Summertime and the writing expectations are high: 5 tips to get your writing done

get your writing done

Some people can shrug expectations off their shoulders like a cardigan, remaining cool and breezy. Others wear them like a parka with a stuck zipper, hot and stifling.
~Kristen Armstrong, Am. author and runner

It’s summertime and the writing expectations are high. “Summertime” by Ira Gershwin is something of an anthem in Charleston, SC. Recall the lyrics “One of these mornings you’re gonna rise up singing, And you’ll spread your wings and you’ll take to the sky.” You can, too, and get some writing done even in the middle of “livin’ easy.”

1. How? First of all, lower your expectations. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. (See 5 suggestions for giving your brain a break) Make sure you build in some downtime for yourself. Knowing you have a vacation coming up, or something fun to do later in the day can focus your mind as you prepare for your break.

2. I’ve noticed many academics have bought into the myth that you need big blocks of time to get your writing done. This is simply not true. Even setting aside 15 minutes first thing each day can move you steadily toward your goal. What you have to do first is make getting your writing done your highest high priority.

3. Next, schedule it. Whether during early morning hours or later in the day because that’s when you tend to be most productive, put it on your calendar for a regular time. You do not have to get specific about what you will do, just set the time aside as “writing.”

For me, a short burst of writing time when limited by other activities I must get done is far more productive than sitting for several hours in front of a blank page. It’s just not as scary knowing it does not have to be perfect and you will back to it later. It also means I can spew forth ideas about the direction I want to go without having to create the perfect sentence.

Waiting for big blocks of time is what most academic writers do. In one of Robert Boice’s many research studies, all participants (untenured faculty) took part in the same writing workshop. After the workshop, the control group did what they had always done and waited for big blocks of time to write. On average, they wrote 17 pages a year.

The next group wrote for 15-30 minutes every day and recorded their daily progress. On average they wrote 54 pages of text a year, about 3 times as much.

The final group wrote for 15-30 minutes every day, recorded their daily writing progress, and checked in with someone about their progress at least every other week. They wrote 157 pages a year on average. About nine times as much! Developing a daily writing practice really makes a difference.

Here’s an example: Dr. Raymond Tallis, a professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Manchester, has written more than 30 books that span philosophy, fiction, poetry, medicine, and cultural criticism. Much of this output he produced between 5 and 7 a.m., before starting his day job. This feat has earned him fame as one of Britain’s top 100 public intellectuals (Prospect Magazine) and one of the world’s leading polymaths (The Economist).

4. Accountability to both yourself and someone else also makes a difference.

To help with accountability to yourself, click here for a copy of How to Keep Your Writing Journal. A writing journal can help you to maintain momentum with your project, provide you with some true measurements (metrics) of what you are actually accomplishing, and give you a “parking space” for all those ideas that crowd in as you work.

Accountability to someone else, like a coach or good friend, can create real deadlines knowing “I have to get this done before I talk to [insert name].” It’s incredibly useful for academics working over the summer on projects without a deadline imposed from the outside. I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard clients say, “I knew I was going to talk to you today, so I had to have something to show for the last week.”

5. Learn when to edit, and when not to.

The old adage, “Perfection is the enemy of done” applies. Writing is not the time when you try to find the perfect word or phrase. Get the idea down of what you want to say instead. You don’t want to get lost in the details. Keep asking yourself, “Is this moving in the right direction?”

Bring your thesis statement to mind on a regular basis to keep yourself on track. Knowing you are filling in your argument or explaining how someone else’s argument conflicts with your interpretation will do more for you than editing each sentence as you write. You want a clear, succinct statement of purpose to help you keep the end in mind. Speaking from personal experience I would have finished my Master’s thesis a whole lot faster if I had understood this back in the day!

To sum up, you can still get your writing done even in the midst of the slower paced summertime. You just have to focus, make writing your highest priority, relax into working in small chunks of time, let go of editing as you write, and get some accountability. When August classes come around, you will know you have made significant progress, even if you have not met your overly optimistic expectations.

 

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