I write for a living. I’m proud of what I do, and I hope that my passion for words comes across in every blog post, article, and newsletter that I craft. Of course, writing is a profession that requires a lot more than simply having a love of words.
It requires an understanding of the differences between passive and active voice, the proper use of semicolons and em-dashes, along with dozens of other complex rules that govern the English language.
However, if you’re hoping to become a professional writer one day (or just want to improve your composition skills), these mechanics are only half the battle. For me and many other writers out there the real skill lies in process and productivity.
Here’s how I keep my writing sharp:
Key Takeaways |
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Embrace a structured writing process. |
Prioritize planning and outlining before writing. |
Set specific goals for each writing session. |
Eliminate distractions to maintain focus. |
Experiment with different writing techniques. |
Break down complex tasks into smaller steps. |
Find a balance between creativity and productivity. |
Edit and revise your work systematically. |
Utilize tools and resources to enhance efficiency. |
Emphasize consistent writing habits. |
Come Up With A Schedule And Stick To It
When I was a kid, I was an avid reader. My parents used to joke that if you left me alone in a room with no food or water, but with a book or two, I’d be perfectly happy until someone came and let me out.
As an adult, my reading has slowed down quite a bit. Instead of devouring books like candy, it feels more like eating those weird hard candies with the sour coating that takes forever to chew through except instead of being delicious and leaving you wanting more (or wishing they were gummy bears), these candies are just kind of gross and leave your teeth feeling all stained brown-orangey from the artificial fruitiness they contain.
Anyway: Point is: In order to maintain your writing schedule at any given time in life, it helps if you have some sort of discernible routine where you can write at least once every day without fail.
This could mean taking 15 minutes before bed each night; it could mean blocking off two hours on Sundays after lunch; or maybe it means waking up early enough in the morning so as not to waste any daylight hours by staring blankly out your office window while waiting for inspiration (and then getting distracted by Twitter).
And no matter what routine works best for your situation and lifestyle whether that’s something flexible or very specific having one will help keep everything running smoothly so that when deadlines approach (and believe me when I say they always do), there won’t be anything stopping them from being met on time!
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Draw Inspiration From What You Read
Reading is a crucial part of the writing process. It’s also something that many writers take for granted, which is unfortunate because reading has many benefits and will only improve your writing. If you’re not reading now, start!
The most obvious benefit of reading is that it helps you know what’s already been done before; in order to have an original idea, it helps to understand what other people have already said about similar topics or ideas.
Reading will also help you develop as a writer: by reading other writers’ work, we can learn from them (and hopefully avoid their mistakes). This doesn’t just mean learning grammar rules from books on style manuals it means getting inspiration from the way they write or structure their sentences and paragraphs.
Exercise Daily
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you need to exercise. You don’t have to be an athlete or run marathons or anything like that. But you should make it a habit to get your body moving for at least 20 minutes every day.
Exercising regularly will help you think more clearly, be more productive and work faster, feel better about yourself and sleep better at night (which will all aid in your writing). It’ll also help improve your confidence and make the world around you seem brighter!
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Don’t Take Forever To Get Started
If you’re a writer, you must be ready to write something at the drop of a hat. You have to be able to start writing right away and know that you’ll make your way through whatever resistance you feel when trying to get started.
Don’t worry about perfectionism; just put words down on paper (or in Word) and go from there. If everything is perfect in every detail, then what’s the point? Perfectionism is unnecessary stress that will only hold back your progress as a writer since it takes up time and energy that could be used to actually write something.
Don’t wait for inspiration before starting a piece; use whatever is available as inspiration instead if nothing’s coming across or sounding inspiring enough, then do research or just read other people’s work until something catches your eye or captures your imagination enough for it become an idea worth pursuing further!
Don’t wait for the right mood either; if this were true then no one would ever get anything done because life would always seem more fun than work! Instead focus on what needs doing today so that tomorrow can look better than today did:)
Keep distractions away
The first and most important rule when it comes to writing is not to multitask. Writing requires you to focus on the task at hand, which means you need to eliminate any distractions that might pull your attention away from what you’re doing.
