Monthly Archives: June 2010

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.