Link of the Week: K. M. Weiland Blog Post on Routines

This week's Link is to a blog post from earlier this year by K. M. Weiland. She talks about the pros and cons of having a routine for your writing.

"Can you name one thing that could harm your writing if you do it—and if you don’t? Writing "routines" might not be the first answer to pop to mind. But nothing affects our writing more than the routine (or lack of one) with which we implement our writing into our day. Unfortunately, if we don’t approach routines with just the right mindset, they can cause more harm than good." 

The post is:  How Routines Save (and Ruin) Your Writing by K. M. Weiland and I think it does a great job of looking at the benefits and risks to both options. Obviously, I'm a big fan of having a routine for my own writing and I think that for many writers having a routine can help them achieve greater productivity. But there are some people who work better in other ways, and K. M.'s post may help you figure out more about your own work style.

Writing Prompt: Friday July 13, 2012

Every Tuesday and Friday, I'll be posting one or more writing prompts as possible starting points for stories or poems. I'll be mixing this up as much as possible and will sometimes utilize quotes, photos, music, and anything else I can think of which might help get your creative inspiration going.

Today's writing prompt is this photograph:

Contrary to folklore, Friday the 13th was the luckiest day of [his/her] life.

I hope this prompt inspires some of you to write something amazing. If you end up writing a story, poem, or anything else based on this prompt and it gets published somewhere (including your blog or personal website) please stop by and leave a comment so I can see what you came up with.

Come back next Tuesday for another Writing Prompt.

Upcoming Deadlines: "Urban Green Man" and "Deep Cuts"

One of the tools I've used sometimes to help myself get started on writing is writing towards prompts or themes for upcoming publications, either anthologies or themed issues of periodicals. Every Thursday, I'll be posting two or three such submission calls which I find of interest. There may be a somewhat heavy speculative fiction bent to these lists, but I'll endeavor to mix it up a bit for those who write mostly in other genres.

The Urban Green Man anthology is looking for "fantastic stories involving the mythology of the Green Man in any form (which includes the Green Woman)." They have somewhat specific guidelines, so I would highly encourage you to check those out. This project's call runs through November 30th, 2012 and they will be paying 3.5 cents per word for stories up to 5,000 words and $20 per poem.

The second submission call for this week is from "Deep Cuts." This is a horror anthology where women in horror are being honored by having each author selected for the anthology write a short note "honoring a short horror story written by a woman that moved you or influenced your own writing." That short note is part of your submission, so please check the guidelines carefully on this one as well. This submission call runs through August 31st, 2012. They pay 6 cents per word for stories of 1,000-5,000 words.

Since I don't represent any of these publishers, please make sure to read the linked guidelines pages closely to ensure that you understand details of the submission guidelines, terms, payment information, etc.

Stop back next Thursday for more Upcoming Deadlines!

Three Tips For Productive Writing Sessions

Before getting to today's post, I wanted to share that my science fiction short story "An Unsuitable Job for a Human" is live today on Nature's website.

One of the most important things for someone trying to develop a daily writing routine is time management. I've written a fair amount about this topic in the past, and there's a whole chapter about it in "Write Every Day." Something that you can do to help with your time management is to ensure that when you sit down for a writing session that you are ready to be as productive as possible in the time you can allot.

Here are three tips to help you get the most out of every writing session:

1. Know What You Plan to Write - For me, at least, if I just sit down and think to myself "Hey, it's writing time. Guess I'm going to write now." but I don't have some idea of what I'm going to write, it can get easy to spin my wheels. Having some idea of what you want to work on during your writing session should enable you to get off to a fast start. If you are working on an extended work in progress, this might not be too hard. On the other hand, if you're not in the middle of any projects, you might want to use some non-writing time to consider your next project. This sort of brainstorming/daydreaming activity is great for when you have a few minutes of idle time. Maybe you're waiting in a long line at the grocery store -- rather than perusing the tabloid covers or impluse-buying a candy bar, start rolling ideas around in your head for upcoming writing sessions.
2. Have a Goal for the Session - Many days my goal is easy to define: 500 words or more. If I was working on revisions during a session, my goal probably would be to revise an entire short story or a major portion of a longer work. Some days when I've had more time allocated for writing (like when I was going to NaNoWriMo write-ins last November) I would simply say that my goal was to get as far into the story as I could in the next time I'd set aside to work.
3. Minimize Distractions - This is both a matter of choosing an appropriate time during which to work (Maybe after the kids go to bed is easier than before.) and making sure that you aren't self-distracting. If I'm trying to do real heads-down intense writing, I close any browser windows that might entice me to go look at something different while I'm working. For me, it's also hard to focus on writing if there's a television show or movie on. So if I'm working while my wife or one of our older children is watching something I'll usually put in my headphones and turn on some music to help me keep my focus. (Film scores are a favorite, though I can also write to some vocal music as well.) Ultimately, this one is very much a personal thing as different people are distracted by different things. But if you want to get the absolute most out of your writing time, leaving yourself open to distractions can be a problem.

What tips do you have for getting the most out of your writing sessions?

Writing Prompt: Tuesday July 10th, 2012

Every Tuesday and Friday, I'll be posting one or more writing prompts as possible starting points for stories or poems. I'll be mixing this up as much as possible and will sometimes utilize quotes, photos, music, and anything else I can think of which might help get your creative inspiration going.

Here's today's writing prompt:

 Three people walk into a building. Only two of them walk out of it.

I hope that it inspires some of you to write something amazing. If you end up writing something based on this prompt and it gets published somewhere (including your blog or personal website) please stop by and leave a comment so I can see what you came up with.

Come back on Friday for another Writing Prompt.

Monday Motivation: Writing Something You Love

If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.
-Toni Morrison

Of course, the word "book" could be substituted with "poem" or "story" or "play."

I think virtually every writer comes to writing because they love experiencing (typically by reading) what author writers have produced before them. And I also think that most writers will write at their best when they are writing something which they feel a connection with in some way.

Are you feeling stuck? Think about what you would love to read but haven't found yet and try writing that.

Sunday Interview with Author Kathleen S. Allen

On Sunday's the Write Every Day blog will feature a guest post or interview. Today's interview is with Kathleen S. Allen.


MH: Can you describe what your usual writing routine is like?
KSA: I write first thing in the morning before I go to my day job or late at night after I get home from my day job. I try and make more time for it on the weekends or if I have a day off. I don't watch much TV on purpose so I can write instead. I still make time for reading, though.