Creating a Roadmap for More Productive Writing

Writers often have a precarious relationship with their muses, fearful of anything that might stifle that creative spark. But, writing shouldn’t be left to the random visits of some whimsical muse, but rather it should be ready to take advantage of those visits. Having a list of tips and tools to support your writing life will ensure that your writing will be both productive and effective. The first tool you need is a roadmap.

Writing is a lot like a road trip or some other vacation. You can hop in the car with a pocket full of cash and an old atlas for when the GPS doesn’t work, or you can plan every step of the way. Both approaches have distinct advantages and disadvantages, but planning things out allows for a more productive trip. Likewise, if you want to be a productive writer, you need to have set goals and deadlines. But just like the road trip, you shouldn’t let the planning define the journey – have fun along the way and allow for any spontaneity that may arise. By planning out your writing, you will have the roadmap for one amazing adventure!

Before beginning your writing excursion, you will need a travel itinerary. First, figure out how many words you can realistically write in a week. I aim to write a minimum of 1,500 words, which is 6,000 words a month. I can usually whip this out in 1-2 hours on the weekend, and anything above 1,500 is a bonus. At the end of a year, I should have produced a minimum of 70,000 words. This is a decent novel length (depending on genre, of course), a couple short e-books or short stories, or several dozen short articles. Do not overestimate this value; be realistic with a minimum achievable word count and allow yourself to be excited if you exceed this goal.

Next, identify what project (or projects) you want to focus on over the next twelve months that corresponds to your expected yearly word output. Once you have selected your project(s), set realistic deadlines for the major stages of story/manuscript development such as rough draft, revised draft, final draft, etc. However, you can also include aspects related to post-writing production if you wish such as beta readers, submission, publication, marketing, release dates, etc. In the end, select deadlines that are appropriate for your project and overall goals. By calculating your minimum weekly word count, matching projects to that word count output, and planning achievable goals for the next twelve months, you will create the foundation for being a productive writer.

I find that if I set goals then I have something to reach for, something to hold me accountable. I’m currently working on several various projects. Based on 1,500 words a week and a hard push in November for National Novel Writing Month, I should have no problems achieving my writing goals. You can do the same — it just takes strategy and devotion. Now that you have a strategy, all you need is to devote yourself to it. Good luck and happy writing!