Writing time

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Writing time. You want more of it, and you want to make good use of what you have. How?

Set a goal

I’ve been using 750words to encourage me to write daily.

Whether it’s work on my novel, a blog post, or simply journaling, I enjoy keeping the writing habit, and I find that it makes me a lot more productive overall. However you do it, set yourself a goal to write every day. If this is something you struggle with, then I’d suggest not allowing any days off for a while, until the habit is fully formed. (30 days to form a new habit).

I’d also suggest making the goal easily achievable. Mine is to do 750 words, and that’s something that’s very easy to accomplish. I’ve tried setting higher word count goals, and it can be a bit discouraging to try and fail to reach those.

Make it a priority

Make your writing time important. If your spouse or family is supportive, then enlist their help in making sure you meet your goal.

A simple way to do this is to get your writing time in as early as possible, before other things take your time. Many people like writing first thing in the morning, but that doesn’t work for me. Our dog is diabetic, so mornings are devoted to taking care of her before heading out to work. I get my writing time in right after dinner, before I tackle laundry, housework, or settle in to rest, read or watch television.

It’s also helpful to me to set a specific time each day to write. That just reinforces the habit that you’re trying to develop. Think of all the other things you do every day just because “it’s time to do it,” and work on making writing one of those things.

Make it productive

Nothing discourages me more than sitting down for my writing time and struggling the whole way through it. I feel that I’ve let myself down, and wasted my precious time, when I don’t get anything accomplished.

To combat this, I allow myself to have more than one project ongoing. That way, if I feel bogged down in one (or just not in the mood to work on it), then I can work on another and still feel that I’ve done something worthwhile. I also fall back on journaling as well, knowing that it’s a good outlet for me and a good place to toss writing ideas around.

Currently, I have a novel underway, three blogs, as well as the journal. I can always find something that I’m in the mood to write about. :-)

I also do some simple, common-sense things to ensure that my writing time is as productive as it can be. I turn off the television and other distractions. I let my family know that I’m busy writing and to try not to interrupt me.

Another trick I use is one that I’ve seen others mention as well. When I’m working on a longer project, I stop at a spot where I know what will happen next. That saves me from spending my writing time on planning or struggling to come up with something to write about.

I also keep some notes on blog ideas so that I can grab one of those and begin working. If you pay attention to keywords in your blog posts, then do the keyword research ahead of time too and note what keywords you’ll want to use in that post.

It can be hard to find time to write, especially when holding down a day job, taking care of family, etc. No matter how busy I get, I feel better when I’ve taken the time to write. I hope these tips help you make better use of your own writing time.

Have any tips of your own? Please list them in the comments.

Writing Skills Matter

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Years ago I taught Freshman English. I can’t count the number of times a student told me that what I taught, basic grammar and writing skills, didn’t matter.

I’m afraid that I didn’t do a great job of convincing my students that their writing skills would matter once they entered the work force.

Misconceptions

“I’m going to be a nurse, I don’t need to write essays.”

Fill in whatever career you like, but if it wasn’t directly related to writing, then most students assume that they won’t need to be able to write well, or even passably well.

I work in the IT field, and there isn’t a person I know who doesn’t answer several, sometimes dozens, of e-mails ever day. Yes, your ability to communicate clearly and well matters. Making lots of grammar errors can and will mark you as someone possessing substandard communication skills.

“I’ll have a secretary to do my writing for me.”

This one is actually pretty funny. I don’t know of many people who have a dedicated secretary, unless you’re a CEO. If you have an assistant at all, you’ll likely share that person with several others. No, he/she won’t have time to write all your e-mails for you.

The truth

You don’t have to have the same level of writing skills that your English teachers demanded. For most people, that’s unrealistic as well. Keep in mind your English teachers were pushing you to learn as much as possible, and holding you to a high standard in order to do that.

In the workplace, you do need to have good writing skills, but they can still be imperfect but acceptable.

How do you know if they’re good enough? Compare yourself to others. Try comparing your writing abilities with those immediately above you, that is, your manager and his/her peers. Do you write at least as well as they do? If so, that’s great. Your writing skills are probably fine for now.

What if you don’t measure up?

Improving your skills

It’s tough to improve your writing skills without some feedback. Here are a few ideas for getting help to improve your writing.

