Guest Speakers: Chris A. Jackson, Bobby Nash, Irette Patterson, Peter Adam Salomon, L. Marie Wood – WRITE Program Director: Venessa Giunta
This was such a great panel – learning to write fast without losing quality! That’s something that can be very intimidating for a lot of writers (myself included!) So I thought, what better time to feature it, than during NaNoWriMo?
One of the major keys to writing quality work fast is being sure to set goals! Some of these successful writers write on average 2,000 – 2,500 words a day! (Stephen King mentioned that his goal was 6 pages a day, written and fully edited – which is why he’s been able to publish so many books!) Speaking of editing, expect to spend 3 hours of editing for every 1 hour of writing. In other words, 2/3rds of your entire time as a writer (pen-to-page, marketing excluded) is spent editing your already written work.
Find out what works for you. Some people are outliners – others are pantsers. If you’re not familiar with this terminology, outliners… well, make outlines of their story before writing it out in depth. Pantsers write “by the seat of their pants” – they don’t plan ahead, they just write what comes to mind and see where the adventure takes them. Ask yourself, “what inspires my passion?” No matter what an editor or publisher says, there is no wrong way to write – as long as it works!
For the record, you don’t have to stick to outlines, but they’re very useful for creating a skeleton framework of your story – so that you’re not frozen while starting at a blank page.
Get used to changing courses and multi-managing projects if you want writing to be a professional career. Consider throwing away your TV. Channel surfing and internet surfing are a writer’s bane! The only exception is if you are researching on the internet – but beware! It’s easy to get distracted by something else, and sometimes “research” is a form of procrastination from the writing itself. (I have been guilty of this!)
Figure out a schedule:
Marketing/Administration – Mornings/Afternoons
Writing – Afternoons/Evenings
Or switch it up!
Either way – FIND THE TIME!! Even if you have a jam-packed schedule and you’re working multiple jobs, mother of five, or a college student, there is always little pockets of time throughout your insanely hectic day! For example, lunch breaks, getting up earlier to start your day, keeping a note-pad next to you at work during your down-time, etc. Writing in these extreme circumstances shouldn’t be limited to the time you have with pen and page – rather, you want to be thinking or meditating about what content you want in your story prior to your actual writing time-crunch. You can do this during your drive time, in the shower, etc.
When you do have your crunch-time to write, eliminate distractions immediately! You can do this by finding a quiet location (if one is available to you) or by putting on headphones with the music of your choice. Many writers use instrumental music (no words) or sounds of ambiance (rain, storm, etc.)
Train your family and friends to understand you’re working! However, you can’t neglect them either. This is a business, but it’s also not fair to your spouse or children to block them out for hours. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of planning, scheduling, and dear God–communication! You’ll need a break too after several hours of writing, so maybe incorporate that time to spend with your family afterwards or in-between.
To become a writer, you need to write about a million words of crap first! You start off bad (everyone does), but then you get better – as with any craft. Remember, you can always go back and salvage earlier projects.
Find a writer’s group! Good ones are priceless (if it works for you), and typically they are full of writers helping other writers. You do NOT want writers who are constantly complaining or finding excuses not to write. You also do NOT want a group of writers beating up other writers. Honest critique (which is valuable) is different from writers beating each other up – or crapping on other published authors.
If you do become published, then audiences will expect you to write faster! If you write well, they will want your sequels yesterday!
Discover your own voice, and hone it! Learn by reading a lot of content from others, but then spend time writing as an exercise regimen on your own. Research and editing are included in writing – it’s not just a word count. You can also use place-holders in the middle of your flow of writing, such as “[Name] said this.” or “You’d be surprised, stars are actually made up of [research this.]”
And finally, stop worrying about making mistakes. Mistakes will happen regardless, but you will get better the more you actively apply yourself in writing.
At any rate, good luck NaNoWriMo’s! You can DO it!!! I believe in you!!! Stay tuned for more writing tips this month from the Multiverse experts!
Let me know in the Comments Section below if you’re participating in NaNoWriMo this year (National Novel Writing Month) – would love to hear your experience and ideas so far! Was it harder than you thought? Easier? What goals have you set for yourself (aside from Novel in a Month)? What writing habits do you utilize that you’ve noticed have helped you write faster or better?
Also, MAJOR kudos to anyone who recognized the featured title image as a reference to Quicksilver from X-Men!
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Featured Image: https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2016/05/29/johnny-depp-alice-bombs-men-apocalypse-top-with/7joxUYfBbV9TU6rxDlCpaO/story.html