A productive writer is a successful writer. An author can complete a novel in less time, and write more books. A freelance writer can build up a good portfolio of work and earn a full-time income writing e-books, articles, blog posts or web content.

Writing income earned at sites that pay for articles and reviews depend on participation and productivity. If you submit an occasional article at one or more of these writing sites you will gain very little financially. When you become a more productive writer, you will earn a higher income from your articles.

A blog with only a few posts will not attract many visitors, but an active blog with a lot of well written posts will gain more traffic.

[1] Set a time for writing

It makes little difference whether you are writing full time on a long project, or if you want to write more articles in your spare time, you need to decide on the best time to write.

There are some writers who feel most productive in the early hours of the morning, others prefer working late at night. For many writers it is better to have a regular writing routine during the day.

Schedule a writing time and make it part of your regular daily activities. It is important to write when you will not be interrupted. Friends and family members need to be aware that your writing time is valuable and you must not be disturbed.

[2] Have a writing plan

Plan before you begin to write. Have a clear idea of what you are about to write. Use a list of titles or chapter headings. Make an outline of the main points you intend to cover. Refer to information from your research notes.

Be more productive by using the same research to produce a number of articles on a single topic, giving a different focus to each article. Vary the keywords in each title and give a different context to subject of your research.

[3] Leave the editing until later

Write when you should be writing. Proofread, spell check, and edit later. Continue the flow of writing rather than stopping to think of the right words, or to look for something that can be checked later.

Leave spaces, and use clear signs or symbols to signify where you will need to return to a passage later, after you have thought of the right phrase, looked up a word in a dictionary, or checked a reference source.

[4] Take breaks

Rather than spending hours at your writing table or computer desk, remember to schedule in some short breaks for eating, drinking and resting. Taking an exercise break can help to refocus the mind. Going for a walk will get ideas flowing faster than when you spend time sitting still and trying to think.

[5] Revise and rewrite

Never start reading, editing, revising and reworking immediately after finishing a piece of writing. You will only see what you think you have written and will miss some errors. After a few hours, or overnight, you can return to a piece and read it more objectively. Any mistakes, or poorly constructed sentences, will be more obvious and can soon be corrected.

A productive writer should never waste time worrying if work that has been submitted will be rejected. Submit or publish your writing when it is ready, and then forget about it. Know that you have taken care to produce good quality writing, and an editor or publisher will contact you if alterations or reworking are required.

You will accomplish more within your writing time, and be a more productive writer, if you always have work in progress in addition to submissions awaiting consideration. Then you will be less discouraged by rejection, and you will continue to be highly delighted each time your writing is accepted for publication.

Learn more about this author, Ruth Belena.
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