  • Take a class. This is obvious, and probably the most traditional approach. However, a good class devoted to business writing will do wonders for your abilities. Check your local community colleges for classes that won’t break your budget.
  • Join an online writer’s group. You’ll probably have to commit to reading and commenting on others’ work, but this can be a good way to improve your writing skills as well.
  • Ask for help at work. Ask a coworker who writes well to proofread your material. Don’t ask that he/she just fix it, but ask them to explain to you what the problem was. This is a bit tougher, as it will involve getting someone else to commit their time to helping you improve your writing skills. However, if you can find a willing mentor, it certainly works.

Homophones: Commonly misused words

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Many commonly misused words are also homophones. Homophones are words that sound alike but are spelled and mean something different. Because the words sound alike, they’re often used incorrectly. Here are a few examples of commonly misused words you should watch out for.

By the way, I saw each of these mistakes made today, so they’re not as uncommon as you might think, or hope.

Weather and Whether

Some people say these two words differently, others don’t. I put a definite “h” sound (a breathy sound) in whether than I don’t do with weather. Others insist that they can’t hear any difference between the two.

People who don’t hear any difference between the two words often used them incorrectly.

Weather refers to rain, snow, sun, etc. As in the following.

1. I don’t know what the weather will be tomorrow.
2. Stormy weather is my favorite song.
3. This rainy weather has got me depressed.

Whether means if.

1. I don’t know whether I’ll go to the movie or the mall first.
2. John doesn’t care whether you get a raise this year!

How about this one?

Do you know whether the weather is supposed to be nice this weekend? :-)

Are and Our

This one is tougher for me to understand people getting wrong, but I see it all the time. I think it’s a matter of the person’s accent. I say our and are completely differently, but I know some people pronounce them virtually the same.

Again, these words are nothing alike in terms of meaning.

Our is a pronoun, meaning that something belongs to us.

1. Our house needs to be painted this year.
2. This has not been our day, has it?
3. Our project won’t be completed in time for the senior staff meeting.

Are is a verb, specifically a form of the verb “to be.”

1. John and Amanda are getting married this October.
2. Are you going out this weekend?
3. What are you doing?

An and And

Again, this one boils down to accent and getting the words confused because you say the two the same way.

An is an article, like “a,” only intended to be used before a word starting with a vowel. So, you’d say “a banana” but “an apple.”

1. I have a problem with an overbearing boss who won’t listen to anyone else’s opinion.
2. An orange is a portable, healthy breakfast.

And is a conjunction, linking two word, phrases or sentences.

1. We shopped at the mall, and we spent too much money. (links two sentences)
2. We bought clothes and shoes while we were there. (linking words)
3. Alex dropped off the car, met us for lunch, and drove us home later. (linking phrases)

Even if you don’t have problems with these commonly misused words, understanding the relationship between what we hear, how we say a word, and how that affects how we spell the word can be very useful. If you understand why someone is making a mistake, whether it’s your student, child, friend, etc. you have a better chance of fixing the problem.

Yes, I’d definitely call all of these errors a problem. Some errors in grammar and word choice are more forgivable than others. No one’s perfect, and I’m sure you can find some mistakes here on this blog if you look. However, some errors stand out more than others and mark you as having some real problems with communication.

Writing Tool: 750words.com

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Here’s a site for you if you’re looking for an online writing tool. Try out 750words.com

750words.com

750words.com

Sign up, and commit to doing 750 words per day (hence the site name). I think the site is best suited for brainstorming, freewriting, and similar writing exercises. Here are a few neat features that make it a useful creative writing tool.

  1. It automatically saves your work and tracks your word count.
  2. It keeps metadata on your writing, which can give you a little feedback on the tone and word usage. For example, my descriptions so far tend to be centered around touch and sight, but not much on hearing.
  3. It tracks your score and your “streak,” how many days you’ve made your 750 word goal.
  4. It tracks metadata. I use this to track entries my my characters. I find writing in their voice useful in finding out who they are and what they want. To do that, enter the label (in my case the character name) in all caps followed by a colon.

The site is really easy to use, and it’s pretty useful as writing tools go. It also has the benefit of being pretty fun, so you’ll enjoy going back every day to get those 750 words!

Happy 2010

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Well, another year is underway. I’m not big on resolutions, but I do like to take the chance with each new year to evaluate what I’ve been doing and think about the direction I want to take this year.

