Get Ready. Get Set. Write!

Lately I've been experimenting with different ways to increase my writing output.

I read an ebook about a writer who went from writing 2,000 words a day to 10,000 words a day just by going out to write every day instead of trying to do it at home.

She found that even though sitting in a cafe was noisy, there were no distractions and no demands on her time which freed her up to just write.

The reason I want to increase how much I write every day, is so that I'm more focused and more productive while I work.

I find that when I can sit down and get plenty of writing done in a short space of time, I'm far more creative and it feels like I'm working in a giant window of inspiration.

If I don't sit down and focus on what I'm doing, I get easily distracted and end up wasting time so it takes me twice as long to get anything done and my writing isn't as good.

So now I've gone as far as giving myself set writing times every day so that I have to sit down and write, even if I don't feel like it.

And I find that no matter how reluctant I am before I begin, once I actually start writing it's easy to carry on.

It was the famous horror writer Stephen King who said, in his book On Writing, that it's important to sit and write at the same time every day and always sit in the same place so that you know that you should be working. And preferably make that place a room with a door you can close.

Focus and self discipline are the two most important things if you want to be a productive and prolific writer.

Yet these two things IMH(yet accurate)O, are the hardest to conquer.

It takes practise and determination.

How I'm Becoming The Organised Writer

For me, self discipline is the hardest thing about being a writer.

The writing part is easy.

Actually sitting down to do the work in the first place is hard.

It's too easy to be distracted by other things when you're working from home, all alone, with no boss looking over your shoulder telling you what to do.

It's even harder on days when I'm tired or feeling unwell or if I have a project in the garden that I'm dying to get started on.

The way that I've gotten around this problem is by being a highly organised writer.

I have set times every day when I must work, whether I feel like it or not.

That keeps me working to deadlines.

I also have certain writing jobs that need to be done on certain days so I have to keep working during my set times to fit it all in.

I work well this way because if there's no pressure, then I have no motivation to keep going.

Being completely organised also makes it easier to work because I don't have to think of what I have to write because I already know. It's written in my diary.

All I have to do is look in my diary every day to see what needs doing and then I get straight to work.

I also find that the more I write the easier and faster it gets.

Try it for yourself.

You've got nothing to lose.

Free Podcasts That Are Helping Me to Double My Writing Income

I started a part-time cleaning job a few months ago so that I could get more exercise.

I clean two local banks which takes me less than 2 hours a night.

I've got my routine working so well that I don't have to think very much about what I'm doing.

So now I listen to audios while I work.

I plug my ear buds in and listen to audios about writing, marketing, wealth, time management, blogging and more.

And I find that not only do I get my cleaning done faster AND better than before, but I take home a few nuggets of useable information every week.

So I look forward to going to work every night because I know that I can listen to more inspiration and informational audios (and there's something really soothing about working alone in the evening).

And what I learn is helping me increase my income from my writing.

Sometimes I only have to make one small change and the impact it makes is clearly noticeable.

And not only is all this new-found knowledge helping me to earn more money from my writing, but the cleaning company I work for is paying me while I listen.

So it's like I'm being paid twice.

And double money is always good.

And just in case you're curious as to what I'm listening to and learning from, I'll tell you.

I'm currently listening to free podcasts on iTunes which are:

Ben Settle - Anti-preneur Show

Jeff Goins - The Art of Work

Jeff Goins - The Portfolio Life

Yaro Starak - Entrepreneurs Journey

I've also recently listened to all the free podcasts at http://bensettle.com/blog/media-interviews/. There's quite a few hour worth there.

Enjoy and I hope they help you too.

:)

How to Have More Ideas For Your Writing Than You'll Ever Need

It's one thing to say that you want to earn all your income from your writing, but how do you know what to write about?

And how do you come up with enough ideas?

You might think that you need to constantly sit and deeply ponder possible writing topics, but the opposite is true.

Rarely does anyone have great ideas while they're writing.

It's more likely for great ideas to occur when you're away from the keyboard.

It's at these other times when you're not writing that you'll have "eureka" moments.

That's because it's our subconscious mind, not our conscious mind, where great ideas are born.

But you need to be ready, because ideas can disappear as quickly they appear in the first place.

So when a great idea comes to mind, write it down.

Don't think that you'll remember it.

You won't.

An idea is a gift. Don't lose it. Write it down so that you can keep it.

If you do this every time an idea comes to you, even if it's only an incomplete idea, write it down and you'll soon discover that you've got more ideas than you can ever write about in your lifetime.