|
Home / Writing
Energize Your Writing and Increase Your Output
By:Deanna Mascle
Every writer can benefit from a study of the effectiveness of their individual writing process. You can write more and you can write better by making some adjustments in your writing strategy.
Recently one of my writer friends complained about their declining word output.
"I spend more time at the computer than I ever did before and I'm just not producing like I used to," she griped.
After spending a day in writing conferences coaching my struggling novice writers, my response came without conscious thought on my part: "Tell me about your writing process."
"My what?" She asked.
Ah-ha!
I regularly coach my beginning writers about how to develop their own personal writing strategy or process and as a teacher of writing I think about mine quite often, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that experienced, professional writers rarely spend time talking about this critical element.
What a mistake!
It is easy to understand why. Many of us are simply too busy writing to think too much about the actual process. We have deadlines to meet, assignments to pursue, and pitches to create. When we do spend time with other writers our interactions typically fall into three categories--seeking admiration for our success, input for our end product, or escape from writing.
Many writers also take their writing process for granted and simply follow the old adage--if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But what happens when it does break down as it did with my friend? If you don't understand your own writing process then you can't fix it. And just like many of the machines in your life, regular maintenance checks just might prevent a major breakdown in the future.
My friend's problem was easily identified and solved once we actually studied her writing process and writing life. Yes she was spending more time in front of the computer but she had lost a big chunk of her prewriting time due to changes in her home life. Once she understood that problem she was able to make adjustments to her schedule and she is seeing her daily word count rising back to her old levels.
So how is your writing process?
Many writers shy away from the term as it brings back fearful memories of a rigid structure forced on them in school. That is not what I want to talk about at all. Frankly, I always teach my students that there is no such as thing as the writing process.
Don't get me wrong. I believe we each have our own individual writing process, I just don't believe in the one-size-fits-all type strategy that many writers were force-fed. Just think about it. How could there be just one writing process--every writer I know is an individual with various strengths and weaknesses and personality traits. Every writer is wired differently from every other writer. That is one of the things that makes reading such a pleasure. It follows very logically then that every writing process should differ just as every writer differs.
Having said that I should point out that although the actual shape and form of each writing process is individual to the unique writer there are certain constants:
~ Generating ideas and choosing a focus
~ Organizing those ideas
~ Writing
~ Revising
~ Editing
The amount of time you spend on each stage of the writing process varies according to the writer and the task and this is especially true for me. Many writing tasks are so familiar to me that I spend very little time choosing a focus or organizing my ideas so I can leap write into writing. On the other hand I often generate four or more pages of fiction in about an hour at the computer because I spend a lot of time generating and organizing my ideas before I sit down.
I have spent years honing my personal writing process and know that the step I actually spend the least amount of time is writing. I have learned to let my creative juices flow and not to worry about such petty concerns as grammar, sentence structure, and word choice. I rarely waste a moment on organization or paragraphing. I just let the words flow through my fingerstips until I have emptied my budget. Then I hit save and print, tidy up my papers and set them aside.
Revision is usually the lion's share of my writing process. It may take me two or three drafts to reorganize and shape a piece until I am willing to share it with others. Depending on how difficult and/or complex the subject then I may need to loop back through brainstorming, organizing and writing to improve my project. I may make a few minor adjustments to grammar or spelling or sentence structure, but primarily I concentrate on the larger issues of focus and development and organization.
When I am finally satisfied my article, chapter, or essay is working as a whole then I begin the actual editing process of cleaning up word choice and sentence structure and any other stray problems that have been overlooked. I usually spend only one draft on this actual process.
If you are serious about improving your writing quality and productivity then you need to spend time analyzing your personal writing process. You might be surprised by what you learn--and I know you can put the knowledge to good use.
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: write, writing, create, author, writer, creative, web, promote, article, free, profit
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Deanna Mascle is the publisher of the writing newsletter Word Craft Online. You can submit your writing to her Article Directory. She is also happy to share tips and advice for Writing On the Internet.
|
|
| Top Writing Articles |
|
|
- 2). It’s Good To Be A New Writer: Breaking The Myth That Experience Is Everything By : Shelley Wake
There’s a rumor out there in the publishing world that an editor won’t even look at the work of a new writer. It might be true for certain types of writing, but after interviewing hundreds of editors, I’ve found that most are more open to new writers than you might think.
And there are a few major benefits to being a new writer too. So before you spend too much time trying to work out how you can appear to be a published professional writer when you’re not, consider taking advantage of your current position as a newcomer.
|
- 3). Penguin Publisher Reveals What It Really Takes To Get Published. By : Sharif Khan
Mr. David Davidar began his career in journalism and is founder of Penguin Books India. Currently, he is Publisher of Penguin Canada and also is author of the novel, The House of Blue Mangoes.
