7 Creative Writing Tips to Increase Productivity

     Productivity. It’s all been said and done. In fact, you could spend more time learning how to be productive than actually being productive.

     For us creative types, productivity can be a fleeting thing. We experience highs (a whole month packed with inspiration) and lows (three more months fraught with the ever-annoying writer’s block).

     It can be frustrating. But creative writing doesn’t have to be a fair-weather hobby. Many successful authors have harnessed creativity, reigned it in, and turned it into a full-time profession. So, we know it can be done.

     That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Succeeding in the arts takes a tremendous amount of drive, ambition, and dedication. It’s not the kind of job you have to show up for every day or risk being fired. Nobody cares if you get your work done except you. And maybe your characters, if you’re a fiction writer.

Creative Writing Tips for More Output

          Here are seven creative writing tips to help you be more creative more often. Try them all and see which ones work for you.

1. Show up for work Set a time every day, show up, and get your creative writing work done. It could be an hour a day (two hours on weekends!) or fifteen minutes. It can be first thing in the morning or right after dinner. The point is, make a schedule and stick with it. This will not only lead to more output, it will also lead to better writing.

2. Give yourself a quota Can you produce twenty pages a week? Ten? Five? Some of us work better when we count words rather than minutes. If that sounds like you, then forget about time allotments. Show up for work every day, but focus on your output rather than on your time card.

3. Reward yourself If you manage to show up every day or fulfill your quota, then by all means, give yourself a pat on the back. Whether it’s a trip to the masseuse or a weekend movie, reward your own positive behavior with special treats that keep you motivated week after week. Bonus reward tip: buy a book, and read it!

4. Punish yourself I’m not a big fan of negative reinforcement. It might curb bad behavior, but it does so for all the wrong reasons. Keep punishments light. Didn’t meet your goals? I don’t think you should cancel your vacation, but maybe you can skip dessert. Or, choose a punishment that promotes your goals. Read a textbook about creative writing or peruse a few articles on good grammar.

5. Hold yourself accountable If you’re having a hard time meeting your creative writing goals, then set up an accountability system. Take a creative writing class or workshop, join a writing group, hire a writing coach, or partner up with a fellow writer and establish weekly check-ins. For some reason, when someone else is holding us accountable, we perform better.

6. Use productivity tools There are unlimited tools at your disposal to help you stay productive and all of these can be used with your creative writing project. Put deadlines on your calendar. Hang a whiteboard and track your progress. Keep a journal of your writing sessions. Recording your goals and accomplishments can be extremely motivating.

7. Stay passionate Do things that keep your creative writing passions burning. Listen to music that inspires you to write. Watch movies and read books with stories that motivate you to write your own story. Dance, sing, and make sure you’ve always got your notebook or journal with you because you never know when your next great (or unusual) writing ideas will strike.