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

Welcome ChelleJ. Your issue seems to stem from that initial internet connection and Google. The net can be a dreadful eater-upper of time.

Only tip I can give you is not to go online when you sit down to write - set a specific later time for surfing/googling....and logging on here!


Good luck.

Before you stop writing, make a note about what you're going to write next.

And if the 'net is too much of a distraction, turn off/remove your connection, or try writing by hand and then keyboarding.

I've been there. This is the routine I've fallen into now:

I write on my computer; I keep the room I'm in completely dark and turn my screen brightness down all the way (this helps me see things better in my mind, with less distractions). I grab a cup of tea and put on a playlist of songs related to my story, or the character I'm writing for. I'll usually let one or two songs play fully before I start writing. I'll also use a scented candle or wax cubes with a smell that reminds me of the story, setting or character for whatever reason. Then, I always, always start with a blank page and just leave off from what I can remember; that way I don't get stuck reviewing and editing. I also tend to start in random places and then put the various scenes into an order that makes a book and edit from there. Basically I write whatever is on my mind right then, I don't hold it in or wait to get to it later. If I'm feeling passionate about a certain scene, then that's the time to get it out, before I lose that fire or become resentful of myself (which I do, when I wait too long to get to something). Just starting anywhere honestly helps relieve pressure; knowing you're just getting down what you can now and that it could change later. Also, and probably most importantly - turn off the internet. Do your research only when you need it. Turn off your phone. Unplug your modem. Etc. That way you're forced to focus on your page. I hope this helps.

How do I start each writing session? With dread and angst and sometimes even fear. At least with my current WIP. Much like yours, it's been resurrected from the drawer, and has my mind swirling with plenty of ideas that all seem determined to put up a heck of a fight before letting themselves stick to the page. I find the best way for me to knuckle down and get to work is to start by transcribing the previous day's work. I open up yesterday's draft on one screen, an empty word doc on the other, and start copying. Usually by the time I've reached the end, I can transition smoothly into the next passage I need to write. If starting with a new POV character, instead of yesterday's work, I'll go back to that character's last passage. This practice has the added benefit of keeping tone and voice consistent, while also reminding me of any little details I might have forgotten that might've become continuity errors. If I've had several bad writing days in a row, I'll go back and transcribe the last GOOD thing I produced.

Chelle_J said:

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.

Click to expand...

There's your problem. Take your computer somewhere isolated, where there is no internet or wifi and preferably no GPS signal... it might also help if there are no TV or books or pleasant views... and enjoy your distraction-free writing.

For those that write regularly, how do YOU start each writing session?

Click to expand...

Any moment I can, any day I can. The only thing I do regularly is make sure I eat breakfast and have a cup of coffee. You won't get anything done if your blood-sugar dips and you feel grouchy and hungry. Other than that, I write at home, at work, in the library... pretty much whenever I can cram it in. During summer, I sit in the garden with my laptop, in a position that has juuuust enough wifi signal to allow me to access the Scrivener docs stored on my PC via my laptop. I'm quite productive in summer.

I write almost every day, and I treat it like a job. I worked as an engineer in high technology in silicon valley for several decades, and I start my day writing the way I did then.
I sit down, check email, have a look at FB, look at AW (here), then review my notes from the day before. I'm pretty organized, so I plan my novels out before I get into the nitty-gritty writing - so I know where I'm going. I usually think about my work before I go to sleep every night too.

If I get stuck, sometimes I go back an reread what I wrote the day before (and inevitably make corrections), that usually does the trick.

Chelle_J said:

...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.

Click to expand...

I'm sorry I don't have any great advice for you other than what others have said and are sure to continue saying.

I just wanted to say I get it. I read this and laughed, not at you, but at myself, and at life in general. I get it because this same thing applies to me all too often.

I think the trick is getting in the groove, you know. Getting in the habit. Like the first thirty minutes is always going to be painful and then the joy kicks in. I liken it to exercising, specifically jogging. Starting the process is rough and takes a bit of willpower, but then stopping becomes hard too once you're really in the zone.

The internet is a tough addiction to beat. I wish you the best. Be strong.

