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I need advice to increase writing productivity.

Ireth

Myth Weaver
The internet is a big shiny distraction machine, and as such it is to be avoided when you want to really focus on writing and not research or anything else.
 
Productivity, hm? I find it quite subjective, and dependent on my mood.

Say I set a goal for myself - writing 300 words per day (which felt like significantly more when I was writing exclusively by hand - I would refill my pens almost every week). That pushed me forward some days, and held me back others.

Is your difficulty that you want to write, that you're bursting with the desire to translate your story to the page, but you don't know what to write? Is your difficulty that you know what to write, but you have no motivation? Do you have motivation and something to write, but you dislike what you've already done? Are you just not writing enough?

When I get stuck, since my stories are largely character-based, I ask the characters what they would do next. Often, they'll start almost writing the story for me, and all I have to do is write it down.

Find interesting places to write. I like to write around people, in quiet tea shops, in libraries, outside in the shade, or on one of two five-hour airplane rides that I have planned for this year.

Also, don't get too hung up on how good you are or aren't. If you're convinced that your writing is terrible, convince yourself that it won't get any better unless you write! If not, congratulations; you're in a better place than a lot of us.
 
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Guru Coyote

Archmage
The most valuable advice I got was this: "Make sure what you are writing is interesting (exciting) for you to write BEFORE you actually start writing it. "

That means to know why the scene you are about to write matters, what's at stake in it, how it propels the story on.
Suspense it turns out, is not being in the dark about how things will ultimately end, but in figuring out how the characters get there. Now I know where they are at the end, I can have all the fun I want as a writer getting them there :)

(Key premise being: the more fun I have as a writer, the more productive I am.)
 

Addison

Auror
Some people say to rid yourself of distractions. No music, no movies, no snacks, no nothin' but writing. I tried that, went insane. All I did was stare at the screen as I typed the alphabet in each of my fonts. So just make yourself comfortable. Play a music that gives you energy, makes you feel creative. Have a drink and a snack on hand so you don't have to get up and browse the fridge for an hour.

If you can, turn off your internet connection. As Ireth said, it's a big shiny distraction.

Another tip that works for me is write something on paper first. A sentence or paragraph or a whole scene. Then type it up and after it's typed you'll be well on your way.
 
Hi,

First make time to write. Set aside however long it is, an hour or three, and refuse to have it violated. So sit at your desk in front of your PC and there'll be no x-box, no phone calls answered, no tv shows to watch. Make others respect your writing time. Even if you can't write a word you have to be there, in front of your pc, thinking about writing.

Second I agree, no distractions. Yes music is fine if it's not a distraction. Me? I'd be sitting there listening to the music and not thinking about writing.

Third carry a notebook with you at all times so you can jot down ideas during the rest of your day. It's not so much that you have brilliant ideas while out grocery shopping etc, its that you have ideas period. Often I find the worst thing is sitting there wanting to write but having no idea. At least if you have some you've got something to write, good or bad. The other thing it does is train you to think about your writing all the time. And that's important.

Cheers, Greg.
 

Rantz

Acolyte
For me, the thing that is less important than the "music vs. silence" or the "internet vs. cut off" aspects is the setting a specific schedule ever day, with a word count goal. The first 5 days of sticking to the schedule are by far the hardest, but past that, you find if you DON'T do the schedule, it's feels like something is missing, or has been taken away from you and you WANT IT BACK.

Just speaking personally, and I know I was completely skeptical of this when told to do it by a friend who'd written a couple dozen novels, but after doing it... damn it, he was 100% correct. Good luck!
 

ecdavis

Troubadour
I'd say focus on the story at first more than nailing the grammar, punctuation and even spelling. Tell the tale first and it becomes easier to produce more. Of course it makes the editing process more frustrating, but at least you've got the story down. Obviously, less distractions such as family, noise, the internet, cell phones etc. are helpful, but really much of it depends on an individual. Some are more productive with music playing, others produce better work in quiet environments. You'll probably have to experiment some to find the right combination. Another trick I've found is that if you have your story fairly well plotted out in your mind, and you are just wading through a section that you just can't seem to keep focused on, jump ahead to another section and write it, then come back to the earlier section.
Sometimes writers become too linear in their thinking. I tend to think out the story first and then write it later. I'll sometimes make notes at work so I'll remember ideas, because if you just think you'll remember exactly how a scene goes later on, often times it will just not flow as well.
I agree with the comments about avoiding the Internet, though that is sometimes difficult because you may use it to look up things and problems you come across while writing. I remember once I was writing and I had this character that used two swords, but I didn't want them to be long swords or short swords, so I made the mistake of going on-line for a minute to find just the right types and the next thing I know I've spent an hour researching stuff I really didn't need to do.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
Set a time for writing, and a separate time for the support stuff like editing, planning, research, and mythicscribes. Keep them separate because they're both important, but make sure writing time is like 60-90 minutes and the support time is significantly less.

Also . . . . exercise regularly. I know that sounds a little obvious, yet out of left field, but it will help in more ways than I have time to type.
 

TheokinsJ

Troubadour
I find the best thing to do to keep track of how productive you are, is to open up numbers or excel, or some sort of spread-sheet program and to keep track of how many words you write per day. That way, you can tell which days you've been lazy or gotten slack, and it also gives you an average target to reach each day. I find that I write about a thousand words a day, although it varies- some days I will write 1500, others I'll write 30. It all depends on style and your own personal preference- but I'd definitely recommend creating a spread sheet and keeping track of how much you write on a daily basis.
 
I am most productive at the library. I have no other reason to be there except to write and I am in an environment that promotes what I am doing so I don't feel like I am wasting me time. Speaking of wasting time, they do not have wi-fi thus no web distraction. I am surrounded by motivation because I want to be on the shelves. I also go an hour before work so I have a ticking clock that kicks me into gear. This approach may not work for you, but it does for me. Good luck :)
 
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