Your Fall Writing Plan – How to Get Back into Your Writing Groove
Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash
Labor Day weekend is coming up, which signals the unofficial end of summer here in the U.S. My schedule won’t change that much since I’m not teaching at a university right now, and I only have a couple of young student clients. But still, there’s a feeling of change in the air, of the end of a more carefree, slower time and a re-focusing on goals. Vacations are, mostly, over for a while. We have some weeks before the holiday crush.
Here’s how to harness that back-to-school energy to recommit to your writing goals:
First take stock of where you are now. Did you have summer goals? What were they? Did you meet them? I fell way down on fiction, while focusing on the book chapter I have due September 1. I’ve written before about how I failed at my writing retreat, and those weeks away really put a dent in my writing. I still do my morning Zoom sessions but they haven’t been as productive as I’d like. In a way, it’s fine. I’m experimenting with point of view and voice, more than focusing on getting words on the page. In fact, I don’t want to get any further into the story until I have those things nailed down. That’s the way it is sometimes. Progress doesn’t always look like progress.
So, book chapter? – YES! I will finish on deadline. Fiction? - Did I say I was going to finish a full revised draft? Hahahaha... no.
First, take an honest look at your accomplishments, and don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t meet your goals. If you did meet or exceed them, congratulations! Give yourself a reward. No, I mean it – treat yourself to something you wouldn’t normally buy or do.
Next, plan for fall. Be ambitious, balanced with realism. Give yourself a stretch goal – something that is doable, but with effort. Take into account your schedule, and any big events coming up. Are you planning to do NaNoWriMo? Now is the time to start pre-planning your novel. Unless you are a total pantser and just plan to write whatever during that month. Both can be interesting exercises.
Are you starting a draft? Finishing a draft? Revising? Doing final edits? Have no project in mind but want to commit to a regular writing practice to just play and see what comes up?
What schedule can you commit to? An hour every day? 5 days a week? 15 minutes a day? 3 hours first thing every Saturday and Sunday? There is no perfect schedule, only the one that will work for you.
Start as small as you have to, if it’s been a while since you’ve committed to a regular writing practice. You may think 15 minutes isn’t enough to get anything done, but you’d be surprised how much it adds up (especially compared to zero minutes per day). You may also be surprised how quickly you start to bleed into more time. It’s often hardest to get over that initial hump of inertia. Once you’re in, you’re in, and it’s easier to keep going.
Set aside a time and place for your writing. Put it in your calendar. That becomes sacrosanct. No other appointments, social media, etc.
Write your goal down and prominently display it near your writing space. This accomplishes two things: one, writing it down makes it more concrete in your mind. Two, putting it where you see it regularly keeps the goal fresh in your mind. Maybe put it at your bedside, so you see it when you first open your eyes. Or on the bathroom mirror.
Now is also the time to think about getting an accountability partner. Even if all you do is check in by text to let each other know you’ve done your work for the day, it can help. Or you may want to do a more formal weekly check-in and goal-setting.
The main thing is, what doesn’t get planned, doesn’t get done. Figuring out your plan now will mean you have a much better chance of actually meeting your goals – or at least getting far more done than winging it and hoping you feel like writing.
As for me, I am once again going to aim for completing my novel draft! I have my morning Zoom writing session Monday-Friday, and I also may spend some time on weekends. If you’d like to join us on Zoom (M-F, 8-9 am Eastern), let me know via the Contact Page.