Too many things to focus on

I tended to divide my focus too much last year. Fiction. Multiple blogs. Articles. Freelance projects. Marketing. Social networking. It all meant that I just didn’t have quite enough time for anything, and never enough time to do it all well.

This year I’m going to limit myself. Fiction and the blogs are going to be my focus this year. I don’t plan on doing any freelance projects or articles. I also plan on limiting my use of social networking.

Focus for the blog

I think the blog has reflected my general lack of focus. I’d like to try to do some repeat themes like Grammar Monday, Fiction Tuesday, etc.

I’ll be spending some time over the next week going through logs and determining what posts get the most traffic, the most comments and the most shares on social networks. I’ll use that to develop a list of types of posts and subject to focus on this year.

What do you want?

What types of posts would you like to see here? What do you enjoy most, find the most useful? Is there a type of post you’d like me to not do any more of?

I’d love to get your feedback as I’m planning for the new year.

Vampires: Banish them once and for all!

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Here’s an interesting article on the vampire legend, and how some of it may have gotten started. I was anemic a few years back and did actually crave pink steaks. So… step a little closer. I think I see something on your neck.

What does this have to do with writing or publishing?

Well… I want to talk about real vampires. They may not be pale blood suckers, but they do suck the life out of you and your work. What’s taking you away from what you love, what you enjoy? Do you ever finish out the day wondering when you’ll have time to really live, do the things you want to do and not just what you have to do?

I know I struggle with this a lot, and even more over the last couple of months. It’s too easy to let small things fill up your day and never get around to what’s important.

Time is your most important asset, and how you spend it, minute by minute, determines the quality of your life. Think about that for a second. It’s not about setting aside a week for vacation or a special evening to do something with the family. Those things are fun and important, but your life is really determined by what you do every day, minute by minute, hour by hour. Choose wisely!

Bloodsuckers

So, what’s taking up your time?

People. I’m not telling you to turn into a misanthrope, far from it. You should make time to spend time with those you love, people who are important to you. However, that might mean making less time for people who drain you, your time and your emotional resources. Do you have someone like that in your life? Someone who takes up a lot of your time and energy when you’d rather do something else of be with someone else?

One thing you can do is limit the time you spend with, and on, these people. Use your caller ID and don’t take all their calls. You don’t have to answer every e-mail, IM, facebook message, etc. Try setting aside a little time for these people and strictly limit it to that and no more.

And if you start to feel guilty, take a look at someone you DO want to spend time with, and ask if it’s fair to you, or them, that you allow someone to interfere with that.

Less important tasks

Notice I don’t say unimportant tasks, just less important. Cooking, laundry, errands, bill paying, etc. are all important. They’re just not as important as doing what you love.

One technique that works for me is setting aside a specific amount of time to do these types of tasks, and I group all of them together. For example, I might allow two hours for housework, laundry, fixing dinner, cleaning up, etc.  Let’s say you spend more time on dinner than usual. With this method, you’ll be forced to spend less time on some of the other stuff.

Again, if you start to feel bad that the floor isn’t mopped or you didn’t run every errand today, then consider if it’s worth not getting to spend time with your kids, or work on the novel, or have a date night with your husband.

Most important things first

This is the most important technique for ensuring that you have time to do the things you want to do. Set time aside for the most important things first, and then work in everything else as you can.

Want to have time to write every day? Set aside time before work, after dinner, whenever. Protect that time and fit everything else you have to do in the rest of the day. Want more family time? Then set aside time for it first and worry about housework and phone calls and so on during the rest of the day.

If you let it happen, there are a lot of tasks, and people, who will drain you of time, energy, spirit, motivation, etc. So don’t let it happen. Focus on how you want to spend your time, and practice ignoring other things, and people, in order to do that. It’s a lesson I’m still learning, but it’s completely worth it.

Hodge podge

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Wow, where to begin.

We found out a little over a month ago that my mom needed surgery. What we thought were gall bladder problems turned out to be a tumor. Of course, I’ve spent a lot of time worrying. Her surgery was last week, and she did terrific. I’m exhausted, but happy that it’s over for her.

I’m also up against a December deadline to (finally!!) finish my grad degree in computer science. Yep, it’s been a while, I’ve change instructors, changed plans, etc., but it looks like it’s going to happen. I have a lot of work to do in the next six weeks though.

