In Turning Tales, @TanyaDawson stood out with concise yet deeply moving pieces. She is a Paranormal Romance writer who lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, with her husband and two fur babies. When not writing, she can be found next to a fireplace with tea in one hand and a good book in the other – possibly plotting a cozy mystery. We asked her for her best advice for authors, and she shared five ways to dramatically increase your literary output.
Production Goals for 2023
January 1, 2023. A fresh start. A new year. More words to conquer.
I set seven goals for 2023. One of those goals is more words on the page. Working full-time, finding the time (and headspace) to get those words down is often challenging. So, I started the year, butt in seat, with a plan to achieve my highest word count.
It’s essential to check in with yourself over the year to see how your plan is working. I’ve set my year into quarters and check-ins on all seven goals I want to accomplish for 2023. Here is my plan to get all the words down on paper.
1 – Setting a daily word count. Instead of binge-writing and feeling hungover as I bleed how many thousand words in a short time, I’ve set an achievable word count per day. If I focus on this, I should produce more words for the year than if I binge-write and burn out.
2 – Sprints. I work better with short sprints, with a brief break in between. Even better yet, live sprints. Chatting with other authors, working toward the same goal.
3 – Dictation. I’ve downloaded Dragon Anywhere onto my phone. I’ve also dictated in Word and Google Docs. While editing takes time, it’s great to get something down quickly that’s popped into your head. And you can up your word count – especially if you are a two-finger typer.
4 – Google docs on my phone. Have I got 10 minutes to spare? I’ll spend them working on my daily word count. Several times during the day, I can pump out a few hundred words – and those add up.
5 – Writing before Bed. During my work week, the freest time I have is at night. That’s when I calculate and combine all the words I’ve gotten through the day and make up the rest I need. I can also plan my next day’s writing to know where I’m starting.
I keep the outline of the scene I am working on printed and out next to me. So if a random thought appears, I can jot it down or work through a hole during the day.
Well, there you have it! My plan for getting more words in 2023. I hope you succeed in 2023 and maybe find something useful in my plan. Please share how you get your words each day in the comments section.
So, how do you get your words in each day?
This post is part of an ongoing series about our winning Turning Tales authors and the secrets to their writing. Previously, we had the pleasure to read @Jer’s Best Advice For Aspiring Authors.