building a writing routine that works: the tutorial 📝🎧

Summary

In this video, the speaker addresses the challenges of starting a writing routine and offers practical tips to overcome writer's block. They emphasize the importance of identifying the right time and place for writing, minimizing distractions, and creating a conducive environment. The speaker also suggests various warm-up exercises to ease into the writing process and recommends focusing on the quality of writing over word count. They encourage writers to find alternative ways to measure success and celebrate small victories to maintain motivation and productivity.

Takeaways

• 📝 The blank page can be intimidating, but establishing a productive writing routine can help overcome this.
• ⏰ Identifying a consistent writing time, even if not every day, can be beneficial for maintaining a writing habit.
• 🏠 Finding a dedicated and distraction-free place to write is crucial for staying focused.
• 🎧 Using headphones in a coffee shop can create a focused environment away from home distractions.
• 📱 Keeping the phone out of sight can reduce the urge to check it and maintain writing momentum.
• ✍️ Handwriting notes or doing a quick warm-up activity can help transition into 'writer mode'.
• 🔍 Exploring different starting points for a chapter or scene can reveal more engaging entry points for the story.
• 🎬 Viewing the story like a movie and considering the most interesting 'shot' can enhance narrative perspective.
• 🚫 Avoiding constant word count checks can reduce pressure and allow for more natural writing flow.
• 🏆 Celebrating non-word-count achievements like tackling a difficult scene can boost writing morale.

Q & A

What is the main challenge the speaker addresses in the script?

The main challenge the speaker addresses is the struggle with productivity and focus during writing time, especially when facing a blank page.

What does the speaker suggest as the first step to improve writing productivity?

The first step suggested is to identify your time, meaning finding a time that works best for you to write, even if it's not every day.

Why does the speaker recommend identifying a specific place for writing?

The speaker recommends identifying a specific place to minimize distractions and to create an environment conducive to writing.

What is the significance of the speaker's preference for writing in a coffee shop?

The speaker prefers writing in a coffee shop because the effort of going out of the house helps her focus and make the most of the writing time.

How does the speaker suggest dealing with the phone while writing?

The speaker suggests either using the phone for playing music or leaving it out of sight in a purse to avoid distractions.

What warm-up activity does the speaker recommend before starting to write?

The speaker recommends handwriting a few notes or expanding on the existing outline to get into the right headspace for writing.

Why is exploring different starting points beneficial according to the speaker?

Exploring different starting points is beneficial because it can lead to a more interesting narrative and help overcome writer's block.

What advice does the speaker give regarding word count during writing sessions?

The speaker advises against focusing on word count, as it can be detrimental to self-esteem and the quality of writing.

How does the speaker suggest measuring success during a writing session?

The speaker suggests measuring success by the time dedicated to writing, tackling challenging scenes, or the quality of lines written, rather than just word count.

What is the overall impact of incorporating the speaker's suggestions into one's writing routine?

Incorporating the suggestions can lead to improved writing quality, increased productivity, and a more positive approach to writing.

How does the speaker feel about the community and support for her channel?

The speaker expresses gratitude for the growing community and support for her channel, appreciating the engagement and feedback from viewers.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Overcoming the Blank Page Dread

The speaker discusses the challenges of starting to write, especially the fear of the blank page. They share their personal struggles with productivity and time management during writing sessions. The speaker emphasizes the importance of establishing a routine that works for the individual, suggesting that writing at a specific time every day is not a one-size-fits-all solution. They also highlight the need to be flexible and to identify the best time and place for writing with minimal distractions. The speaker's personal preference is to write in a coffee shop, away from home distractions, and suggests finding a quiet spot to focus solely on writing.

05:02

🎧 Creating a Distraction-Free Writing Environment

The speaker provides tips on creating an optimal writing environment by minimizing distractions. They suggest using the phone for music to avoid the temptation of using it for other purposes. The speaker also recommends leaving the phone out of sight to maintain focus on writing. They discuss the importance of selecting a specific location within a coffee shop to maximize concentration, such as sitting with their back to the door to avoid people-watching. The speaker then moves on to discuss the creation of a game plan for writing, which includes warming up with handwritten notes or expanding on an existing outline. They also suggest exploring different starting points for writing and looking at the story from various angles to find the most interesting entry point.