Now, to add to my list of things to handle, I think I’m getting sick. My fever is 99.3 tonight, my throat is sore and I have a headache. Wonderful!

I’m trying to get caught up on twitter, stumbleupon, facebook, etc. tonight. I may not be as active onlne for the next month or so, but I won’t be totally off either. Wish me luck!

5 Steps to Become a Published Writer

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Terry from PulseUniform left an interesting comment on the Story Structure article.

First, to answer the question, yes I think a lot of the story structure tips can also apply to non-fiction articles. I’ve seen something akin to setup – conflict – resolution used for articles. Obviously, the tips regarding character development won’t apply, but I’m sure you can find some useful ideas there.

One thing Terry said made me start thinking, about not having the talent for writing fiction. So, let’s say you’d like to write novels or short stories, but you don’t know if you can or how to get started. I’m no expert, but I’ve had some articles and short stories published, so I can tell you how to get that far at least.

Step one: Read and Write. A lot.

You wouldn’t expect to become a great basketball player if you shot hoops once or twice a month, so why would you expect writing (or anything really) to be any different? Read the types of things you’re interested in writing, and write a lot.

Step two: Accept that you’ll write a lot of garbage

Even the BEST writers, and I mean the absolute best, write some crappy stuff. You’re going to write crappy stuff. Accept it and get past it. Some of your stuff will be unpublishable, ever, and that’s o.k. Think of it like a quota; you have to generate so much garbage to finally generate something good.

Step three: Get feedback

Sometimes it’s hard to tell if you’re writing good stuff or garbage. Get feedback from someone else to help you figure out which you’re doing. This feedback should come from someone who’ll be honest with you, even if it hurts your feelings. Otherwise, the feedback isn’t much use, is it?

In general, avoid depending on your family and friends to judge your writing. They care about you, and they’re likely to say your work is better than it is. This will make you feel good, but it won’t do anything for your writing.

So, where can you get feedback? You can try posting your work online, in a blog or in a writer’s forum. You can also try online or in-person writer’s critique groups.

How to choose a critique group

Ideally, you want a critique group that has someone a little more advanced than you are. If everyone is a beginner, then it will be tough for anyone to advance.

You also want a group that will be honest about your work and tell you when something isn’t working. Hopefully they’re also telling you what is working well so you can build on that.

It can be difficult to ask for, and take, a critique of your work, but it’s also a crucial step in getting better at writing.

Don’t be afraid to ditch your critique group

When should you dump your critique group and look for another? It’s hard to say, but I can tell you some things that have triggered me to do that.

  • When the group becomes more social than writing-related. Socializing is nice, but it won’t help you improve as a writer
  • When the group loves everything I write. No one is that good, and it’s bad for me to think, even for a second, that I might be.
  • When the group hates everything I write. I’m not that bad either. Typically, this is a mismatch of writing style, genres, etc. Find a group that likes to read the kind of stuff you write.
  • When I stop getting useful critiques. This is a tough one to judge, but if you feel that you’re not getting feedback you can use, or that you couldn’t have figured out for yourself, it’s time to find another group.

Step four: Publish

What? Already? Yep, already.

You like what you’ve written. Your mom likes it. Your spouse likes it. Your critique group likes it. It’s time to send it off and see if someone else likes it.

I’d suggest starting off with short stories or articles. Find a magazine that fits your genre and style, read their submission guidelines, and FOLLOW them. Start off with a magazine that’s relatively easy to publish in. Online and paper publications that generally pay little or nothing are what you’re shooting for here. You’ll want a few publishing credits to your name before you submit to a more competitive market.

Submit, and wait. You might get a form rejection. If so, re-read your story, tweak it if you think necessary, and send it out to another market.

If you’re lucky, you’ll get an offer, or a note from an editor asking for some changes. You can learn a lot about what’s “wrong” with your story from this advice. Yes, it’s just one person’s opinion, but for now, it’s the person who matters.

Step five: Do it again.

The best way to learn to write is to write. Each time you put your work in front of someone, you’ll learn something about how readers react to your work. And with each time, you’ll get a little better at it.

Read more. Learn more.

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Would you like to read more, for pleasure or for information? Well, why don’t you?I’d bet that most people say they don’t have enough time. Between work, family, friends, etc., there’s just not enough time to sit down with a good book too.

