How do you start each writing session? (tips for efficiency)

I always re-read the last little bit and yes, I sometimes get stuck rewriting stuff then and there as opposed to writing new things down. But, I don't let it frustrate me or if I only end up doing a few new paragraphs after that I don't feel unproductive. It's just the pace I work at. But, although I don't turn off my internet or anything, I do vow to stay away from social media etc. when it's writing time! I also have found that I like having an outline of my story (I do a chapter by chapter outline, but it changes as I go) that way I have a better idea of where I've left off and what I want to write next.

As you can see,this is the place to come with any question. When in doubt,all the contributors will be forth-coming and brutally frank with you. Some days, I just don't want to write...and I accept it. Tomorrow is always a new day. I'm sure Hemingway had his off days too. Try not to let it get you down. It sounds like you have most of your ducks in a row,it will come to you!

I find that listening to music helps me keep from farting around online. If I'm particularly twitchy I pick a shorter song/playlist and then when it stops I take a brief break. Some days are like that. The doing other stuff only becomes a problem if you aren't getting any words.

Making sure I'm comfortable helps. A lot of times I find I start doing stuff other than writing (playing games or looking at stuff on Twitter) when I'm not comfortable. I physically want to get up and change things but because I'm telling myself I need to be writing instead I "adjust position" so to speak by... not writing, but not getting up. Having a drink and snack on hand helps to because I do the same thing if I get thirsty or hungry.

I save research for later. Either the end of the writing session or a separate session altogether. I make a note on things I need to look up and use placeholders in the manuscript. (I.e. "Look up which solid chemicals or minerals explode when exposed to common elements like air, water or heat." and Jenny dropped the <explosive mineral> into the sea water.) Then when I do my research I just go back through and replace the place holders with the actual thing.

I also give myself a time frame in which to write, but break it into chunks. If things aren't going well after the first 30 minutes or so I make a decision about whether to come back later, take a short break and try again, or just keep pushing. Which thing I choose depends on the day, but it's okay to recognize that stress over something else is keeping you from doing work on a particular day. (Just be careful about letting it happen every time and try to figure out how to minimize those outside factors.)

So, when I sit down to write, I am comfortably dressed, I have a drink/snack, have used the bathroom, and have a goal in mind and a self-check time limit. I write until I meet the goal or until I realize that it's not a good time to be trying to write. If I have research to do, I make notes about what to check out later. I listen to music to help block house noise and I try to keep my internet stuff out of the way until I reach a point I've either met my goal or need a little break. Some days it even works like that.

One lovely thing I do to keep myself from wanting to get up and move around is this: I keep a heating pad on the floor at my writing desk. Shoes off, feet toasty warm, I'm entirely content to be where I am, thank you.

I do start most writing sessions by reviewing/editing previous work. To me, editing counts as writing and generates a framework by which I may proceed in a logical way.

I never confuse research time with writing time--and because I write historical fiction, I do a LOT of research. If it's a research day, I'm in a different room, often a different building (think library) from the one I write in.

For some reason I don't really understand, I do keep track of my word count for each session. It has nothing to do with judging progress, because a reduced word count is just as likely to indicate a better honed product than a higher word count might. I just keep the record, and keeping the record makes me happy.

Hope this helps.

Chelle_J said:

Part of me thinks I have closure and am now finished and can go eat ice-cream

Click to expand...

Which is why I never outline, synopsize, or otherwise plan a story in advance. My brain considers it written and can't be bothered to do it a second time. Total boredom.

However, that's me. If you discover that outlining helps you through this struggle, then yay! Whatever works, you know.

I write my manuscripts by hand, so I just sit down and pick up where I left off.

IMO the thing to take away from the question and all these answers is that we're all individuals and do what we do in our own way. There isn't just one way to write a novel - so the thing to do is figure out what YOUR way is.

What I can add to this discussion was something I learned as a design engineer. I worked on very complicated projects, personal computers, unix workstations, routers and switches for the internet, even communication gear for our military's jet fighters. Each was different - the projects ran for months on end, there were a lot of changes and shifts in product requirements mid-stream. What I learned to do in that environment was take a look at the process I used at the conclusion of the project; what worked? what could have worked better? what didn't work, and why? Then I'd make adjustments to that process when I'd start my next project.

My point is, don't get stuck in always doing things the same way. Be open for change (unless you're Stephen King or Dan Brown or someone like that). Always look to improve, and keep moving.

My strategy involves having a comfy place to work first. For me thats wrapped in a blanket on the couch in the living room with my laptop hooked up to the TV and typing with a wireless keyboard and mouse.

I've heard from a couple sources that it really helps to force yourself into a regular schedule too, so I try to sit down and work at least once a day usually around the 7pm-11pm though not necessarily for that entire time frame or non-stop or anything.

Music also really gets me in the right mind set, so I go on youtube and click on songs from channels I like and let YouTube autoplay handle the rest. For me music is so important that if a song comes on that I'm that into, it'll pull me out of my writer mode until I can get a good song playing again.

Last strategy I have is to pick a spot I want to work on, chronological order doesn't matter, and just word vomit everything I can think of in that moment. Its easy to fall in the trap and start thinking to yourself if something is good or follows what youre trying to express but do your best to ignore that for this phase and save it for the editing phase. Your number one priority is to put words down no matter if they're good or bad. Then when you go back and edit is when you can obsess over word choice an grammar and accuracy to research etc.

Chelle_J said:

My biggest take-away so far is to just knuckle-down and write *something*.

Click to expand...

Nailed it

Having kids. Cliche, I know, but you learn to do stuff in five minutes that previously took two hours.

The same has applied to writing; pre kids I couldn't ever seem to get it done despite having a lot of free time. Now that I only have, at best, about 1.5 hours per day to try and get anything done, suddenly I can knock out 20k words a month, plus revision, plus short stories.

