My Favorite Tips for Writers

wisdom from last week's retreat (bonus post)

Hello, Blue Roomies!

This post was originally written for supporting subscribers to the Blue Room, but I’m publishing it without the paywall just for the fun of it.

It’s been a whirlwind week—I got back from writing retreat on Friday morning (hope you caught the guest post from my friend Paul) and then I headed to Auburn Alabama, where I spent two days with some great thinkers and thoughtful readers, including a public lecture about hope, plus some preaching and Q&A. The weekend concluded with dinner and informal conversation with a group that had studied Hope: A User’s Manual over the summer. (Welcome, Auburn friends and new subscribers!)

Although it was tough to go so abruptly from a writing retreat to a speaking gig, it turned out to be a great gift. I’m in the middle slog of book-writing, and spending time with people who are excited to engage topics I care about, and who’d read my previous work so closely, reminded me why this writing life is worth it. (It’s also really humbling and activates some imposter syndrome. A post for another time.) 

Along the country roads near Norwood VA

The writing time was fruitful. I still have almost three months until deadline, and I will need every spare minute of them to pull this off, but I took some leaps forward in this book project. Yay! 

I often get asked for writing advice, so I thought I’d share a few gleanings from the week. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of stuff that helped (and helps) me:

Don’t go alone.

The #1 writing advice I give is to connect with supportive writers, whether in a feedback group or for mutual accountability. I’m a member of the Writing Table, an online community of writers that gathers every weekday morning for about an hour of body doubling. Eileen Campbell-Reid is our facilitator, and while I can’t get there every day, it’s been a vital practice for this season of writing. (Fridays are free if you want to try it!)

Eliminate as many distractions as possible.

I usually write on my laptop, but my favorite retreat spot now has high-speed internet. Alas! My willpower is no match for every article, TV show, and movie ever made. (Whose is?) Better to eliminate the most tempting distractions than constantly fight against them. So I printed my manuscript draft, packed some pens, and left my laptop at home. 

Get supplies that feel good to use…

I find it tedious to write longhand, and my hand gets cramped after a while, but it actually went fine. It helped to have quality pens that glide across the paper. Pens don’t have to be expensive—I’m ride-or-die for PaperMate InkJoy—but do invest in stuff that draws you to the work. (I also brought a set of Pilot FriXion erasable gel pens, and the colors were great for editing. Also: fun!)

…But don’t overdo it.

The search for The Perfect Tools can distract from the actual work—as if you need just the right supplies, location, or conditions to be productive. I’d planned to buy a nice blank notebook to take with me, but ran out of time before I left. So I grabbed a stack of random notebook paper from our basement’s school supply shelf—a mismatched stack of wide ruled, college ruled, and graph paper. It got the job done! In fact, maybe shabby supplies help reduce pressure for the drafts to be good.

Make a plan… with flexibility.

The book has twelve chapters, and I had four full days away, so I tackled three chapters a day: one chapter in the morning, one in the early afternoon, and one in the evening. Needless to say, the evening work was less productive, but that’s OK. I tried to listen to my body and attention, and took lots of breaks for running, reading, and resting. And watching the hummingbirds:

Be as organized as you (practically) can.

Eileen always reminds us at the Writing Table to save our work and leave a “trail of breadcrumbs” before setting aside the project—a record of what’s done and what’s next. So, some of Thursday afternoon was spent organizing the work and making checklists. I’m a big believer in checklists in writing, especially lists of topics. When your creative time is precious, you don’t want to mess around trying to figure out what to work on. Just go to your topic list, pick something, and start. 

Work your poms.

If you don’t know the pomodoro method, it’s time to learn it and use it. My flow last week was 25-minute poms with 5-minute break, but when I feel stuck or scattered I’ve reduced the time to as little as 10 minutes with 3-minute break. Poms are infinitely adaptable and help an overwhelming task seem manageable. 

“Forward is a pace.”

This is a mantra runners use when the run is turning into a death march. It’s a reminder that putting one foot in front of the other is enough to get you to the destination. It may not look pretty or feel good, but you will get there. It’s true for writing as well. Even when you’re not feeling inspired, you can usually do something to move the project along. Think about it: if you write just 150 words each day, after a year you’ve got a 55,000-word book draft.

What are some of your tips and strategies for writing or creating?

As I said above, the non-Friday posts are just for supporting subscribers to the Blue Room, but I’m publishing this one without the paywall just because! If you’d like to receive additional posts like this, plus inside peeks to the book itself, subscribe or upgrade here. (Coming next time: a chapter list and short synopsis of each chapter, newly revised as of last week!) Members and friends of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Herndon are eligible for complimentary gift subscriptions—just ask.