Those people would be wrong. You can find time to read more, and enjoy it, if you get creative with your reading time and methods. Will you always have an hour or two to curl up with a book? No, probably not, but you will have time to read, and that’s what you want, isn’t it?

Improve your reading speed

This is probably one of the first places people look. If you want to read more, the answer is to read faster, right? I won’t say that it’s a bad solution, just that it’s probably not a practical one for most people. Yes, you may do some courses that increase your speed, but whether that increase persists and if you ENJOY reading at that speed are other questions. Pursue that option if you like, but it’s not the first place I’d look.Get used to reading in smaller chunks

One of the first things you’ll need to do is get accustomed to reading in small chunks. You might not have half an hour to finish a chapter, but you might have time to read a couple pages. No, it doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up, and it is possible to enjoy a book reading it this way.

One key to making this work is keeping your place marked! If you spend half the time finding your spot, then having five minutes to read isn’t really worth it. Invest in some inexpensive bookmarks, or use index cards, post-its, or something similar.

Carry a book with you all the time

This one is a no-brainer. If you want to read more, then have something handy to read. Stick a paperback in your purse, your car, etc. so it’s with you when you need it. Read it anytime you’re stuck waiting somewhere. This is where learning to read in small bits will really come in handy.

Read e-books

Don’t want to carry a book with you? Then download an e-book onto your phone. Most smartphones can handle e-books, and you have your phone with you all the time anyway.

If you really enjoy the e-book format, you might also consider buying a reader, like the Kindle or something similar.It’s something extra to carry, but you’ll be able to take hundreds of books and other documents along with you.

Listen to audio books

Audio books are a great option if you’re in the car a lot. Audible is the site I use for downloads, but there are others you can check out as well. Audio books are also great to listen to while you’re working; I find them no more distracting than music, especially if I’m busy doing routine tasks that don’t require a lot of concentration.

Read more than one book at a time

Allow yourself to read more than one book at a time. You might have one at home, another audio book for the car, and an e-book on your phone. Getting accustomed to reading this way can mean that you always have a book going somewhere, and you get more reading done overall.

If you find this confusing, then select vastly different books to read simultaneously. You’ll be less likely to get them mixed up.

Place books in progress in spots where you’ll have time to read

Leave books in places where you’ll likely have time to read. Put one in your desk for days when you eat in your office. Put another by your favorite chair to read instead of watching television. And yes, it’s o.k. to put one in the bathroom too!

Reading is a great — and cheap — way to entertain yourself. Even better, you’ll set the example for you kids that reading is important enough to make time for. Now, why don’t you find a book you’ve been meaning to read and spend some time with it?

Story Structure

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In this article, Larry Brooks discusses writing from an outline vs. writing from the seat of your pants. His argument is that both are feasible, providing you have your story architecture in mind. Unfortunately, although the article was good, he didn’t explain what he means by story architecture or how to develop one.

Which got me to wondering, what exactly does he mean by “story architecture,” and how does a writer know she has one?

I did some digging on his site and found this page, where he does a ten part series on story structure. Here are the 4 parts he uses, but I’ll leave it to you to head over to his site to read through the whole series.

  1. Set up: Establish the stakes
  2. Response: React to the problem
  3. Attack: Main character begins to fix things
  4. Resolution

Channel 101 also has an interesting article about story structure. If you’re familiar with Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, then some of Dan Harmon’s stuff will sound familiar to you. Dan says there are eight steps you need to cover. I like this description best because his descriptions are great, yet succinct. Definitely head over and read these now; I’ll wait.

  1. You
  2. Need
  3. Go
  4. Search
  5. Find
  6. Take
  7. Return
  8. Change

You might be more comfortable with the three act structure, described here.

  1. Setup
  2. Confrontation
  3. Resolution

I’m sure you’re picking up on the theme here. Whether you know the whole layout before you start writing, or if you write it and then rework it later, your story will probably follow this basic pattern.

  1. Setup: Introduce the character and setup the situation
  2. Conflict: The character has a problem, tries to fix things, often makes matters worse, and eventually gets it right. Or not.
  3. Resolution: Wrap up loose ends, answer lingering questions, etc.

Of course, if you’re writing something that’s non-traditional, then your story might not follow this, and that’s cool too. Write what you want. As long as it works, do it, I say.