I, too, have problems in being side tracked by the internet. I use Scrivener and I use its session target word count, which helps to get me off my backside and keep my nose to the grindstone. Are you able to identify when you are most productive? For me it is the morning, providing I have managed a decent eight hours sleep.

The other big problem I have in putting words to virtual page is my internal editor. Nine times out of ten it rears its ugly little head and insists that my prose, far from being deathless, should be taken out to the woodshed and quietly put out of its misery.

What works for me is a rough word sketch, where I map out the scene -- in blue text, which is important because it silences my internal editor, which understands these are only preliminary notes, nothing to get excited over. Then I turn it into prose. It may not be wonderful prose, but it's a start and can be amended later.

If you use Windows, there is an easy way to disconnect from the Internet without having to mess with WiFi.

Start, cmd (or start, run.... cmd). Type in.... ipconfig /release <-- This will erase the computer's connection with your ISP. When you want to come back online, type.... ipconfig /renew

Your Internet will work again. This harsh way of doing it is a reminder that the Internet distracts, and needs to be taken away for however long you write.

Warning: You may get an error, after the renew phase, noting: "No operation can be performed on Local Area Connection <some number> while it has its media disconnected." Use the renew command one more time, and your Internet should be back up and running.

I just set myself a writing goal for the session. In other words, I determine how much I want to write, say 1000 words, then write it (no re-writing/editing). Just raw words put down as quickly as i can in a short time. That way, my mind is limited by distractions because I'm focused on a 'small' quick goal. The brain works that way: it likes little tasks compared with bigger ones. However the writing ends for that session, I end it, even if it's on a cliff-hanger. The next day/time I write, I revise the words from the session before then set the next small goal. The best way to eat an elephant, after all, is one bite at a time. I generally get about 1000-1500 words written every day using this method, and by the end of the week, it all adds up.

Work is work. I think of work as 75-85% busy/grind work, and the remainder (depending on the type of work) is showing off (or bursts of workflows qualifies). You just have to do it. You need output goals. For me, I want to average a chapter and a half each week. If I do two chapters, okay. If I do only one, great. This is my small goal. My big goal is to finish a 75K to 80K manuscript in 12 weeks or less (first draft). For me, these goals are motivators. Motivators help me get started, mentally. Physically, I make sure I get a walk done in the morning (to get muscles oxygen and get them loose). I have a nice breakfast, stretch, get on the computer and ease into it. I spend about 15 minutes doing fun things before I start working. I tune the Internet world out while I work. I take a 10 or 15 minute break every 90 mins. I may go online and do fun things, or go do something outside (fresh air). Back to the grind. I follow this work, break, work pattern till I meet my goal for the day (or I am tired).

I usually have two work cycles in one 24-hour period. Each work cycle may be 4-6 hours. I work in the late morning and once again till 2-4 AM. Sleep separates my work times.

My sleepiness and procrastination correlate. If I'm well rested (read: not too many 3am writing benders back to back), I can knock out more words quickly.

I can't unplug from the internet because I need my dictionary, thesaurus, and urban dictionary at my fingertips.

The "sprint" approach works well for me if I have a legitimate deadline (say, an hour of free time before work).

blackcat777 said:

I can't unplug from the internet because I need my dictionary, thesaurus, and urban dictionary at my fingertips.

Click to expand...

This ^^^^

Chelle_J said:

Anyway, I'm breaking my self-imposed internet exile to come here and say that I have managed to write 1504 words. It took me four hours, so not a great effort. And, if I'm being honest, it was all utter blabber that will likely end up deleted.

Click to expand...

Sometimes you just need to get the flow going.

1500 words is great. Content quality is immaterial. At least you got back into the motions of writing again.

Enlightened said:

If you use Windows, there is an easy way to disconnect from the Internet without having to mess with WiFi.

Start, cmd (or start, run.... cmd). Type in.... ipconfig /release <-- This will erase the computer's connection with your ISP. When you want to come back online, type.... ipconfig /renew

Your Internet will work again. This harsh way of doing it is a reminder that the Internet distracts, and needs to be taken away for however long you write.

Warning: You may get an error, after the renew phase, noting: "No operation can be performed on Local Area Connection <some number> while it has its media disconnected." Use the renew command one more time, and your Internet should be back up and running.

Click to expand...

