If you’re like me, as the release of your book gets closer, you may start to panic that you don’t have enough time to do everything. Even with the most organized schedule, doing all the things needed to launch a new endeavor—formatting layouts and covers, implementing marketing strategies, updating the blog, and checking social media—can get overwhelming. And to make matters worse, worrying about all of those thing can make it difficult to write when you finally do have time to sit down and put pen to paper. That’s why I’ve created a few strategies that use M&M’s, or should I say Mindless Moments, to multitask writing with the daily aspects of life.
While the candy may also prove helpful in soothing an author’s frayed nerves, Mindless Moments are helpful to a writer because they are portions of the day that are inevitable. In other words, Mindless Moments are fantastic times for building a daily writing habit because it is down time reserved for things that we have to do every day anyway. If you need to find ways to expand your writing time because the only “perfect” time you have (i.e. the kids are away, the house is quiet) is 15 minutes a day, consider using your Mindless Moments to write more pages. Or at the very least, consider using Mindless Moments as a springboard into your daily writing session so that you hit the ground running instead of wasting time staring at the computer screen while you get back into “the zone.”
Drive-Time Success
We’ve all rolled our eyes at stories of writers who’ve written their masterpieces on the train to work. That’s great if you live in a major city with an efficient public transportation system, but what about those of us who live in the ‘burbs or, heaven forbid, L.A.?!? Have no fear. The secret is in your phone. Use the voice recorder to narrate your way into becoming the next Peter V. Brett (eyes rolled or not Brett’s rise into the spotlight is pretty inspiring and worth googling). Talking through your story will not only help you get some of the kinks out of the plot, but it will also get you used to writing without editing yourself (i.e. writing faster) and help to create truly conversational/realistic dialogue for your characters. Use your voice to add color and movement to your writing just as you would with a lively debate or lecture. Remember, writing doesn’t have to be static, and you don’t need to be sitting at a desk to create a powerful narrative. After all, Philip Roth wrote standing up because he found that pacing the room helped him think. Pull out your digital device and apply the same principle to your drive-time commute (many new vehicles have Apple’s CarPlay which will allow you to use your voice recorder through the car’s stereo system).
Exercise Your Brian
I have to admit I haven’t mastered the art of creating without simultaneously self-editing. More often than not, I’ll draft 700 words in a matter of minutes and then waste the rest of my writing hour reading and rehashing what I’ve written in an effort to achieve word placement perfection. I’ve tried to break the habit, but it is one that is going to stick with me for a while. So instead of fighting it, I’ve learned to work with it by promising myself that I’ll do my rehashing while I exercise. Nowadays, the thirty minutes that I spend on the treadmill doing my cardio are the same 30 minutes I use to reread or rehash what I wrote the day before. Thirty minutes. That’s it. No more. Even if I don’t actually do any rewriting during that 30 minutes, reading through the previous day’s material gets me in the mood to write so that when I step off the treadmill, I am ready to work. Multitasking my exercise with the inevitable editing portion of my writing process, preserves the fullness of my writing hour and maximizes the overall time I spend on my stories each day.
Must-See TV
Obviously, instead of wasting time watching television shows when they air, a good writer stores her favorite shows on the DVR for future viewing or makes sure to get her writing finished before becoming a couch potato. But if you are one of the many people who are addicted to Shondaland Thursday and must watch your favorite TV shows live, you can still use that time to work on your writing career. I use those moments to flip through magazines and weed through my favorite social media sites to get ideas for blog posts. I also use TV time to organize the background information for my stories. For example, since I am writing a series, there is a lot of information that must remain consistent from book to book. TV time is when I catalog this information—location names, character names, pets, timelines, family trees, birthdays, plot twists—into specially coded files on my computer. These Mindless Moment filing times are also helpful when I need to run through my promotional campaign checklist or when I want to configure a database of experts contacted for each book. A lot of that writing, campaigning, and researching doesn’t involve a lot of creative brain power, and it is just a matter of putting facts on paper for future use; therefore, TV time and the commercials in between are great Mindless Moments where you can work on smaller writing elements without adding an extra block of time to the day’s agenda.
Kitchens are the Heart of the Home & Your Story
I’m lucky enough to not have kids, so I can pick up a meal on the run to save time during my day. However, many writers have families to feed and spend several hours cooking and cleaning. Take heart. These are great Mindless Moments a writer can use to her advantage. I call it the “let the sauce simmer” principle. Look at your notes, outline, or draft and decide where you want the story to go for the day. Then let those ideas simmer on the back burner of your mind while you begin to cook dinner. Before you know it, creative concepts are flowing and hilarious dialogue is at the tip of your tongue. It is a known fact that a writer’s best ideas occur when she’s too preoccupied to capture that brilliance onto paper. Always keep a pen and pad handy to jot down ideas as you do mindless housework or use the voice memo function on your cell phone as previously mentioned. You can even have your computer set up in the corner of the kitchen so that you can type a memo while you test the toughness of your tortellini. The point is that any time can be a great writing time if you are committed.
The Wrap Up
Stay committed to your writing. Use simple technology and the free time that’s afforded to you to get more done. Don’t have a lot of free time? Then make some. If you watch too much TV or spend hours on social media, that’s the time of day best sacrificed if the above strategies don’t work for you. Limit yourself to an hour a day of TV, texting, and Twitter combined so that you have more time to work on your craft. Then once you do have the computer keys clicking with your powerful prose, use cheap programs such as Freedom, Anti-Social, LeechBlock, and RescueTime to avoid distractions and to stay on task (or free innovations like disabling your Wi-Fi, applying the “Do Not Disturb” function on your iPhone, and installing WriteRoom, Dark Room, or Cold Turkey onto your computer for distraction-free writing).
Turn your M&M’s into a MASTERPIECE!
Can you think of any other Mindless Moments that we can use to maximizing our daily writing time? Share your M&M’s in the comments below so that we can all benefit.