Such a buzz to chat with Carrie Cox in our last Art of Writing retreat for 2024! I loved her advice for our authors. Especially her take on writing every day. ‘Writing is a game of inches,’ Carrie said. I couldn’t agree more. ‘Momentum is key,’ she added.
Writing consistently, even if it's just a little each day, prevents writer’s block from creeping in. Momentum means there’s always something on your page to build on, which keeps the creativity flowing. If you lose momentum, you lose your connection with your characters' emotions. You can also lose your plot details. How can story twists and turns come to you, if you are not writing every day?
Carrie practises what she preaches. When she attended the Art of Writing in Florence in 2017, Carrie was writing AFTERNOONS WITH HARRY BEAM. When that book was published, she moved on with SO MANY BEATS OF THE HEART, then STORYLINES.
One of Carrie’s tips? Make a note of how many words you write a day. Carrie had a normal A4 page divided into columns. With no fancy Excel sheet wizardry, she listed the date and the number of words she had managed to achieve on that date. The columns help keep her accountable to herself. They help her know she is moving towards the end. The columns also keep an eye on her total word count. As Art of Writing writers know, the average novel is about 80,000 words. Keeping count daily is a simple effective tool.
Write what you can every day, keep a record of it. Writing is about moving forward. One page at a time. Often one paragraph at a time. Sometimes even one sentence at a time. Momentum is like keeping a fire burning—it provides the energy and drive to push forward. You stoke the flames with as many words as you can. Editing comes later. Drafts come later. But you cannot edit or revise if you have nothing on the page in the first place.
Here are some of my favourite thoughts from well-known writers:
Stephen King: Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.
Maya Angelou: What I try to do is write. I may write for two weeks 'the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat,'... and it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I'm writing, I write. And then it's as if the muse is convinced that I'm serious and says, 'Okay. Okay. I'll come.
Jack London: You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
Ernest Hemingway: Work every day. No matter what has happened the day or night before, get up and bite on the nail.
This wouldn’t be an Art of Writing blog if we didn’t try to provide some tips. So here are some ways to manage time and make daily writing a sustainable habit:
1. Set Specific Writing Goals: Define clear, achievable goals such as a daily word count or time spent writing (e.g., 500 words or 30 minutes a day). Having specific goals makes it easier to track progress and stay motivated.
2. Create a Writing Schedule: Block out a regular time each day dedicated to writing, whether it’s early morning, during lunch breaks, or late at night. Consistency is key. Treat this time like an important appointment you can’t skip.
3. Use the Pomodoro Technique: Break your writing time into intervals, such as 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break. This technique helps you stay focused and prevents burnout, making writing feel more manageable.
4. Prioritize Writing Early: If possible, write first thing in the day. This ensures that writing gets done before other tasks or distractions come up, and it can set a positive tone for the rest of the day.
5. Limit Distractions: Find a quiet place to write and eliminate distractions by turning off notifications, social media, or anything else that might interrupt your flow.
6. Write in Small Chunks: If long writing sessions feel overwhelming, break them into smaller chunks spread throughout the day. You can write in 10- or 15-minute increments and still make significant progress over time.
7. Use Deadlines: Set deadlines for specific milestones in your writing, whether it’s finishing a chapter or hitting a certain word count by a set date. Your own writers’ group is also very good for this! Hopefully the October Art of Writing writers will follow through and set up a writers’ group for themselves. 😊
8. Track Your Progress: Like Carrie! Keep a writing journal or add your writing progress to your existing journal. Seeing your daily or weekly achievements can motivate you to keep going and make it easier to stick to your writing routine.
9. Plan the Next Writing Session: At the end of each session, jot down notes or an outline of what comes next in your story. This makes it easier to dive right back into writing the next day without wasting time trying to remember where you left off. (My favourite this one).
10. Be Kind to Yourself: While consistency is important, be flexible and forgiving if life gets in the way occasionally. Missing a day isn’t a reason to give up—just get back to it the next day. Small, steady progress is better than perfection.
IN OTHER NEWS
We are all set for our Brisbane retreat from March 6-9. June and July, 2025, in Florence is sorted too. Make a note in your diary. The Art of Writing retreat dates for Brisbane and Florence next year are here below.
Time to Write sessions will start up around mid-November when I’m back in Australia. I fly out of Italy this week. First stop London to see Natalia June, then Seoul, South Korea for some food and fun!
Lisa