Umm, a simpler way would be to click on the little wifi icon in the task bar at the bottom of the screen. A window will pop up showing your wifi connection, and then you click "Disconnect." When you want wifi back again, click on "Connect."

I like the hard disconnect. Shows you mean business; motivation to work. Just my view!

Chelle_J said:

I'd love some ideas.

Click to expand...

Nothing worse than a blank page, but it's the Dreadful Truth that the only way to make forward progress is to fill that page.

Maybe try starting your session by writing about something you can visualize--a character, a situation, a setting. You may not end up keeping it, but that doesn't matter. What you need to do is oil the rusty gears, and you can only do that by writing something. Anything. And the more you write, the more the words will flow. Generally speaking.

Oh, and if the internet is a distraction, kill it. That applies to any fatal distractions.

Set yourself a hard rule: you can either write or you can stare at your screen. You're not allowed to do anything else. You can't pick up your phone, you can't fiddle with something on your desk, you can't alt-tab over to a website. You can either write or do nothing. Something inevitably comes to me after a few minutes of staring at my screen like a drooling caveman, and then I can start tapping away at my keyboard.

And on the days when absolutely nothing comes, I sometimes turn to journaling instead. Ranting about my mood, how things have been going lately, what I'm worried about, etc., usually loosens up enough resistance and gunk in my brain that I can write creatively right after.

Also to corroborate with all the 'turn off your wifi!' advice: the internet at my house isn't the most reliable, and I have definitely noticed a much higher/easier word count on the days wifi is down

I always have a routine for my writing. Well, at least writing I do outside of the workplace. It's the exact same routine every time and, for me, that helps a lot. It goeth thusly:

-I set a specific time slot to begin writing and I make it hours after I wake up. That way, I have no excuse not to do all the chores/email/social media/eating that needs to get done beforehand.
-About 15-30 minutes before my actual writing time, I sit down and bust out my designated writing playlist. I only have one and it's full of songs I know by heart, and in foreign languages, so I don't get distracted by the lyrics. I also pull up my WIP document and reread the last page or so and check my outline notes to see where I want to go. I also check and see if I left any notes behind on what I needed to research or changes I wanted to make.
-Writing time begins! I write for 20 or 45 minutes, depending on how I'm feeling, break for 10 or 15 to get up/bathroom/stretch/etc, rinse, and repeat. It's like a watered down version of writing sprints.
-After about 3 hours' time, I set aside a half an hour for lunch and to step away from the story for a while. Another mental break.
-Then, I begin the writing sprints again until about 2 hours before bedtime. At this point, I've usually written for about 6 hours.
-The last 2 hours are winding down time.

I treat my writing time the same as if I was doing a shift at work, with breaks for walking/stretching (I work at an office so to avoid stress from sitting, I do 10 minutes of exercises per hour) and schedule in a break for lunch. I get everything I need to get done beforehand and I stick to my schedule. With my anxiety, perfectionism, and suchlike, having such a schedule really helps me settle down and concentrate. Further, taking that 15 or so minutes before my designated writing time helps me get in the mindset. I do sometimes get sidetracked by research, but I'm getting better at that. What I do is: if I get stuck, if I need a name or something, I'll insert this into my WIP:

#Name, #ThingINeedtoResearch

I do this because, in most cases, there aren't going to be hashtags in a WIP. Most cases. So later, in my time before actual writing, I can do the search option in my doc and it'll find those hashtags and I can take some time to research without cutting into my writing time. This was a neat trick a friend and fellow writer taught me and it's saved me a ton of time. It's just, again, I still sometimes get distracted, but when I do, I take my break early because that's my mind telling me it needs a rest.

Writing is hard and if you have trouble focusing or getting in the mindset, that makes it even harder. You open yourself up to more distractions and procrastination and just staring at the document. Having notes, a plan, anything from the day before that you can follow, or if you're starting something new, having them on hand in the beginning, helps narrow that focus. Setting up a routine is also a help because it acts like a ritual and your mind will start to associate your ritual with, "Okay, this is writing time, not internet time, it's time to focus on writing" and that'll make it easier to concentrate. And if you really can't turn off the internet for one reason or another? Grab a notebook, step away from the computer, and come back when it's time to transcribe.

Hope this helps and good luck ^^