10:04

✍️ Embracing the Writing Process and Measuring Success

The speaker talks about the importance of listening to one's intuition when writing and finding the right starting point for a chapter or scene. They emphasize that writing should feel organic and that the story should flow naturally. The speaker advises against focusing on word count as the sole measure of progress, as it can be detrimental to self-esteem and the quality of writing. Instead, they propose finding alternative ways to measure success, such as the time dedicated to writing or the completion of challenging scenes. The speaker shares their personal writing routine, which includes the strategies discussed, and notes the positive impact these have had on their writing quality and approach. They conclude by encouraging viewers to find small, manageable changes to their writing habits that can lead to increased productivity without causing burnout.

Keywords

💡Productivity

Productivity refers to the efficiency of an individual's work or the rate at which products are produced. In the context of the video, it is about enhancing one's writing efficiency. The narrator shares personal struggles with productivity and offers strategies to overcome them, such as establishing a routine and finding a conducive writing environment.

💡Writing Routine

A writing routine is a consistent pattern of actions or habits that an individual follows to facilitate their writing process. The video emphasizes the importance of developing a personalized writing routine to help manage time effectively and stay focused on writing goals.

💡Time Management

Time management is the process of planning and controlling how time is spent. The video discusses the importance of identifying the best time for writing, which could be flexible and not necessarily at the same time every day, to maximize productivity and reduce the stress associated with writing.

💡Distraction

A distraction is anything that diverts one's attention from the primary task at hand. The video script highlights the need to minimize distractions by identifying a suitable writing place where one can focus without being interrupted or lured away by other activities.

💡Creative Mindset

A creative mindset is a state of open-mindedness and readiness to engage in creative thinking. The video suggests that getting into a creative mindset can be challenging, and the narrator shares personal tactics to overcome this hurdle, such as starting with a warm-up exercise.

💡Warm-up

In the context of writing, a warm-up refers to an initial activity that helps to prepare the mind for more intensive work. The video recommends handwriting notes or expanding on an existing outline as a way to ease into the writing process.

💡Word Count

Word count is a measure of the number of words in a piece of writing. The video advises against focusing too much on word count as it can be detrimental to the writing process, causing stress and detracting from the quality of the work. Instead, the narrator suggests measuring success in different ways.

💡Writing Goals

Writing goals are objectives or targets set by a writer to guide their writing process. The video encourages setting specific writing goals for each session, such as tackling a challenging scene or outlining a chapter, to provide direction and motivation.

💡Developmental Edit

A developmental edit involves significant changes to the structure, characters, or plot of a manuscript. The video script mentions that even if the word count isn't increasing, time spent on developmental edits is still valuable and contributes to the improvement of the manuscript.

💡Starting Point

The starting point in writing refers to the initial scene or chapter where the writer begins their narrative. The video suggests exploring different starting points to find the most engaging and organic entry into the story, which can enhance the overall narrative.

💡Writing Milestones

Writing milestones are significant achievements or checkpoints in the writing process. The video encourages writers to celebrate these milestones, such as completing a challenging scene, as a way to maintain motivation and a positive attitude towards the writing process.

Highlights

The author emphasizes the psychological challenge of facing a blank page and suggests ways to overcome the initial fear of starting to write.

A flexible writing routine is recommended, suggesting that writing every day is beneficial but not strictly at the same time each day.

The importance of finding a quiet, distraction-free space for writing is discussed, as it aids in maintaining focus.

The author shares personal preferences for writing locations, such as coffee shops, to escape home distractions.

Strategies for managing phone distractions during writing sessions are provided, including using the phone for music or keeping it out of sight.

Creating a game plan before writing is advised to bridge the gap between intention and action.

Handwriting notes as a warm-up activity is suggested to help visualize the writing session's goals.