Don’t write while listening to music or watching TV; don’t give yourself the option of checking your email or text messages every few minutes; don’t allow friends and family members (especially those who have no interest in your work)
Into the room where you write; don’t even use social media if it’s possible for someone else besides yourself to see what you’re posting online (and if they can see it, they’ll assume they can comment on it).
The second rule is this: Don’t do anything else while writing unless absolutely necessary. If something needs doing outside of writing if there’s laundry needing washed, dishes needing cleaned, food needing cooked do these things before beginning each day’s session of writing so that when sitting down at the computer later on there are no distractions demanding attention
From either outside stimuli or internal thoughts about other things going on in one’s life that may prove distracting during productive hours spent working toward completing a book manuscript or short story collection.
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Map Out Your Ideas Before You Start Writing
The best way to start is by mapping out your ideas before you write.
I know, I know: You don’t want to do that. You want to just sit down and get it done. But trust me on this one there’s no sense in writing an entire article in one sitting because then you’re going to be exhausted when it comes time for editing and revisions later on.
And if there’s one thing I’ll tell you about writing for the web (or anywhere), it’s that being tired will make everything harder than it needs to be.
So don’t try to write the whole article in one sitting! Instead, use these tips:
- Write down your ideas as they come up (don’t worry about whether they’re good or bad yet).
- Don’t worry about making sure every idea logically flows from the previous ones; just get them all out there so they’re clear in your head and mind as well as on paper (or computer screen).
Set Goals For Yourself And Work Hard To Achieve Them
When you’re a writer, it can be hard to know what your next move should be.
You might have a vague idea of where you want to go with your writing career, but without structure and guidance, it can be hard to channel that ambition into actionable steps.
That’s why setting goals is so important! If you set goals for yourself each day/week/month (or even year), then you will see results much faster than if you don’t have these targets in place.
You will also feel more motivated because there is something tangible out there that needs doing and achieving – not just some abstract concept floating around in the ether like “becoming successful” or “being an author someday”.
Make Notes On Everything
If you’re like me, you probably have an idea for a story in your head that feels fully formed. It’s good to write down these ideas as soon as they come to you just jot down whatever comes to mind, even if it’s only the title and a few sentences about how the story will start, who the main character is, or what kind of conflict they’ll face throughout the course of their journey.
You can always add more details later but if something gets lost in translation between your brain and pen (or keyboard), it may never come back again!
Another way I make sure I don’t forget any important information is by using Evernote (or another app). I keep all my notes organized with tags and searchable tags so when I want to find an old piece of inspiration for a new project or idea for another project altogether, there are no excuses not to get started right away!
Plan Your Day Well In Advance
To plan your day, the night before you should make a list. A to-do list is a great way to get organized and set yourself up for success. The first thing you should do when you wake up in the morning is look at your list and prioritize it make sure that everything on the list gets done before doing anything else.
It’s important to leave yourself enough time in the morning so that you are not rushed or stressed out by what needs to be done.
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Think Of Your Blog Posts As An Essay, So Let The Content Flow Organically Like An Essay In School
Think of your blog posts as an essay, so let the content flow organically like an essay in school. The best writing is well-researched and well-written, but also has a clear structure, organization and editing.
Think about how you’d write an essay for school: you would have a thesis statement at the beginning which states your topic clearly. Then you would build up to that thesis with introductory paragraphs that set up the argument or question you want to answer.
You might even have a few subtopics in each paragraph along with data points to support them all working together to get across your larger point(s). Then there are probably sources cited at the end of the paper because they back up what was said throughout it all (and sometimes make us feel smart!).
Write Your Blogs On Paper Before Typing Them Out Online If That Helps You Develop Ideas Better
If you find that the old-fashioned medium of pen and paper helps you develop ideas, go ahead and use it! You can write your blogs on paper before typing them out online if that’s what works best for you.
It’s helpful to have a notebook (or several notebooks) handy so that when inspiration strikes, you have somewhere safe to put down your thoughts. Write in a journal about the day’s events or record ideas for future blog posts. Or maybe even write letters to friends and family—there are all kinds of ways we can express ourselves with words on paper.
