The best writing productivity hack
Happy Writing Advice Wednesday,
Here are 3 ideas, 2 quotes, and 1 question to explore this week...
3 Ideas From Me
I.
"Conflict can exist on multiple levels.
Self vs person (A Song of Ice and Fire).
Self vs society (Brave New World).
Self vs self (The Catcher in the Rye).
Self vs environment (The Martian).
Self vs the supernatural (American Gods).
If your story only has one type of conflict (i.e. self vs person), consider: would my story be improved by adding other types of conflict? (i.e. self vs society)."
II.
"Marketing, checking Twitter, daydreaming about book covers, listening to podcasts, reading your favorite author’s Wikipedia page - none of it matters if you’re not writing consistently. Writing comes first. Only once you’ve made it a habit can you indulge in other activities."
III.
"The best productivity hack isn’t to watch the perfect motivational video or find the perfect writing app. It’s to be working on a story you love. And then it’s to find the time and place where you have maximum creative energy and minimal chance of interruptions.
Experiment, and track.
What do you word counts look like in the morning? On your lunch break? At night? Write a story you love and create an environment that allows for maximum focus. Get these two factors right, and instead of climbing up a mountain, you’ll be skiing downhill."
2 Quotes From Others
I.
“The only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does compete with life.” – Henry James, The Art of Fiction.
II.
“Hackwork suffers from the moral failings of sentimentality, narcissism, cruelty, self-indulgence, and, above all, lie that originated in the writer. Tough-mindedness not only inspires truthful writing, but a truthful life as well. The more you spot these faults in your own pages and trach them with the repugnance they deserve, the more you avoid them in life. “ – Robert McKee, Character.
1 Question For You
When you are struggling to write a scene, ask: what will make this scene someone’s favorite scene?