The author encourages expanding on outlines and considering different starting points for writing to overcome writer's block.

Exploring different angles and perspectives within a scene can lead to a more engaging narrative, as compared to a director choosing shots for a movie.

The author advises against focusing on word count during writing, recommending instead to measure success through the quality of writing and personal achievements.

Celebrating small victories in writing, such as tackling a difficult scene, is highlighted as a way to maintain motivation.

The video concludes with the author's personal success in incorporating these strategies into their writing routine, leading to improved quality and approach.

A call to action for viewers to share their own writing routines and strategies is made to foster a community of writers.

The author thanks the viewers for their support and engagement, emphasizing the growth of the writer's community.

Transcripts

so you finally finished all of the

research for your book you've spent time

outlining you've spent time figuring out

what story you want to tell and now

comes the actual fun part of

writing but is it really so fun

sometimes the idea of the blank page can

really freak us out before we get

started and sometimes defeat us before

we get started if you're someone and

you're like me and you really struggle

with being productive during your

writing time I'm going to share with you

the tricks that help helped me develop

my own productive writing

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routine as someone that's always really

struggled with deadlines and time

management and productivity while I'm

writing I feel like I finally gotten a

good system down to make the most of the

time that I set aside to pursue my

writing goals so I want to reiterate

that these tricks are really helpful for

people that struggle to focus on writing

they struggle with staying productive

during their writing routines and people

who have no idea how to even start their

writing routine how do they jump into a

blank page they they know what they need

to write they know what they need to

tackle but getting the juices going and

the the creative mindset going is just

really really hard so I wanted to share

this system that has worked for me and

the first thing that I want you to do is

identify your time I personally don't

subscribe to the idea that you need to

write at a specific time every day but I

do try to write at least every day um

personally I feel like this is super

flexible we all have really busy lives

and if writing is not your full-time job

then it can be really difficult to feel

like you need to squeeze that in on a

day where you already have so much going

on I know I if my day is too busy if I

have too many like appointments or

interviews or too many errands to run

that don't include going to TJ Maxx and

getting a coffee I just know that I'm

going to be way too exhausted to write

later and if I didn't wake up early

enough that day to get a writing session

in in the morning it's okay I'm not

going to be myself up for it because to

be completely honest I'd rather not

write bad Pages if I can help it since

writing is still mostly a hobby I give

myself a lot of Grace for when I don't

write so it takes a lot of trial and

error and I think you got to experiment

with what times work best for you but if

you don't write every single day I don't

think that's something that you need to

beat yourself up for just find something

that works for you but the thing that I

do think is really important is

identifying your place identify where

you're going to have the least amount of

distractions and I know that this feels

like pretty common sense but you'd be

surprised so like for example I love my

desk I think I finally gotten to it

finally gotten it to a place where I

really love my setup I love everything I

have here but I do so much here I do my

job applications here I do my interview

use here I do my content creation here

my video editing and this this is so

multi-purpose and so when it comes to

writing it kind of feels like because

this space does so much I just start

thinking of everything else that I need

to do like oh I need to edit that video

or oh I need to respond to that email

and it kind of really takes me out of

the writing and it it gives me an excuse

almost to focus on all of these other

things that yes need to get done but I

don't need to get done right now and

then I use them as an excuse to like not

write and be like Oh writing is silly

like I need to focus on these other

important things and your writing is not

silly obviously it's something that's

very important to you and it's something

that you really want to dedicate your

time to figuring out where you can go to

not hear those voices in your head that

are telling you like why are you doing

this this is silly like why are you

sending aide time to write is going to

be really important my personal

preference and I know a lot of other

people prefer is they just go to like a

coffee shop or something um for me the

act of getting up and getting out of the

house and not worrying about like my

husband coming in and like teasing me or

wanting me to watch his Tik toks which I

love but sometimes I for me who already

has trouble focusing pulling me out of

like a writing Groove is like the kiss

of death I do my best to just set aside