Use Lists And Bullets More Than Paragraphs. It’s Much Easier To Read
I can’t stress this enough: when you’re writing, use lists and bullets more than paragraphs. It’s much easier to read, scan, share, understand and recall something written in bullet points.
Bullets are also great for breaking up long blocks of text – the dreaded “wall of text” that readers often run into on the web. This is because they allow you to add some visual interest without completely changing the flow of your article or story.
And if you want to make them stand out even further (which you should), try using a larger font size or color contrast between your bullets and body copy.
Research Thoroughly First Before Writing The Post
The first step to writing a post is research. It’s important that you’ve done your homework on the topic before sitting down to write, because otherwise you’re wasting time and effort. You should never start writing until you’ve done your research first, or else there’s no point.
It’s also critical that you learn as much as possible about the subject matter before starting to write, because without that knowledge it’s impossible for any writer to have anything meaningful or insightful to say about a topic (and no one wants to read uninformed drivel).
Finally, make sure that there’s something specific that makes sense for your blog and its readership before beginning work on an article; otherwise it won’t be worth anyone’s time reading!
Avoid Writing Unnecessarily Long Introductions For Each Blog Post
You’re a writer, so you know that writing comes with a lot of pressure. You have to write long and hard, or it won’t work out for you. But there is no need to worry—I can help! This guide will show you how to make your writing even more efficient than before by giving advice on how to avoid doing unnecessary tasks.
One of the first things I want to talk about is introductions and conclusions. When writing blog posts like this one, we tend not to spend too much time on either the introduction or conclusion because they don’t usually change much throughout each blog post (for example, if my first sentence was “Hello everyone! My name is John and I am here today talking about how I write blogs efficiently.),
But what many writers like myself do is use the same introduction repeatedly throughout all of our other blog posts. This means that there will always be an introduction at the beginning of any new blog post that we write; however, this can lead us down an unproductive path if not done correctly because when it comes down
Understanding the psychology of learning is pivotal in creating engaging content. Dive into the world of psychology of learning new things to gain insights that can enhance your approach to writing a guide on process and productivity for writers.
Conclusion
These days, I can sit down and write a blog post within an hour or two, but not everyone has this kind of time. It’s easy to get distracted when you’re trying to focus on writing your content. So make sure there aren’t any distractions around you when you’re ready to write your next blog post. This is the best way for me to stay focused without wasting precious time!
Further Reading
Looking for more insights to enhance your productivity as a writer? Check out these resources:
Productive Writer Tips from HubSpot: HubSpot’s blog offers valuable tips and strategies to boost your writing productivity. Learn practical techniques to streamline your writing process and increase your output.
Becoming a Productive Writer: Explore Become a Writer Today’s guide on productive writing. Discover methods to overcome writer’s block, manage your time effectively, and stay motivated throughout your writing journey.
How to Become a Productive Writer: Now Novel’s blog post delves into the essentials of becoming a productive writer. Explore actionable advice on setting goals, creating effective writing routines, and improving your writing efficiency.
FAQs
How can I enhance my writing productivity?
Boosting your writing productivity involves creating a conducive environment, setting clear goals, and utilizing time management techniques. Find practical tips in our resources to streamline your writing process.
What strategies can help overcome writer’s block?
Writer’s block can be frustrating, but there are effective ways to overcome it. Check out our suggested articles for insights on how to break through creative barriers and regain your writing flow.
How do I stay motivated during long writing sessions?
Maintaining motivation during extended writing sessions is crucial for productivity. Learn from our recommended readings about techniques such as setting rewards, finding inspiration, and pacing yourself effectively.
Are there methods to improve my writing routine?
Absolutely! Discover techniques to fine-tune your writing routine and make the most out of your productive hours. Our suggested resources offer advice on creating consistent habits and optimizing your workflow.
How can I manage my time better as a writer?
Time management is essential for writers. Explore our provided articles for strategies that can help you prioritize tasks, allocate dedicated writing time, and make the most of every moment you spend writing.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.