From Edie: Struggling to stick to a writing schedule? Discover how to create a routine that fits your life, boosts productivity, and makes writing enjoyable again.
How to Find the Perfect Writing Schedule That Actually Works for You
by Tammy Karasek @TickledPinkTam
Without a doubt, there must be organization in the writer’s life. One of those items of organization is for the schedule for writing. Writers are inundated with the perfect schedule to write. Write early in the morning before anyone in your home is awake. Stay up after everyone has gone to bed. Set a timer. Don’t set a timer. Find a spot in your home or a dedicated office. No, writers go to coffee shops, sip massive amounts of coffee and write there. There are so many more perfect schedule suggestions out there, too.
Being one that is prone to be compliant, well most of the time, I’ve tried each and every suggestion to achieve the perfect structure for writing success.
I’ve failed at those suggested writing schedules and procedures. Miserably failed.
None of them were bad, nor were they wrong. For someone. That someone happened not to be me though.
Each time I tried to set a schedule to write and choose a daily word count according to the latest book or blog post I read, I would do great. Until I didn’t. Which sent me into that nasty spiral of self-doubt. That voice in my head, which would mock me—what a failure you are, you can’t even meet a daily word count for more than four days. Yeah sure, you’re a writer. Ha!
I dug further to see what I was doing wrong. Comments of you’re not putting your writing first, if you really wanted to write you would, maybe you’re not supposed to write. My favorite … how can you write a book if you can’t be organized and dedicated enough to show up to write every morning and write 5,000 words before you get up from your chair for lunch?
Hence, the failure voice would return and agree with the latest critique of my lack of ability to write on someone else’s suggested schedule.
In a conversation with my sounding board, aka hubby, he listened to my latest rant of not being able to write at the prescribed perfect time that was suggested. Therefore, I’m a failure and not a writer. At this point, he said, “Hold up. I think you said something you don’t even realize you said which may be your answer. You said …”
My lack of ability to write on someone else’s suggested schedule.
I sat frozen in a stare. Yes, I’d said the statement. But it hadn’t hit me before he pointed it out what I was actually saying. My words left me. The sentence he pointed out to me replayed over and over in my mind and slowly the aha moment begin to wash over me, and give me peace.
I wasn’t a writing failure, I was trying hard to write like others—or at least the way they scheduled their time to write.
While one person can thrive with getting up before dawn and crank out 5,000 words every day of the week, another sails through late night typing a nice word count before turning in for the night several times a week.
The peace was richer when I realized that while I do need to schedule dedicated writing time each week, it needs to work for me.
Once I shook off someone else’s routine I desperately tried to match, my writing time became more exciting and enjoyable again … before I learned the perfect writing schedule for a writer. If you struggle with this like I have done the past five or so years (hey, it took me a while, I admit), change that sentence to read—the perfect writing schedule for me.
The best thing you can do for your writing success is to find out what time of day you will be able to show up each appointed day consistently. There is absolutely no one perfect time for everyone, every day. It must be YOUR perfect time. Maybe you might even consider two small time slots each day if a block of time several hours long doesn’t work. Can’t write every day? Which days can you write? Now ink them in as important appointments that can’t be rescheduled.
Since I’m goal driven, I’ve used this fact to my advantage in getting those words down. Instead of stressing through my angst of not being able to write when others’ have said is perfect, I found days and times throughout my week that I can block off to show up at my desk. Each week I have set a goal of a certain number of words. The quicker I hit that goal during the beginning of the week, the more time I’ll have at the end of the week for other stuff I’d like to do. Sometimes that has been raising my word count goal and keep writing for the week.
What about you? Have you found your own writer’s groove and perfect schedule to get your word count rising? Share below what has worked for you. It may help someone else who is struggling to find his or her best practice for writing success. But remember, please don’t stress if it’s not an idea that would work for your life. They are only suggestions.
TWEETABLE
Her work was also published in a Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments. She’s also the Social Media Manager for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, Founding President and current Vice-President of ACFW Upstate SC, and Founding President of Word Weavers Upstate SC. She’s a writing team member for The Write Conversation Blog, Novel Academy, MBT Monday Devotions, The Write Editing and more. Connect with Tammy at HTTPS://WWW.TAMMYKARASEK.COM.
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