But that's quite an extreme solution. Still, the basic principle persists; the busier I am, the more time I find for writing. The less busy I am, the less I seem to get done. I don't really have time to get in the mood but I do have a huge motivator (desperate to get it down while I can) and the kind of resentful fury that can only come from wanting to make something of the day--because chores and childcare don't cut it for me.

Ah, I feel you. Home educator here too, and youngest on spectrum. Not a single parent but my partner is chronically ill so other challenges in that regard. Time for yourself is tough.

I don't know; I struggled to get any writing done for years and years. No matter what I did or tried, just didn't seem to have any words.

Got to a certain age and it was like a flip switched. The words took over and now I've written two novels in two years, having written absolutely nothing since high school assignments up till that point.

Usually over my morning espresso, I'll read a little poetry (10 minutes or so). Then move to my desk, knowing exactly how long I have available to write. And I disconnect wifi and dive in. I watched a Facebook live last week with Isabel Allende and she said her #1 advice for aspiring writers is discipline...a writer must be disciplined. Her words, but I believe them 100%.

I write in the morning. With luck, my mind will wander into the story before I get out of bed. If not, I go to the computer and revise the previous scene to reload the context, stimulate ideas, and get into voice. Then it's bathtime. There's no obligation to think about the story during this time, but since there's nothing to do and I've just had my attention on it, usually my mind will turn to it, and at least a few lines of prose for the next scene will come out. The challenge is to remember at least the good parts until the bath is done. Then I hurry to get it down, and usually that will flow into more and more. Ideally, the morning lasts all day, but if not, there probably won't be another session. Once the real world intrudes too much into my thoughts, it's hard to get back into the story headspace.

Anyone else here big on music as part of their workflow? Lets share playlists if so!

There are a number of tools to help you cut online distractions without having to convince yourself to turn off the wi-fi (for which you can find excuses). You might also try picking up the laptop and going someplace, like a park or a coffee shop you'd have to sign into, where there simply is no connectivity or isn't unless you go through steps.

Cold Turkey has a free version -- it lets you schedule blocks of work time and will lock down your ability to access the web during work time. I think you can exempt like, an email site if you REALLY need emails or something (but don't convince yourself you need a dozen sites), and it sends motivational messages if you try to access the 'net. I think you can build in breaks too. There are other similar programs, Internet Blocker, one called like Time Rescue or something..

I write by hand & I try to write 6 days a week. When I come back to the page I am with the characters, and the story continues, I write it down. Usually all I need to do is look at the last sentence. It helps *a lot* that I quit my session when I'm in the middle of an idea. When I get back the next day the idea still there.

First of all, have everything prepared in advance. This is where most of the time in procrastination is eaten up. Starting writing sessions is all about flow, and you can't have flow if you have to flip between screens a lot or standing up to get something midway through. Limit multitasking to an absolute minimum, time constraints be damned. Consolidate any research to research blocks and writing to writing blocks, even if you have to alternate daily between the two.

That being said, I personally have a rhythm I try to achieve each day. Tea helps me (and many others) concentrate, but I've ingrained a little "checkup" habit over the years. If I'm stationary, my word count is coming to a crawl in the last 10-15 minutes, I have to reset, and just force myself back into the document. Writing something down takes precedence over everything, including quality. If it's bad writing, well, that's why there's a delete key.

Starting the first few paragraphs of the day is a bit trickier. I've incorporated a mini-freewriting exercise to get the creative juices going. If you don't know what that is, it's basically writing without thought. The only goal is to type, type, type, no matter what you're thinking about or how clearly your thoughts are running. It takes not even a full minute for me (although, I'm sure it varies person to person), and it really works. I imagine it much like warming up for an exercise. You're essentially stimulating your brain in a way that's prompting itself to switched gears (into writing).

Otherwise, organization is your greatest ally. Have everything you might need to consult one click (or zero clicks) away. The less you have to dig--> the less time it detracts from writing--> the more easily you can flip back to writing without stalling out for long periods of time.

AliceL said:

Anyone else here big on music as part of their workflow? Lets share playlists if so!

Click to expand...

Not me. The voices in my head start singing along with the tune... some of them are off key, so it's pretty distracting.

Chelle_J said:

I'm struggling a bit with focus at the moment. Or perhaps it's confidence... or probably just experience/skill. I'm resurrecting an old half-drafted novel that I would dearly love to complete, but seem to be sabotaging myself. I like the story. I like the characters. I want to write it!! But it's not happening. All I know is I am having trouble actually getting words on the page. I don't have writer's block (in fact, I have heaps of ideas swirling around), but I get on to my computer knowing that I only have x amount of hours to write and then I google some peripherally related research questions (get side-tracked), re-read the last few paragraphs, make some random character notes, check this forum!, ponder the meaning of life, wonder WTF I am doing, stare at my story.... and then realise I've wasted an hour and I suck at this.

For those that write regularly, how do YOU start each writing session? Do you have some technique to bring things into focus from where you left off? Do you re-read the last bit? Or just jump in and let things flow and see what happens? Or do you make notes before you finish so that you know exactly how to start the next day?? I really need some tips for getting straight into the groove to make the most of each writing session. I've searched the forum for writing exercises, but they all seem to be related to honing writing skills in general rather that the actual process of picking up again and getting straight into each writing session.

I'd love some ideas. Thanks!!

Click to expand...

If it's a first draft, I might re-read the last bit; usually I know what the next scene is and I get on with writing it.

One of my best writing investments was an $8 kitchen timer. I set the timer and write. That's it. No "research" no editing, no getting up for fresh tea, nothing. When the timer goes off, I can look up anything I need or get more tea (or go to the bathroom), but when the timer is ticking, it means I'm churning out words and nothing else.