by Patricia Fry
For a professional writer, more words mean more money. So the goal for some writers is to write faster. And that’s okay if you can handle the pressure and avoid the obvious stumbling blocks, such as burnout and producing a sloppy piece of work.
I’ve written for publication for over forty-five years—yes, since the olden days. During the first fifteen years of my article-writing career I used a typewriter, and I submitted articles through the postal service. I learned fairly quickly that in order to make money I needed to keep a good flow of articles circulating. My stint as a newspaper columnist taught me a lot about deadlines. And along the way I learned self-discipline and how to quickly turn thoughts and research into viable articles and books.
Fast forward to 2019. I’m still highly motivated to write almost every day, but now I live in the world of fiction. This is my 79th year, and I just produced my 79th book. For the last six years, I’ve published at least six cozy mystery books per year. I’m often asked, “How is that even possible?” People imagine me propped up at my desk twenty-four hours a day drinking shots of espresso to keep going. Not even! I really do have a life aside from my writing passion. I sleep all night. I might even curl up with my cats and take a nap on a cool afternoon. I walk every day, garden, pursue a photography hobby, clean my own house, cook most of my meals, and I adore lunch dates with friends, outings with family, and a trip to the casino once in a while. I’m not a slave to my office, but when I’m at the computer, I produce. I make the most of the time I spend writing.
When Sandy asked me to share my secrets of prolificacy—put into words how I manage to write and publish something like 350,000 words each year—I felt stumped. How do I explain something that seems to come naturally? How does one teach other writers to avoid potential obstacles and produce at a higher level? Maybe these tips will help:
1: Use your writing time wisely.
This means limiting your solitaire games, texting, and Facebook browsing to those moments when your mind needs a break—after finishing a chapter or working through a difficult scene in your book, for example. I sometimes play a game or two of FreeCell to help me to shift gears between projects. Set a goal to avoid distractions that bog you down and hamper your productivity.
2: Leave your worries at the doorstep.
It’s extremely difficult and sometimes impossible to write a cogent chapter or meaningful dialogue when your emotions are working against you or when you can’t stop thinking about your to-do list. Practice clearing your mind of outside distractions each time you approach your writing space. If this is difficult for you, try creating a visual or physical ritual upon entering your office. Imagine that your shoes or slippers hold all of the stresses of the day, and leave them outside your office door when you enter for a writing session. If you’re good at visualization, simply imagine all of your concerns flying out of your head and disappearing into thin air. You might be surprised at the results.
3: Make your office yours.
Whether you write in a corner of your dining room or you have a real office, create your own personal feel-good space there. Post pictures and place items around that depict the best of you! This might be pictures of your family, your pets, awards, letters from fans, cards of encouragement and love from friends/family/fans, plants, flowers. In my office I have pictures of my family, a few stuffed critters they’ve given me over the years, some of my wildlife photography, lots of photos of cats, very special awards, and I’ve framed every one of my Klepto Cat Mystery covers for my office walls.
4: Write through your doubts.
By this I mean, even when you aren’t sure you want to use a particular theme or scene in your story or nonfiction book, write it out anyway. Let the words flow and sort them out later. Avoid bogging down with uncertainty as you write. This is often the beginning of writer’s block. Most of us use “place markers” when we write. We realize the idea might not work or the way it is written is iffy, but if nothing else comes to you at that moment, leave it and move on. That’s my philosophy. Chances are, when you come back to it, you’ll know exactly what belongs there.
5: Hire or coerce good help.
I do not want to be bothered with learning a new and complex process. I have writing to do. I want to write, and I don’t want to also design and maintain a website or take the time to format my books and design the cover. I also realize that my carefully edited books need another set of eyes. So I hire professionals to do all those tasks. I’ve produced a couple of audio books, and people ask, “Why don’t you do your own voiceover work?” It’s simple. I just want to write and leave the rest of the work to professionals.
6: Have a plan, but remain willing to change direction.
