Discipline is key to succeeding as a writer. This series has explored why discipline matters, how to embrace a discipline mindset and offered tips for developing discipline by focusing on you and your habits. This blog finished the series by looking at external things you can do to develop better a writing discipline.
Practical Tips:
Plan
Writing is a business and all businesses need a plan to succeed. The plan gives you direction and tactics to achieve your goals. It incorporates systems to keep you on track. Figure out what you want to accomplish and how you intend to do that. Be specific in your tasks. The clearer you can be, the easier it is to stay focused and productive.
Commit to Your Plan
Once you have a plan, commit to it. Write when you need to so you can deliver on time and have money to pay your mortgage and other frivolous things, like food and toilet paper. This is a job, not a hobby. Unless it is. Then decide what is reasonable for you and commit to that.
Learn Finances
If your goal is to write for a living, this is an essential step. Learn how to manage cash flow and setting rates. Figure out how to create multiple streams of income instead of just one for stability. (Aside: This is the main problem I have with the perennial advice to pick a niche and specialize. A change in technology, science, attitude and entire industries fall overnight. It’s better to have a wider range of income sources to stay afloat even during tough times.)
Track Everything
Don’t just work. Keep track of your accomplishments, tasks, goals and systems. Track word counts, page counts, projects. The more you track, the more you will be able to predict your ability to produce projects. But don’t forget about tracking clients, submissions, cash flow, projects.
Break It Down
For larger projects, break it into steps or milestones. It is too hard to manage larger projects if you only track the deadline. Instead create in-process deadlines. I typically set a deadline for each step of the project—research, interviews, treatment/plot, first draft, second draft, final draft and time for client/editor feedback.
Keep a Production Calendar
Know what projects are in production and the stage they are in at any given time. Use a GANTT chart or a production calendar or a task database to track your deadlines, milestones, social media, contacts and daily tasks. I use Notion for this, but any production calendar system will work. Choose one that works for you.
Be Reasonable
Make sure your production calendar is doable. Don’t overcommit and fail to deliver. That is worse than not having enough work. If you have been tracking your work, then you should have a good idea for how long certain tasks will take. Always add 10-20% to your timeline to accommodate delays and unforeseen elements (such as getting sick or having to put out a fire on another project).
Write Your Passion
Boredom shows. Write about topics that interest you, that you can get excited about and infuse with life.
Commit to Quality
Only good writing sells or re-sells. Sure, you might be able to get a job with sub-par writing, but you won’t keep it or get re-hired. Quality is key. Know your craft and if you are weak on some aspect of it, study. It is never to late to hone your craft.
Timing
Deadlines matter. Don’t miss them. Don’t ask for extensions unless they are absolutely necessary.
Be Easy to Work With
It’s an accepted axiom that you will succeed if you have two of the following qualities: you are easy to work with, deliver on time and write well. Three assures success. Two gets you work. One and you might as well find another career.
Learn
Stay on top of trends and changes in your craft and your markets. Every writer can improve. Learning never stops for creatives…or really anyone. There are so many resources for writers. Tap into them and keep studying.
Work Hard
Sitting back won’t get you anywhere. Opportunities will pass you by as you sit on the couch in your PJs. Writers who make a living at it have a good work ethic, which means good discipline.
Know the Markets
Even great authors need to anticipate publisher needs. Publishers needs to be able to sell your book. If it doesn’t fit into a category or ignores the norms for your genre, it will be harder to sell. That’s not to say you shouldn’t write the book you want, but keep in mind the challenges of straying from accepted markets.
Market Yourself
No matter what kind of work you do, you need to market it. Speeches. Scripts. Novels. Web content. Writers are sole proprietors. It’s up to you to find clients/agents/readers and sell your work. The days of someone else hawking your wares are largely gone.
Have Fun
Passion counts. So does having fun. Fun often equals creativity. It’s why places like Google and Pixar have ping pong tables and gaming areas in their workplaces. Don’t forget to laugh and play.
Stay Story-Based
Even the driest corporate copy needs a story or a framework to hold the information. Outside of technical pieces, all writing should embrace storytelling techniques. This means compelling details, purpose, plot and the other elements that make up the basis of story.
Stage Your Work
Basically have work in various stages of production. Research a new project while you are writing another and marketing a third. Always juggle your work so there is something in development at all times. This helps maintain cash flow.
Turn Off Outside Inputs
Get rid of distractions. Turn off the Internet. Stop notifications. Turn off the music. Music is great, but not when writing. I know this is hugely controversial to say, but any outside inputs interfere with your internal thoughts. They are altered or distracted by those inputs. Turn them off and tune into your thoughts, unaltered and free.
Write Anywhere
Don’t wait for the perfect setup. Write when you can. If an idea comes to you while driving down the highway, pull off and pull out your notebook and write. If you’re stuck in a long line, pull out your phone and jot down a note. Fill the nooks and crannies of your day wherever they may happen. Make them part of your daily writing life.
Commit to Writing
Dedicate time to writing. Put it in your planner, on your calendar or in your reminders. Don’t let anyone take that time from you. Not a date, an outing, friends, family. Consider it the same as a work commitment, because it is.
This is the end of the series on discipline for writers. Parts I, II and III are available if you missed them.