Small Things That Will Make Your Writing Life Easier

By James R. Tuck, @JamesTuckwriter

Part of the How They Do It Series (Monthly contributor)

Writing a novel takes time.

Often it takes a LOT of time.

I'm a fairly fast writer and still a new novel can take months. Some of this is the attrition of physically typing all the words, but some of it is spent on those little moments where we are writing and find ourselves stuck for long moments, frozen at the keyboard while our brain does the mental equivalent to the little spinning thing on your computer.

I don't know a writer out there who doesn't have these moments. Even when the words are flowing and you are on fire they still happen.

They add up.

And sometimes they can even end your productivity for the day.

Here are some tips to help cut those out and keep writing.

1. Train Yourself Not to Stop

If you're rolling along and the words are humming then the last thing you want is to pause. Work on learning the technique of simply hitting the caps lock and then making a note inside parentheses. Like this: (RESEARCH THAT GUY WHO DID THAT THING I NEED HERE).

I adapted this in book two of my first series and it is a true time saver. No more stopping writing to click over and do a google search, now I keep writing and do that research when it's appropriate. My flow isn't interrupted and more writing actually gets done.

I find that by making notes like this, I can find them very easily and address them after the writing session is over or in the second draft. They leap out and make it easy.

Obviously you can make your own version. Some folks just use the caps. Some use an * on each end of the note. It doesn't matter as long as YOU can do it almost without any separate thought than the mental flow that is letting you pound out the words.

2. Make Lists

There are things that trip me up over and over again. One of them is names. If I'm writing and I have a new character walk on the page sometimes their name will make me stop. Because I don't know it. To fix this I began keeping a list of male and female names I like the sound of. Anytime I find a new one I add it to the list. I do first names, last names, nicknames, place names . . . just any name I might need. Oftentimes I don't even need to consult the list, the act of making it has put most of these names in my head and they are easy to pull out. Just ask Truett McCall or even Jimmy Legbone, both of them named from the list.

I also keep a list of words I like to use, such as primordial. It keeps them fresh in my head as well.

3. Note Your Scene

Okay pantsers, this one may not be your bag, but you should try it. Before your session, take a piece of paper and a pen, very important that this is NOT something you type out, and make some notes of what you want to have happen in the scene you are writing.

This isn't an outline, just notes. Big actions. One sentence per or even a few words. Example: Jimmy Legbone and Truett McCall have conversation. Truett pulls his gun. Jimmy gets away.

Done.

I can write 5000 words from those three sentences alone.

And if you 're writing a chapter that has multiple shifts in POV or time, then this is an indispensable tool for getting more words on the page. It only takes a few minutes but it really adds to your productivity. And the reason you do it on paper with pen is two fold--writing it by hand puts it in your head in a way that typing on a screen does not. Plus, the more simple reason, you can have it beside you for reference!

So those are three things that add to my productivity. What tips and tricks do YOU have? Share in the comments below!

Until next time, write well.

James was born and raised in Georgia and grew up drawing and reading a steady helping of Robert E. Howard stories, Golden Age comics, and books he was far too young to be reading. Combined with a very Southern involvement in church and watching horror movies, this became the bedrock of his creativity. He became a tattoo artist, and now writes dark fantasy. He's the author of the Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter series, a variety of short stories and novellas set in the same world (and some outside of it), and the editor of the Thunder on the Battlefield anthologies. His newest series (co-written with Debbie Viguie), is Robin Hood: Demon's Bane.

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About Robin Hood: Demon's Bane

Sherwood Forest is a place of magic, and Prince John and his allies are demons bent upon ruling Britain. The solstice draws close, and Prince John and the Sheriff hold Maid Marian, whose blood sacrifice will lock the prince’s hold on the kingdom and the crown. Unless Marian can reach Robin with a magic artifact coveted by the enemy and entrusted to her by the Cardinal, the ritual will occur. 

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