like an hour hour and a half maybe 2

hours max and I go to a coffee shop I

have my headphones and my my laptop I

feel like because I've made the effort

to get out of the house I want to make

the most of the time that I'm out and so

it really focus it really helps me focus

on just writing the other thing that I

do is that I try to be really specific

about where I sit in the coffee shop I

try not to face the door because any

sort of movement or loudness is going to

distract me as well even with headphones

I'm just like always looking around cuz

I love people watching so I usually try

to sit in the back with my back to the

door so that I can only really focus on

my laptop and there's nothing really

distracting me and when it comes to your

phone because I know everyone's going to

be like but Becca my phone I sit on my

phone like what am I supposed to do

there's two things you can do I know for

me if it's in front of me I'm going to

use it so I will either use it to play

my music so I will literally like prop

it up in front of me and pull up my

music on YouTube I'll put it there and

I'll have a video going and it just kind

of go go and before you know it 5 10 15

minutes into writing I kind of forget

that it's there and it's serving a

purpose it's giving me my music and it's

giving me a nice visual to look at so I

just I just leave it right or leave it

in your purse I swear to God leave it in

your purse put your purse somewhere

either next to you between your feet on

the floor wherever you can to just have

it out of your way out of your sight and

really dedicate at least like 5 10

minutes to just getting into the writing

Groove and I guarantee you'll forget

about your phone it works every single

time and I am someone who chronically

has to reach for my phone if I'm bored

even for a second so once you've picked

your place once you've picked your time

and you're kind of ready to actually hit

the ground running it's time to create

your game plan sometimes the desire to

write is there but there's a huge

disconnect between your brain and your

hands and the keyboard which is totally

understandable especially if you're

coming to writing after a really long

day or it's the first thing in the

morning that you're doing for some

reason your brain just doesn't want to

do it how do you combat that I recommend

doing some sort of warm-up this warm-up

for me looks like handwriting a few

notes I personally like to reiterate

okay what are the things that I would

really love to get accomplished during

the hour hour and a half that I have to

write today is it finally tackling a

really challenging scene is it finally

starting the next chapter is it

outlining a chapter is it revising my

plot because I want to reiterate that

even if you don't make progress on your

manuscript if you need to spend time

reworking something that you know is a

really big developmental edit that needs

to happen that is also working on your

book so even though the word count is

not going up the amount of effort that

you are pouring into the project is and

so I need you to celebrate your wins

when you do dedicate time to that

because it's going to make your

manuscript that much better and in the

end but since we're talking about

drafting we're going to talk about

drafting I like I said I will personally

I'll write everything down that I want

to get done in a session and sometimes

I'll even expand on my existing outline

for example I like to write a couple

bullet points on what needs to happen in

each chapter and as I really start

thinking about those bullet points I'm

like okay how do we get there what

scenes need to happen where are my

catalysts and I will handw write

everything out and what it does for me

is it slowly starts to paint a picture

of what the chapter is going to look

like and that goes a really long way in

helping me understand what needs to

happen what I need to write and how I

need to get there you could do a few

other warm-ups you could do I I think

when it comes to like really

character-driven stories it would be fun

to maybe write a letter from a

character's perspective or a journal

entry of what they're going through in

that moment in the book and it kind of

helps you get in the right voice

especially if you're working with a few

different

povs and it's just fun it gives you a

better insight as to your character's

motivations what they're thinking what

they're feeling how the scene kind of

plays out before you've gotten to it and

it's just a really nice way to do like

spend 5 to 10 minutes working on

something that's going to help you get

in the right head space I find that's

the biggest challenge is really

switching into writer mode and

dedicating the time and energy and

effort into getting yourself in the

right space to start writing so once

you've warmed up and you're staring at

at that blank page and you don't know

where to start or the place that you

wanted to start actually doesn't end up

being very fruitful there's a lot of

road blocks and you don't really know

how to move past it I really recommend

exploring different starting points I

have done this so many times in my own

writing and it is so so helpful I will

literally close my eyes and let my hands

tipe and if I run into a roadblock I

will delete it I'm like okay that's not

the right spot and I will do this over

and over and over again looking at this

