Many of us make New Year plans to up our writing productivity, and many feel frustration by the end of January. Personally, I find it helpful to reassess my habits regularly. Keep what works. Tweak or ditch anything that doesn’t give you what you need to succeed.
What does this have to do with Imbolic—the Celtic holiday between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox? It’s the start of spring. Light begins to return for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere. A great time to focus on creative objectives with renewed energy and
determine what you need moving forward, more or less contact with other writers? New critique partners? Perhaps a new place to write. Clear a different space in your home. A change of view can spark creativity. Need to get out of the house after a cold January? Try a local library or café
for a change of pace.
If you’ve taken time off from writing or if your New Year’s resolutions are wearing thin and need a restart, here are a few steps that may help get you back on track.
One of the best ways to engage with your writing is to pick out an older piece of your work, whether it’s a finished work that needs editing or a piece that has only been started. This avoids the blank page syndrome. Don’t try to work a long piece; that’s a sure path to frustration. Think
one chapter or short work at a time.
1. Pick a piece you still have an interest in but haven’t touched in some time.
2. Divide it into small increments. Depending on your needs, 500 to 2000-word chunks, but whatever works best for the piece you’re editing is fine. You need enough to engage your mind and not so much that you’re overwhelmed.
3. Use your favorite editing technique. I read through the piece first and make any obvious changes I think it needs.
4. I run that chunk of writing through a copy editor, so any missed spellings or simple grammar issues are resolved. It’s hard to do this yourself as your mind will often overlook errors on lines you’ve written and read previously. Many writers use Grammarly, ProWritingAid, or Microsoft 365’s advanced editor.
5. Next have your computer read your work to you. So many programs will do this for you, including Word – Review. This is a game changer for anyone who has not tried it!
You might want to try a couple of different work schedules. Perhaps you used to write at night, and that doesn’t seem to be working for you now. Maybe midday will work. Even if you have another job, mornings on your days off could be the key. Just try something different. As important as it is to have a schedule and get yourself in that chair to write, if you’re struggling, a change could open new routes to productivity for you.
And as always finding time to read works that interest you always help get the creativity flowing.
Happy writing!
Pamela Evans is an award-winning educator, early childhood specialist, and director of educational programs. As a consultant for preschools and music programs, Pamela specializes in curricula for young families. A life-long learner, Pamela enjoys sharing and fostering a love for the natural world, the educational benefits of story-telling, and an appreciation of music and the arts with students, parents, teachers, and fellow authors.
BACCA Literary 