7 Tips for Productive Writing Sessions

This last week was delightful. 

I got an entire week off from work. Despite how much I do enjoy working, it was a much needed, and I believe, well deserved break. 

My hope was to spend the entire week writing. I had a very high expectation for my concentration skills and had a goal of 10k words per day because, hey, all I had to do was write each day. That did not happen. BUT, I was able to make some progress on my current WIP and am almost done with the First Act of it. 

Which is a great feeling.

I wrote an average of 3k each day (nowhere near my initial goal, but I didn't lose my mind nor decide I hated what I am working on).  There were a few days where I didn't get anywhere near what I wanted written and other days where the words just wouldn't stop flowing. 

Throughout this week, I was able to discover seven tips that helped me work better. Although these may be particular to me, maybe they'll help you out when you just can't seem to find a groove. These are listed in no particular order except for how I discovered them.

1. Have a doable goal  -- This is important because if you set an outrageously high goal then you'll lose motivation to write. After two days of having 10k as my goal (and falling quite short of reaching said goal) I almost stopped writing for the week. Thankfully I realized I was just procrastinating my goals for the future because if I can't finish one book, I sure as heck won't finish a second and if I don't finish books, how in the world will I be able to be the first legitimate author on Dancing with the Stars? Goodness, I won't even be able to move out. ever. 
2. Use a program that is helpful to you -- There are so many different writing programs out there it is ridiculous. All of them say "this will help you the best" and some of them cost small fortunes and who has time to look through all of them? At least that was my mindset when I started trying to find a useful program. I was able to locate a program called yWriter which has been helpful to a point. I can see how helpful it is going to be once I get to the editing stage, so I'm making sure to keep my book up to date in it and everything. BUT the program I've been using for the most part is something I actually discovered while in school: Google Docs. I've got the App on my phone and I've got it on my computer. When I'm not with my computer, I generally have my phone. Sudden idea pop in my head like a screaming pterodactyl? Boom, I throw it into a doc. Overhear a perfect piece of dialogue from a customer whose nephew had the world's worst first date? Bam, into a doc. And if you're like me and like to relax in a bubble bath with a glass of wine and contemplate future issues for your protagonist, then you can put it right there in the Doc your WIP is in (as long as there is no concern of dropping it into water because phones and water don't get along -- trust me, I've been through enough phones due to water, I know). These are the two programs that I have found work well for me, so find your own and away you'll fly!
3. Turn off the internet -- This one was more difficult for me because I was writing on a Google Doc, and listening to Pandora, but it is possible to refuse to look at any other webpages. It's hard to fight the pull of Facebook and Pinterest at first, but eventually it gets easier. 
4. Set a timer, take breaks -- Don't overload your brain. If you do this, you won't get any work done for days. On my first day I thought it would be similar to writing a 20 page research paper (and getting material and sources) in one day because it was due at midnight. I did it four, maybe five times, in college (not that I'd recommend it). I had forgotten how useless I was the rest of the week when I did that. I didn't quite make it that long when trying my first super sprint. Probably because I knew my GPA wasn't counting on my doing well on a paper. For breaks, I would recommend going for a walk, getting fresh air, reminding you dog (or cat) that you do indeed still exist and still love them by having an intense play session. 
5. Drink Water -- A lot of tips I've read over the years have mentioned being sure to have plenty of coffee or tea or whatever caffeinated beverage keeps you pumped on hand, but rarely have I seen anything that says to drink water. So I'm being sure to say it. It is very difficult to focus when you are dehydrated. This also plays a key part because of the next tip.
6. Alcohol -- If you are under the drinking age this does not apply to you. At all. Because I do not condone breaking the law. Otherwise, for those who are of legal drinking age, I would recommend this to a point. Emphasis on the to a point. Being slightly tipsy did wonders for writing for me. I'm one of those people who constantly goes back to what I worked on yesterday, decides it sucks, and tries to redo it. That makes it very difficult to move forward on a project. That is what has killed past attempts for me to blog (and is part of why I force myself to write all of these blog posts in one sitting although I've planned what I'm going to say all week). But when I had some alcohol in my system, I wasn't as critical towards my work and guess what? I actually made progress. With that said, be wary. Don't cross the line between tipsy and drunk. Trying to write while drunk is not fun. Well, it was fun, but what is written doesn't necessarily make sense. 
7. Atmosphere -- The atmosphere of where you write is important in how well you can focus. Some people do well in busy areas, some people like coffee shops. Me personally? I can't have a lot of stuff going on. Thankfully, I have an office in my house, sort of. I can close myself up in the room (that isn't my bedroom, otherwise I'd just always take naps and make no progress because I was always asleep). The first day went okay (until construction workers outside decided to blare music so loudly I couldn't hear my music over it). On the second day though, I changed the candle that was lit since I love candles from one that was a lavender scent to a fruity peach one. I tend to be fond of Bath and Body Works candles, this Peach one specifically. Fruity scents wake me up and help me stay focused.

They seem rather simple, but these are seven things that helped me go from somewhat productive at the beginning of my week to being very productive (although not 10k a day productive) by the end of the week. Now, I won't get another week off again any time soon, but I will bring these tips with me for my days off in the future. I'm finally making real progress and it feels great.

Is there anything specific that helps you focus when you have to concentrate for long periods of time? Feel free to comment below!

Until next week,

Shelby Hild