Preparing to Write
Getting yourself in a mindset to actually sit and write is almost as important as the writing itself. It’s important to carve out time for writing on a regular schedule. Every person’s schedule will be different, but it needs to be codified. Writing is like any job; you get out of it what you put into it. If you want to write a good novel, or even The Great American Novel, you need to put a “Great American” worth of energy and time into it.
The first item on the agenda is to clean up your writing area. It doesn’t matter where you will be writing, but it does matter that it’s set up and ready to go when you are. As an example, my home office is basically a cubby off my bedroom. It has a desk, a chair, some drawers, and I’ve added my paper calendar (for visual cues) and a cork board (to stick important things onto so I don’t lose them). There’s also a charging station for my phone, my computer and its peripherals, and a large power strip to accommodate all my electronics. At least once a week, I clean off my desk, and once every three months (or so) I will go through everything on the desk and revamp it. This keeps my writing area clean and clear.
Whether you’re sitting at a desk, or plan to write at a lap desk on your bed, or in your living or dining room, make sure that you’ve got all of the things you need on hand. If you’re using an area that is shared by others (like the dining room table), invest in a bucket or large padded bag to hold all of your writing paraphernalia, so that it’s easy to set up when you are ready to write. Test out your set-up before you actually plan on using it. Answer some email, and see how it works for you.
Decide on what program you will be using to write in, or what item you’ll use. It’s perfectly okay to use pen and paper, although it will be problematic later (professional editors and publishers will need an electronic copy of your book). The same goes for typewriters and word processors not attached to the internet. Many people choose to use Word, or GoogleDocs. There are also some other free writing programs, like Reedsy (which is what I use), and pay ones like Scrivener, the Hemingway Editor, and Novlr.
Set up some rules for yourself, then print them out and post them in a visible place. Some popular rules include:
Keep your rules ones that you can achieve. If you make a rule to write for 7 hours a day, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Be reasonable, because you’re going to have to fit writing in between kids, full time job, part time job, house chores, cooking, and/or a social life. You can’t neglect the other parts of your life, so it’s necessary to be honest and forthcoming about what you can realistically expect of yourself when it comes to committing to writing time.
Another thing that I always do when starting a new project is to create a (cheap AI) draft cover image for it. Having something to look at, to tell myself that eventually all my words will be sandwiched inside a beautiful cover like THAT ONE, really helps me focus. It’s also great if you’re working your social media during writing, though that’s something to think about later. There are some wonderful free and cheap programs out there that let you make mock up covers. I use Canva, and for the longest time I just used the free version. I have the paid one now because I’m doing other things with it as well (like creating this series of lessons!), but I do find it worth the money.
Once you have all that done, go tell some folks that you’re writing a book. As a species, we humans are genetically pushed to compete. Once you tell everyone in your family, and your friends on Facebook, that you’re writing a novel, you basically have to complete it. People will ask how you’re doing, and you don’t want to have to tell them you failed. It’s honestly a silly thing, but the accountability of having others know that you’re working on something really is a good thing to do. You can even share your cover mock up, if you want!
For more information on getting ready to write:
Homework for the week:
The first item on the agenda is to clean up your writing area. It doesn’t matter where you will be writing, but it does matter that it’s set up and ready to go when you are. As an example, my home office is basically a cubby off my bedroom. It has a desk, a chair, some drawers, and I’ve added my paper calendar (for visual cues) and a cork board (to stick important things onto so I don’t lose them). There’s also a charging station for my phone, my computer and its peripherals, and a large power strip to accommodate all my electronics. At least once a week, I clean off my desk, and once every three months (or so) I will go through everything on the desk and revamp it. This keeps my writing area clean and clear.
Whether you’re sitting at a desk, or plan to write at a lap desk on your bed, or in your living or dining room, make sure that you’ve got all of the things you need on hand. If you’re using an area that is shared by others (like the dining room table), invest in a bucket or large padded bag to hold all of your writing paraphernalia, so that it’s easy to set up when you are ready to write. Test out your set-up before you actually plan on using it. Answer some email, and see how it works for you.
Decide on what program you will be using to write in, or what item you’ll use. It’s perfectly okay to use pen and paper, although it will be problematic later (professional editors and publishers will need an electronic copy of your book). The same goes for typewriters and word processors not attached to the internet. Many people choose to use Word, or GoogleDocs. There are also some other free writing programs, like Reedsy (which is what I use), and pay ones like Scrivener, the Hemingway Editor, and Novlr.
Set up some rules for yourself, then print them out and post them in a visible place. Some popular rules include:
- no social media during writing time
- no food at the desk
- always have coffee/tea/water available at hand
- use a pomodoro timer (see info below)
Keep your rules ones that you can achieve. If you make a rule to write for 7 hours a day, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Be reasonable, because you’re going to have to fit writing in between kids, full time job, part time job, house chores, cooking, and/or a social life. You can’t neglect the other parts of your life, so it’s necessary to be honest and forthcoming about what you can realistically expect of yourself when it comes to committing to writing time.
Another thing that I always do when starting a new project is to create a (cheap AI) draft cover image for it. Having something to look at, to tell myself that eventually all my words will be sandwiched inside a beautiful cover like THAT ONE, really helps me focus. It’s also great if you’re working your social media during writing, though that’s something to think about later. There are some wonderful free and cheap programs out there that let you make mock up covers. I use Canva, and for the longest time I just used the free version. I have the paid one now because I’m doing other things with it as well (like creating this series of lessons!), but I do find it worth the money.
Once you have all that done, go tell some folks that you’re writing a book. As a species, we humans are genetically pushed to compete. Once you tell everyone in your family, and your friends on Facebook, that you’re writing a novel, you basically have to complete it. People will ask how you’re doing, and you don’t want to have to tell them you failed. It’s honestly a silly thing, but the accountability of having others know that you’re working on something really is a good thing to do. You can even share your cover mock up, if you want!
For more information on getting ready to write:
Homework for the week:
- Clean up your writing area and get it ready for writing.
- Decide on your writing rules, print them out, and post them where you can see them.
- Write out your personal schedule. Be specific, but make it reasonable.
- Put your schedule onto your calendar, whether it’s a paper one or electronic. Make sure other people in your life can see that calendar, so they know when you are working.
- Create a cover mock-up.
- Let some folks know that you’re writing a book.