I’ve been working out my plans for 2019 over the past few days, starting to drill down on specifics. My brain wants to do everything—even when it doesn’t make sense. I’ll get a new idea and immediately want to jump on it. That’s set me back at times. I think I’ve finally settled on four priorities within my control.
Continue reading 2019 Planning Post
Astrohaus, the company behind the Freewrite, launched a new crowd-sourcing campaign today for the Traveler. The e-ink writing laptop, billed as the ultimate distraction-free writing tool reached its funding goal in less than 30 minutes. At the time I'm writing this, the campaign is at 324% funding.
I wrote about setting up a Scrivener laptop as a dedicated writing tool. A dedicated, zero-distraction tool for writing can be a big boon for productivity. Unfortunately, it's easy to give in to distractions on such a device. It's the matter of a moment to open a web browser or other applications. The Traveler looks to be just what I've wanted since first holding an e-ink ereader.
Does it hold up to my hopes? I can't know for sure. Let's take a look at what the Traveler offers.
The Traveler is the successor to the Freewrite Smart Typewriter. The Freewrite is billed as the distraction-free writing tool. It features:
The Freewrite met most of the features I wanted in a dedicated writing tool. Except the form factor. I wanted something smaller and more portable.
Routines destroy productivity when they become fixed rituals—especially if you want to write while working at another full-time career. If you need to have the right chair, the right work space, computer, or the perfect software program, then you’ve restricted your options to write until those times that the stars and planets align and provide you with the perfect environment.
I practice meditation daily. Similarly, I practice writing. I have many different practices in my life. In my last post, I talked about how focusing on the next step can help you be more productive. I've also written about productivity killers faced by writers. One of the big things that makes me feel as if I'm failing at times is the thought of all of the projects and tasks that I'm not getting done. In my meditation practice, I use noting techniques that help me with mindfulness. You can use the same noting techniques in your writing practice (or any other parts of your life).
Take a look at the 650s section in a public library and you'll find a selection of time management books. Depending on the focus, you may find additional titles in other sections of the library, e.g., a book with more of a psychology focus might be in the 150s, while you might find some others in the 300s. Take a look, you may find a method that works well for you. For me, one of the key elements is focusing on the next step, that one thing I can do right now to move a project forward.
I'm a full-time librarian with a family and a writing career. The best way I've found to get words on the page is incredibly powerful. It's also a bit like trying to build a fire with your bare hands. Many writers try starting a writing streak after hearing about the benefits—and it works about as well as most New Year resolutions. I'm going to share the simple techniques that I use to start a streak and build it into a powerful force in your writing career.
Writers and coffee shops go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Especially when the coffee shop sells delicious dark chocolate peanut butter cups. You'll also find writers working in libraries. And at work. If you're a busy creative with a full-time job, finding those moments when you can work on your writing is key to productivity. The tools have changed over the years, but the one thing I have done is write anywhere I get the chance to write.
I struggle with being productive, as I'm sure you do as well. I think most writers run into issues productivity killers. I don't know about you, but I'm easily distractible. It could be anything from a TV show, to my son wanting to play, to a game, or a book that I want to read. Or even just checking email or social media. I even have the RescueTime app installed on my computer to help me with this issue. I've identified three common productivity killers that I run into—and I think that most writers probably deal with these as well.
Book relaunches take planning. I have 24 books to relaunch in my backlist, plus new books that I'm writing. To help me keep everything organized I use Trello. I'm going to show you my simple Trello board and talk about how I'm using it to help stay focused on on track for this project.
What's the best way to fail as a writer? Not writing. What's the next way writers fail? Not making their work available to people who can pay for it. Robert A. Heinlein's business rules for writers make these points abundantly clear. Today it pays to release books fast. These quick techniques can help you release books faster so that readers can discover your work. I'm putting these into practice myself to get my backlist up and available.