seen from different angles I think the

closest analogy also that I have is kind

of like you're a director and think of

it think of your book as like a movie

visually what's the most interesting

thing what's the most interesting shot

that you could get this helps really

expand the way that you're looking at

your story and it allows you to kind of

drop in at better points of the story

and you can still get to the to the

stuff that you wanted to write that you

thought you wanted to write in the

beginning but you get to it in a much

more interesting way I have revised so

many chapter outlines and subsequent

plot lines doing this because I realized

that when I outlined I was starting my

chapters in the wrong place so things

might need to shift around but that's

okay because you're telling the best

story you're telling the best version of

the story and really that's what you

want in my experience I know that I

found the right starting point for my

chapter or for my scene when I close my

eyes and I write and I write and I just

keep writing and it just keeps coming

out like when there's no natural

stopping point that's when you know that

you found the right place because the

story is coming out organically and so

writing is very intuitive and I think

it's really important to listen to your

body it will tell you what's working and

what's not if it's not working for you

and if it's not interesting for you it's

not going to be interesting for the

reader sometimes you might have to

sacrifice a scene that you had already

envisioned in your head for something

better the other thing that I recommend

is when you're writing and you finally

get into the groove and you're getting

the words on

paper I beg of you to not look at your

word count I beg of you I feel like a

lot of authors use word count as a way

to track their progress but we are human

and then we begin comparing our Pace our

writing Pace to other people's writing

Paces or man I really wanted to hit a

thousand words in like 40 minutes and I

didn't do that that's a lot by the way

that's like an insane Pace it's just so

counterintuitive I recently went through

finishing my fun and game section of my

of my book without any sort of writing

goals in mind I just wrote and it was so

helpful for me personally because I felt

like I just got to focus on the story

and the writing instead of focusing on

hitting a specific number of words a day

it also really I think kind of nuked the

quality of my writing sometimes because

I was so much more preoccupied with

hitting word counts than I was hitting

certain writing milestones in terms of

craft and in terms of story and in terms

of the book itself like I said word

counts are such a great way to like

measure success but I think it can wreak

havoc on your self-esteem as a writer

and so I want to propose that you try to

find different ways to measure your

success for a writing session for

example instead of thinking about I only

wrote 600 words in an hour and a half

you can think of I wrote for an hour and

a half today or I managed to dedicate

time to this today when I thought that I

couldn't or I wrote a line that I was

really proud of or I finally tackled a

really tricky scene regardless if it was

good or bad I finally managed to do it

and I think it's important to measure

your success outside of number and like

numbers and metrics because those are

the little victories that are going to

keep you elevated and positive and look

at your work through a much more

forgiving lens when you're in that

process of getting it out on paper when

you're editing then you can go back and

be a little bit more Cutthroat about

things and you can figure out kind of

what needs to go and what can stay but I

think being able to be your own hype

person when it comes to your writing and

allowing yourself to just take the time

to write is really important I have

Incorporated every single thing that

I've mentioned here today into my own

writing routine and I have seen such a

significant difference in not not only

the quality of my writing but just the

way that I approach writing in general

the way that I approach the hour hour

and a half two hours that I give myself

every day or every other day to like

pursue this creative thing and so I feel

like as someone that struggles really

really badly with like my attention span

that these are all really tangible

really easily attainable small shifts

that you can make to help you hit those

writing goals a little bit quicker and a

little bit more productive and in a way

that's not going to just destroy you and

burn you out I hope you guys enjoyed

this video If you like this video please

consider subscribing I do Post new

videos every Saturday I focus on books

writing lifestyle and we have a good

time I love my little community and we

are growing ever so quickly and I just

want to give a big big thank you to

anybody that supports the channel and if

you like this video please give it a

thumbs up please leave a comment if

there's anything that you'd like to see

from me in the future or share what's

working for you and your writing

routines I would love to learn a little

bit more about all of you and how you

kind of tackle your productivity and

your writing goals and thank you all so

much for watching I will see you in the

next video bye

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