We writers pine for a day when we can just write. No obligations, no kids interrupting (through a closed door, no less), no deadlines, no nothing. Just us and the blank page. What a privilege that would be, right?
Actually, I don’t think so. Don’t get me wrong. I love a solitary writing retreat. I finished two books thanks to multi-day stints at our family’s beach bungalow. But I’m ready to return to the real world at the end of those escapes. And despite the progress I make there, most of my writing happens in my home office. It has to. That’s where I live, not obligation-free and steps from the ocean.
In fact, I think writers need these challenges to stay productive. If I lived by myself at the beach all the time, I bet I’d actually get less writing done than I do now.
If you’re wondering how we can use constraints to our advantage — and not as an excuse for writer’s block — here’s how I keep writing in the face of everyday life.
Limited-time-only writing marathons
I stay productive at my beachside writing retreats because they aren’t my everyday. Sometimes I go by myself, and sometimes I meet my childhood best friend to write together. Either way, I could easily spend most of my time either a.) finding projects around the house, taking surf lessons, and going on beach hikes or b.) hanging with my friend and catching up.
I do those things, but I also hit my writing goals. After all, I’ve asked my husband (or sometimes my mom) to take time off to look after my home and child for several days. I want to show my gratitude for this support when they ask the inevitable question, “So how did the writing go?”
National Novel Writing Month pushed me the same way when I wrote the first draft of Driving Forces. Writing 50,000-plus words in 30 days takes a lot of time. I had to decline — or bring a laptop to — several social events that month. I wanted something to show for it at the end.
Because my writing retreats are a retreat, not a lifestyle, I feel compelled to make the most of them. And that’s only human. Scarcity fuels our creativity and forces our brains to make the best of what we have. Faced with limited time to write, I feel more pressure to make sure it happens.
Writing contests or events
Contests and conferences have helped push me over the finish line on a few projects. For the 2017 Writers Digest Annual Conference (WDC), I paid for the Pitch Slam even though my book wasn’t ready. In the months between registering for the event and actually attending, I polished my manuscript like crazy.
More recently, I entered the annual #RevPit contest. My query had been hanging out at “almost ready” for months after a major slash-and-burn rewrite. When I committed to entering #RevPit, I had to suck it up and finish those lingering revisions.
I think any writer would say we love writing — why else would we do it? But finishing a piece of writing can present another challenge altogether. Sometimes a looming deadline is just what we need.
More time to write? More time to overthink!
I learned a great deal about the creative process from the figure drawing classes I took in college. My professor would force us to use our non-dominant hand to sketch the model, or give us steadily decreasing amounts of time to finish a sketch — first five minutes, then two, then one, then 30 seconds.
I was stunned to learn my proportions were actually more accurate in the messy, left-handed drawings. A sketch completed in less than a minute captured something more essential than one labored over for an hour.
First drafts should be like those speedy, left-handed sketches. I work on instinct, don’t think too much, and get all the words down. Editing comes later.
Great art doesn’t need great luxury
Faulker wrote As I Lay Dying during his shifts as a night watchman. J.K. Rowling was a single mom on welfare when she wrote the first Harry Potter book — on a manual typewriter. The worst thing a writer can do is let lack of resources get in the way. Novels have been written for free, using Google Documents on public library computers. Great stories shouldn’t wait for the perfect time because there isn’t one.
If you’re waiting for a better time to work toward your goals, get started today. Decide this is the time, and make it happen. Even if you only write a few words a day and have no idea what you’re doing. Even if you don’t own a computer.
And if you need a bigger push, join a challenge like NaNoWriMo. Drop in for a #5amwritersclub on Twitter. Sometimes joining a community of writers with similar goals and struggles makes all the difference.
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