Scheduling is important to me. I almost always have a plan for the day and that includes my writing day. I might vow to finish chapter three, write a promotional piece, send out a newsletter, jot down some ideas for the next book, spend the day editing my work, proof a newly formatted book, or plan blog posts. Every day I have a focus—an agenda. But if I step into my office and a fan has asked for something, there’s a book order waiting, or a new idea occurs to me, I’m ready and able to shift gears. I never walk into my office with a blank slate. I always have something planned. Along with that, learn to understand your priorities and stay willing to act flexible.
7: Find your groove.
I must admit that there’s a point in my writing process when I suffer a little anxiety. It’s when I’ve finished a book and sent it off for editing or publishing. I hate that feeling of waking up in the morning to a clean slate. I’m eager to start a new book, but I don’t have any ideas. Absolutely nothing comes to me. I worry that the Klepto Cat Mystery well has run dry. It can feel like a lonely and frightening place. How often do I experience this? So far around 38 times. I’m about to publish Book 39 of the Klepto cat Mystery series, so yes, just about every time I finish a book. But these moments do not last long. The most common question I get is, “How do you come up with so many story ideas?” For me, ideas do not come in the middle of a sleepless night, or in the shower, or even when I’m out on a walk. I have to sit at the computer, hands on keys before the ideas start to flow. For me, it happens so easily it stuns even me. So I try to avoid thinking about my next story when I’m away from the computer living my other life. All I have to do is step into writing mode and the ideas begin to flow.
8: Look for ideas everywhere.
This is not a contradiction to tip number seven. Ideas for stories, scenes, dialogue, characters, and certainly chapters in your nonfiction book or memoir are all around you. They’re in your memory bank, on the freeway, in the shopping mall, at the farmer’s market, in the research you do, in class. As writers, we must pay attention to everything around us and even our inner thoughts. This is what our stories are made of.
9: Embrace stimulation.
I’m not sanctioning your addiction to Facebook. Sure, it can be useful; go ahead and enjoy those cute YouTube cats. I do. But what most stimulates my mind as a writer are interesting friends and family. Get out and mingle, especially with other writers. Encourage stimulating conversation with fascinating people. Attend events, workshops, classes, museum programs, garden tours. Go sightseeing, take trips, and become a sponge to the wonderful experiences and learning opportunities around you. You’ll become more well-rounded and your writing will reflect it.
10: Become involved in things that make you smile.
For me it’s the zoo, animal shelters, playing with the kittens next door, attending my great-grandchildren’s kindergarten Christmas program, and spending time with family and friends. If you love gardening, do it! If you enjoy a walk on the beach, make time for it. If you’ve always wanted to learn ceramics, try aerial silk yoga, or join a reading group, do it. A happy writer is a more prolific writer. I made that up, but it sure works for me.
11: Take good care of yourself.
You know the drill. Don’t sit for too long at a time. My chiropractor says I should stand up and stretch every hour. Eat a healthy diet and get plenty of rest. Also honor your internal clock. If you’re a morning person, don’t even try to stay up late into the night to finish a chapter. You’ll probably regret it in the morning.
12: Shift gears and spend time promoting.
If you write for publication and expect to sell books, you MUST promote your book. You should promote all the time by talking about your book everywhere you go, handing out bookmarks, staying in touch with your fans, presenting podcasts, contacting reviewers, keeping up your Facebook page, doing speaking engagements, and so forth. Remember, it does your brain good to use both sides of it; balance is the key to a happy life and a successful book.
13: Leave something unfinished every day.
I’m task-oriented. I like to complete things, but I’ve found if I finish a project one day, I’ll face a blank slate the next morning. I hate when that happens. Now, I make sure I leave a chapter to be edited when I quit working for the day. Or I might outline the next chapter, next book, my newsletter, or an article before quitting so I have something to dive into when I enter my office in the morning. Works for me.
Patricia Fry is a former director of WPN. She is a professional member of the Cat Writers Association and the author of 79 books. Currently, with the help of her two feline assistants, she writes the Klepto Cat Mystery series. Follow her daily Catscapades blog.