Are You Writing Wastefully? – Miss Write

Time to find for writing can be a challenge, we all know that. However, when you do find that 10, 30, 60 minutes you can dedicate to your craft, how can you be sure you’re writing efficiently, making the most of your time typing?

In this post, I spoke about ‘power writing’. I stand by this tactic; it is great, but are you getting the most out of your precious minutes?

Are you forcing writing when it’s not flowing?

When words are not forthcoming, don’t try force them onto paper or screen. Take a break (lunch, walk the dog, phone your mum), get some fresh air – you’ll feel refreshed when you return to your laptop. 

Do you type inefficiently?

Many people can speed up their typing and make it more accurate with some basic touch typing lessons. Have you considered this? Take a look at Typing Club (free online training) to test and train yourself, or, for a deeper study of typing, check out Typing Study. 

Some pointers might also reduce strains on your wrists or fingers having been sat in an awkward position for stretches of time. A different shaped mouse might make all the difference. 

Are you distracted from your major project by more ‘fun’ or ‘easy’ writing pieces?

I am guilty of this. I don’t kill my frogs, choosing what and when I want to write. Such is the luxury of an (mainly) unpaid writer! If you find blogging or writing poems easier, for example, save them for a ‘warm up’ exercise at the start of your time writing, then move on to the heavier work. It’ll satisfy your creative brain and start the day with something fun. You can always come back later, when you’ve done some hard work – best to set a target and reward yourself here. Stay organised and you’ll go far. 

Do you find yourself typing slowly, making sure the sentences are perfectly crafted, spelled and structured?

Again, a typing course might help here, but you need to restrain that internal editor of yours. A first draft is exactly that: a draft. You are fine to, nay, expected to return to it and improve, tweak, remove sections at will. Spelling doesn’t matter – even if you spellcheck doesn’t pick it up, your second draft will. I actually find the second draft more fun, as the bulk of the text is there. I’ve got it down, now it’s time to perfect it. 

Are you a research fiend?

Research is, of course, necessary for any decent piece of writing. This is all well and good, but ‘research’ could go on and on as an activity. Take stock: what do you have so far? Could you write a few pages or chapters with what you’ve gleaned already?

Lou x

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