1 of 23

Write now Article Tools

As a poet, short story writer, and essayist, I have several writing projects on the go, and I usually find inspiration as my day continues. In the midst of one writing project, I'll be struck with an idea for a character in another, or I'll come up with an entirely new project all together. For years I struggled with keeping up with the amount of creative writing that I wanted to get done in a day. Truthfully, most of us who love writing have to hold down other jobs, and in the midst of work, family, and a social commitment or two, it's difficult to complete any project, let alone get time to add a few sentences to a work in progress. Over the years, I've used several strategies to help me keep my productivity up, whether I've been working with one long-term project, or a handful of smaller ones. The following is a list of suggestions that I have used and worked very well for me. They should help you to write more a day.

1) Keep writing material on hand wherever you are If you have a purse or briefcase, keep a notepad in it, so you can write down your ideas throughout the day. I've been in coffee shops begging for a pen because I've come up with an idea for a poem, and a napkin is the only thing handy. Keep notepads near your bed at night, and one at your workplace. You won't always have time to write down a whole paragraph while engaged at work, but jotting down your ideas will give you something to work with later. For those of you who have long commutes every day, I don't recommend trying to write while you drive. However, getting a pocket recorder of some sort will help you get your inspirational ideas down without actually putting pen to paper. Long car rides are the perfect time to reflect on new ideas because you are specifically forced to remain still and think. Using this time effectively will significantly assist you in working through any roadblocks that you encounter with your writing.

2) Organize your time. If you're like most people, you don't have a set block of time every day that you can devote to writing. Nonetheless, this is crucial to actually getting any writing done in a day. In the midst of going to school and working part-time, my time organization became very simple, and it's something that you can adapt to your own lifestyle. Instead of planning out every minute of the day, I would have a list of tasks that I would need to get done before I could set aside time to write for myself. So, after I finished the laundry, unloaded the dishwasher,

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about How to write more a day?
We want to hear your view. Write now!