get blinded to some mistakes that your brain automatically corrects. Some people even put it in a different font and/or print it out. I go through several rounds of editing, so what I do is leave it alone for at least three days between rounds.
Yes, beta reading is an aspect of this. You need feedback from fresh eyes. Find someone who has the time and will be honest. Accountability partner? Family members who love you and are retired? Many will volunteer, but in my experience, you find out time is an illusion. Those that think they have time will get hit by life - and so will you. Beta reading takes control from you. It is hard. It is necessary. Remember who was swift at beta reading and contact them again sometime. Rule of thumb, go for the people who have time to play with and care about you when choosing beta readers.
Before beta reading, however, you correct the small typos and read through for plotholes. I do only one of these at a time and plug my chapters into my Grammarly app. It helps me correct sentence structure and find better words to use. I recommend it wholeheartedly, though you should see if it works for you by using the free version before paying for it. Get anything small out of the way in order to fix anything that is big.
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Collect your feedback here. Write it down. Keep track of it. This can be where you get fresh eyes on it (paid editor or beta reader). You take that feedback and make any changes you need to. Comb it a few times. An editor can guide this process with their thoughts. If using beta readers you should probably find the most common thoughts and mark them. Fix what is repeatedly mentioned most of all. By this, I mean easy fixes (grammar, spelling, format....), not hard fixes (plotholes that require thought).
Now is the time to brainstorm ways to fix big plotholes. I suggest involving a paid editor at this stage. You need another head to help you. Still have that accountability partner? Go find them, too. Talk to other writers. No one is an island and no one can edit alone (despite your belief your draft is gold already). Then get to work using the advice you heard. Be aware that sometimes changing one detail can mess with an intricate plotline and make you change other details after that scene.
Repeat. Do all this again until you have polished it to a point of beauty. Editing is a long process (and you have no idea how long until you do it). All those books on your shelf didn't start looking perfect and are not perfect by accident. Hours of editing took place. Your favorite authors have professional editors. Don't be fooled into thinking it magically comes out of a pen, then gets released. No, Rita Skeeter is not reality when it comes to writing a book. The same goes for any art form I can name.
A Note For Artists
Artists, I know I just talked about writing, but you can still use the chunking method to do your art form. How you split tasks up depends on the art form. The basic concept is that you make a manageable goal and keep moving on the project. It does not matter what project or art form you choose. Muses come and go, but successful artists and writers consistently learn their craft. Practice creates more skill, skill creates better projects (notice I didn't say perfect), and better projects give you psychological reward. Don't give up. Don't leave a million great ideas undone in your basement or attic or workshop. Go achieve your end goals. I believe in you all!
Also, if you need to create a list of the projects you intend to do in order to keep track I'm right there with you. There is no shame in listing them and doing them one by one. A backburner list is a great idea and keeps you moving on your many dream projects without creating excess stress. Don't start ten million projects and overwhelm yourself. One or two at a time is fine (depending on how complicated they are). I care about your stress levels. Go easy on yourself.
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