Struggling to Get Writing Done? Try a Writing Log
As a developmental editor and writing coach, I spend a lot of time thinking about how my clients can get writing done. Many of them are facing deadlines, sometimes without a lot of wiggle room. It’s not uncommon for people to come to me who need to submit a book manuscript within a year because tenure is looming. Or some clients might be leaving academia, but want to finish a book fairly quickly before they begin a new job.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a magic formula for how to get writing done quickly, though I and lots of other coaches have many tips. But lately I’ve been reading a beautiful book on writing by Helen Sword (Air & Light & Time & Space), which has made me think about the value of writing logs. I’ll deal with this book more thoroughly in a future blog post, but one of Sword’s takeaways after interviewing 100 academics about their writing practices and surveying many more is that people write differently. What works for one person does not necessarily work for another. Some scholars are very productive when they get up early and write for an hour every morning. Others only write one or two times a week, but do so for several hours late at night. Some binge write their books, writing intensely over a concentrated period and then not writing for months. Some like writing in quiet spaces. Others prefer busy coffee shops. Some do well if they have strict deadlines. Others find deadlines paralyzing. You get the idea. Her book is wonderful to dig into if you want a better sense of how diverse writers approach their work and if having a lot of ideas to try would be useful for you (and not just overwhelming).
What all this leaves me with, however, is the question of how do you know what is right for you? Some writers were lucky enough to discover the formula that works for them in graduate school and it has kept working great (e.g. 30-minute writing slots, five times a week, always at home, listening to upbeat music). But in my coaching practice, I’ve seen that many clients come to me because something has changed in their lives and they can’t write in the same way that they used to. Their special formula no longer works or just isn’t possible. Maybe they had a baby or have more responsibilities at their job or are dealing with long COVID or another chronic illness. Other clients have yet to discover the writing groove that works best for them.
So what do you do when faced with not knowing how to make yourself more productive in your writing?
One thing you might try is keeping a writing log. After each writing session, jot down in a notebook or a Word document how it went. You might keep track of how much you wrote (or revised), how focused you felt during the session, how you felt about the writing in general, and how the conditions were working (or not) for you. A sample entry might look something like, “Today I was happy to write 500 very drafty words in an hour. The hour time period felt long enough that I could focus, but short enough that I ended my session still feeling invigorated. Working in a café was nice too in that I felt some solidarity with others who were also working. Right now I feel excited about the progress I’m making.”
Then experiment with different writing practices, taking notes after each writing session to help you keep track of what worked for you. Some elements you can play with include:
Length: Try writing for different amounts of time and see how it goes. Can short 20-minute sessions in-between teaching and a meeting be productive for you? What does it feel like to write for three hours? Is there a sweet spot?
Space: Try writing in different places. Are you able to focus when you’re in your office knowing that someone might interrupt you at any moment? How is your concentration at home? What about in a completely new space: the public library or a picnic table at a park on a warm day? You might also think about the conditions in your space. Does listening to music help you focus? What kind of music? Does having a clear desk help to minimize distractions? Play around with these things as well.
Time of day: Explore writing at different times. At what times does your brain feel clearest? Try writing at a time you normally wouldn’t and see how it goes. As you write across the day, you might surprise yourself in terms of which times work best for you.
Sociability: Try writing with others and alone. Is it helpful to meet a colleague on campus and write together? How about joining a writing group (I’m offering some soon!)? Or maybe you don’t write with people, but you agree to report back to a friend each week to share how much writing you’ve accomplished. Does that form of accountability help? Or do you find yourself to be most productive when you are alone?
Motivation: Experiment with motivation. Sword notes that some people are motivated by carrots (rewards) and some are motivated by sticks (punishment)! Are there carrots or sticks you can offer yourself that help get writing done? Maybe you decide you will treat yourself to a coffee after a productive writing session. Does that help you focus? Maybe you won’t let yourself watch a tv show that evening unless you stay focused on your writing. How does that work? If you want a really big stick, one writer in her book suggests that you write a generous check to a political organization that you hate and tell yourself that you will have to send it if you don’t meet your (larger) writing goal! Wow! You might also consider reading books about academic writing or other scholarly books that you think are beautifully written. Does engaging with texts like these spark useful ideas and motivate you to write yourself?
Obviously, I don’t recommend shaking up your writing process every time. That would be overwhelming. But tweaking various elements and trying new things when you are feeling frustrated can help you find new strategies for getting writing done.
Keeping a log can be a useful part of this practice since it can help you keep track of what you try. As you review your notes, you might be surprised by what you learn. Maybe you see a trend where you are most productive in the middle of the week. Or that you do actually write well in your office when you never thought you would. While a writing log can help you find your groove, it can also make you more flexible about your writing if you realize that you can write well under a variety of circumstances. Finally, if you see a pattern in which you feel depressed and/or anxious about your writing, that could be a sign that it would be good to seek therapy to help you deal with these feelings.
Finally, I find that many of my clients dramatically underestimate the writing they are getting done. People will bemoan that they have produced nothing, but when I review what I edited for them over the past year I’ll see that they wrote half a book! So a writing log can also help remind you of all that you are accomplishing, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. So good luck, and happy writing and thinking!
*****
Like this blog post? Please subscribe below to receive notifications about future posts. And looking for more writing support? Consider joining one of my scholarly writing groups!
