Happiness is a Warm Desk: How Your Work Area Affects Your Productivity
Some writers put way too much attention into their working environment – and then don’t actually get much work done. Many others (like me) pay barely any attention at all … Continue reading
Stuck in the Middle: 12 Things To Do If You Stall In the Middle of a Rough Draft (Most of Which Are Good to Do in the Middle of the Project Anyway)
I was a guest on Kelly Carlin’s podcast this week and we were discussing the dreaded middle of a writing project – you know, that stretch where you run out … Continue reading
Green Means Go: Color Linked to Creativity
German researchers found that when people glanced at the color green, specifically plant green, for two seconds before doing a creative task, it boosted their creative output compared to briefly … Continue reading
Work Habits: Thomas Edison, Power Napper
Thomas Edison bragged about only needing a few hours sleep at night, but frequently napped and had cots all over his lab, including one in his office. He judged people … Continue reading
Productivity During Your Rough Draft (Including Some Famous Authors’ Daily Page Count)
Productivity (Phase 3: Rough Drafting) “I regard the piece of paper as my employer. I have to fill that piece of paper. How I feel—whether it is difficult or not, … Continue reading
6 Ways to Make a Deadline Meaningful
“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” — Douglas Adams It’s not just you. Almost every writer has a hard time being productive without … Continue reading
19 Ways to Increase Your Drafting Productivity
I’m sure you feel your writing isn’t going fast enough. This is an almost universal complaint of almost all writers in almost every project. Here are a few ways to … Continue reading
5 or 6 Guidelines for File Management (Yes, Really!)
I’ve worked with lots of aspiring and beginning writers and one of the biggest stumbling blocks to their creativity is simple mundane disorganization. They can’t find the latest revisions they … Continue reading
Billy Wilder on What It Takes to be a Writer Who Writes
You may have heard of him or seen some of his movies like, oh, for instance, “Some Like It Hot”, “Sunset Blvd.”, “The Lost Weekend” and “The Apartment”. No shock: … Continue reading
11 Ways of Writing Without Writing: Turn Procrastination into Productivity
“Art is a marriage of the conscious and the unconscious.” — Jean Cocteau Sometimes you just can’t focus on gathering, planning or drafting your project. There are other ways to move … Continue reading
7 Ways to Generate Material Without Having to Stare at a Blank Page / Screen
“A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.” — Sidney Sheldon For many writers, producing words from thin air, an empty … Continue reading