When E. L. Doctorow observed that planning to write, outlining, researching or talking about you’re going to write is NOT writing, I think he meant we can’t just hope to write or dream about writing, we have to take action. Unfortunately, many of my students and clients have interpreted that mindset (wherever they know the […]
Tag Archives: Product Time vs. writing time
Is Your Writing Time Productive?
Which of these illustrations best reflects productive writing time? Answer: All of them. There is much more to writing than having your fingers on the keyboard. That’s why I call it Product Time, not writing time. Note: This is the second in a three-part sneak peek summary of the Three Recommended Habits: Process, Product Time […]
Don’t Know How to Start Writing? Don’t Let That Stop You!
Sometimes resistance is invisible because it disguises itself: “I’m not blocked, I just don’t know what to write about.” Sometimes it partially hides itself: “I’m not ready to write; I don’t know how or where to start. Not knowing is not a reason to stop writing! Simple Solution #1: Stop thinking of “writing time” and […]
When Word Counts Don’t Count
1,666 words a day. That’s all that matters if you’re doing NaNoWriMo. 2,000 words a day is the target if you’re Steven King. Challenging yourself to write a certain number of words a day can give you the incentive to break through resistance and get your butt in the chair. But word counts can work […]
Falling Into – And Out of – Writing
In an interview with The Paris Review, James Thurber said, “I never quite know when I’m not writing. “Sometimes my wife comes up to me at a party and says, ‘Dammit Thurber, stop writing.’ She usually catches me in the middle of a paragraph. Or my daughter will look up from the dinner table and […]
Word Counts Work – In 1 Out of 6 Stages
Setting a goal to write so many words a day (as Stephen King and many other writers do) can work for you, but only when you’re generating new material. That might seem obvious, but keep in mind, there are six stages in the creative process and in only one of those six stages do you […]
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rosanne@rosannebane.com