How did you first get started in the publishing business?
Twenty years ago I was working in Bombay and there was a colleague I knew who had done a publishing course at Harvard.
|
- 4). A Few Magazine Publishing Terms By : Scott Lindsay
The business of writing for magazines is often speculative in nature. It can often seem fruitless to conduct research on available paying magazines, attempt to understand their style and unique requirements, write the article, send the article, and then wait for what can seem a never ending response.
It can be even more daunting when you have invested significant time and energy and have received multiple rejection slips.
|
- 5). The Psychology Of Effortless Writing By : Saleem Rana
Through writing I can convey my entire experience so that someone else can benefit from it and learn from that experience without having had to be there. So, by writing I can give others much more than I can in person. In addition, writing bends time and I can convey my experience to someone centuries away.
|
- 6). Tricky Decisions By : Kael
Some people know exactly what to look for at the bookstore – others spend hours without finding what they have in mind…
Did you ever mistake the body lotion tube for the toothpaste a sleepy morning? No? Good, it’s not the best way to start the day.
This might be an awkward approach if you're aiming at the problem of choosing literature, but frankly, haven’t you too picked the ‘wrong’ book by a random grab at the bookshop or at the library? The book you put away with a sigh after three chapters.
|
|
|
- 8). Ebook Design (HTML) By : Shelley Lowery
When designing an HTML compiled ebook, you must create an HTML document (web page) for each page within your ebook. These pages should include
|
|
|
- 10). A Blank Paper By : William Ramos
A BLANK PAPER…is what I came up with after racking my brain to sweet talk you, sweep you off your feet; but as I crown myse
|
| New Writing Articles |
|
|
- 2). Seven Ways To Sabotage Your Self Publishing Success By : Sanyika Calloway-Boyce
Are you sabotaging your success as an author? Would you like to know how not to waste time and money? Seven Ways To Sabotage Your Self Publishing Success reveals the secrets that you need to know and avoid so you can write, publish and promote your book to self publishing success!
|
|
|
- 4). How to Proofread Like a Professional By : Jaya Schillinger
Copyright 2006 Jaya Schillinger
Even as I wrote the title for this article, I got confused. Is "proofread" one word or two? I thought it was two, and my spell checker didn't have a problem with that, but when I double-checked myself with a popular on- line dictionary, I was able to catch my mistake. Proofread is in fact one word, "proof·read v. tr.
|
- 5). Benefit We Gain from Problem Solving By : Carol Miller
The real fact on this Earth is that no human being has ever lived without problems a single day. This is impossible. People deal wit problems every day and problems do not fade away by themselves, they stay until the person resolves them. When a person gets strong enough to overcome stress and get to the core of things, then the amount of problems lessens.
|
- 6). Self Publishing, A Miracle Of The 21st Century. By : Josephine Stungger
Are you a writer with lots of talent but no one will give you the time of day let alone a contract? Would you pay a professional publisher to make your book but can't afford it? Do you need a better tool than your plain old word processor to make your work look more professional and desirable? Do you possess special knowledge that if packaged in a book.
|
- 7). Storylines Crop Up at the Oddest Moments By : chicho
There I was on a restful weekend by the sea; enjoying coffee and croissant in a quaint little café at the end of the North Shore pier.
Looking outside through a musty rain smattered window my gaze was attracted to the contours of the magnificent edifice that is Blackpool Tower; drinking in the lines of the intricate steel framework that leads to the observation deck, to the twin platforms one above the other, and all the way up to the crow’s nest.
|
- 8). Choose Great Research Topics By : Denton Krypps
Doing research and writing research papers does not actually have to be as horrible as everyone makes it out to be. I have learned to enjoy the process of research from start to finish. Call me crazy if you will, but I guarentee that the future of your educational career can be much more enjoyable if you learn now to enjoy research. For me, enjoying it started with choosing the right research topics.
|
- 9). The Perils And Pitfalls Of Publishing: Who Can An Author Trust? By : Dee Power And Brian Hill
One out of every eight people call themselves a writer, which means there are roughly 24 million people in the United States who carry that banner. Unfortunately there are charlatans and scam artists just waiting to ambush the unsuspecting author. How can a novice writer protect themselves?
Anyone can call themselves a publisher. Always remember money flows towards the author from the publisher, not the other way round.
|
- 10). Jokes and Riddles - How To Write Them By : Steve Gillman
Just listening to or reading jokes and riddles may "wake up" your brain, but it is creating them that really exercises your brainpower. The process requires you to use both logical and lateral thinking skills. How do you do it, then?
Jokes and riddle don't come to mind randomly. In fact, after watching how many comedians create their routines, I am convinced that they use what I call "humor algorithms," even if they do so unconsciously.
|
|
|
