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Tag: productivity

  • How To Write A Screenplay: 3 Best Practices To Help You Write A Compelling Script

    How To Write A Screenplay: 3 Best Practices To Help You Write A Compelling Script

    If you’ve ever watched your favorite book transform into a feature film, you may have wondered how to write a screenplay. What do screen writers keep? How do they know what to cut out? And (perhaps controversial), what do they add that was not in the original story?

    If you grew up in the 90s or early 2000s, maybe you watched Harry Potter go from black words on white pages in the theater of your mind to record-breaking movies on screens around the world. This series was long, so how did Michael Goldenberg and Steve Kloves determine how to write a screenplay for the movies?

    Screenplays are an important aspect of books today. Whether you aspire to be like Delia Owens or Veronica Roth, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with exactly how to write a screenplay. You never know, your novel may be the next one to hit the big screen! 

    What Is a Screenplay?

    A screenplay is a specific, written format for directors, actors, and crew members and acts as a guide when filming begins. While a novel is most often told in first or third person, dives deep into the senses, description, and specific movements of characters, a screenplay takes a different approach. 

    Screenplays are such a vital part of the filming process that oftentimes, actors are not even allowed a hard copy for their first read-through. Producers often use secure apps (such as Amber or other screenwriting software) to prevent actors for leaking the script. 

    The key aspects of a screenplay are what viewers will see and hear on the big screen, including:

    • Setting and brief description
    • Dialogue 
    • Locations 
    • Specific noises
    • Camera transitions and shots 

    Think of it this way: If you are a director and want an overview of your next big project, you need to know what locations you’ll need to film in, an idea of the shots you’ll take, and the lines of your actors. 

    When actors are requested for a role or want to learn more about a specific, upcoming movie, they need to read the screenplay (or script).

    Some screenplays you can find online and read to get a better understanding of the exact format. In fact, you can even find some (such as Hamilton) at your local Barnes & Noble. However, keep reading for a streamlined version of a screenplay’s format.

    Here’s How to Format a Screenplay

    Formatting a script correctly is imperative. Actors need to be clear on what lines they need to memorize and who says what. Videographers need to be aware of important shots. Directors need a 30,000-foot view of the movie they’re about to make. 

    The Nashville Film Institute (NFI) gives a great breakdown of what to include when wondering how to write a screenplay. Some of their advice is listed below.  

    Fade In

    No matter what movie you film or what book you are going to take from page to screen, your screenplay will begin with a “fade in.” If you have a voice over (V. O.) without visuals, this is where you will insert it.

    Scene Heading

    When writing your scene heading, be sure to use all caps and include the following aspects: General location, specific location, and what time of day the scene takes place. These details are vital for the cast, crew, and of course, the director, to be aware of.

    Action Lines Or Scene Descriptors 

    Your description should include:

    • Character description each time a new character is introduced
    • A brief description of the setting to set the visuals 
    • Important actions taken in the scene (such as “The bear ROARS.”)

    Here is a free version of the screenplay for the 2016 film, Lion. 

    Dialogue And Parenthetical 

    This is where you center, in all caps, the name of the character speaking, include a brief (parenthetical) description as necessary, and then write their exact dialogue. For example:

    JANE

    (happy)

    I can’t believe you made it.

    WILL

    (evasive)

    Well, here I am.

    Shots

    This step is very uncommon and only included if absolutely necessary. If it is imperative to include a specific shot in order to best communicate the scene, this is where screenwriters do so. 

    A Step-by-Step Guide for How to Write a Screenplay

    When you begin your first script, just like beginning a manuscript, ensuring your format is up to industry standard will help others take your work seriously.

    The NFI outlines a step by step guide on how to do so:

    • Use 12-point Courier Font
    • Left margin should be 1.5 inches
    • 1-inch right margin (between 0.5 inches and 1.25 inches), ragged
    • 1 inch top and bottom margins
    • Around 55 lines per page regardless of paper size. 
    • Dialogue speaker names (in all caps) 
    • Transitions are capitalized
    • Dialogue 1.5 inches from margin

    Now that you have a general idea of how to format your screenplay, it’s time to get writing. This is where you must think as a videographer or movie-goer instead of as a writer only. Ask yourself the following questions as your write your scenes:

    • Are there any crucial shots I need to communicate?
    • How will the story best come across on screen? 
    • What scenes will not add to the film version?
    • Who are my most important characters?
    • Which characters should I cut?
    • How do I best write dialogue?

    TIP: You may want to print these questions out and keep them nearby as you write your first screenplay. 

    The Transition from Writer to Screenwriter

    Don’t worry if writing a script feels awkward or uncomfortable in the beginning. Screenwriters type out every single aspect of what happens in a story. Why? Well, writers do not have the element of sound or visuals at their disposal so they must write in detail everything that their readers should know. 

    How to write a screenplay well is more-or-less dependent on what viewers will see and hear on the screen. Of course, dialogue is paramount to your script’s success, but the transition from writing novels to writing scripts will likely feel less awkward when it comes to dialogue. 

    Some key aspects to keep in mind are as follows: 

    • Include visuals, but leave the details to the crew
    • Include parenthetical tips, but leave the details to the director and actors 
    • Include crucial shots, but leave creative liberties to the director 
    • Include dialogue, and remember it needs to sound even better  verbalized than it does on the page
    • Include the most important scenes only
    • Cut any scene or character who does not add to the film adaptation 

    Learning how to write a screenplay will be a massive mental shift, but can also bring tremendous rewards. Many writers dream of one day seeing their novel on the big screen. Learning how to write a screenplay, and do it well, is one step closer to either making another author’s dreams come true, or even your own. 

    Refuse to let discouragement set in and instead, press on. Learning a new skill is hard but so rewarding! 

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    • Book Clubs: 5 Important Benefits To Inspire Your Writing

      Book Clubs: 5 Important Benefits To Inspire Your Writing

      You have probably heard of Reese Witherspoon’s book club at some point over the years. In fact, recently you may have noticed that the mega popular, novel-turned-major-motion-picture, Where The Crawdads Sing, is not only a New York Times bestseller, but stamped with an important sticker: Part of Reese’s Book Club. 

      So what exactly is this type of club? Why do they matter? Are they just for avid readers or can authors take advantage of these clubs as well? In this article, we get into the following:

      • What Is A Book Club?
      • Benefits Of A Book Club
      • List Of Book Clubs

      If you’ve never been part of a club like, or simply want to learn more details about their benefits and how you can take advantage of them as an author, keep right on reading!

      What Is A Book Club?

      A book discussion club is simply a group of individuals who come together for the sole purpose of discussing books. You will commonly find clubs discussing topics such as:

      • What they liked about a book
      • What they disliked 
      • Their opinions
      • Book takeaways 

      While not every club follows the same format, typically, they are laid back with a deep focus on a particular book. Everyone in the club is tasked with reading the same nonfiction or fiction work, and at a specific, recurring time, they all come together for discussion. 

      Think of this form of club as an in-person forum where you can share your thoughts with other readers, hear their insights, and share the commonality of a love for reading. 

      Benefits Of A Book Club

      Joining a club is a great way to engage with fellow readers, gain more insights into plot and characterization, and hear what’s selling well and why. If you are an aspiring author, joining one such club could be the perfect opportunity for you. 

      Not only will a club surround you with fellow-readers but it will enable you to interact with your potential target audience in person. Below is a list of benefits you may find when joining as a writer.

      #1 – Immerse Yourself In Literature 

      While we may all want to read the classics, it can be difficult to find the time and motivation to do so. Depending on what type of book club you join, you may discover that reading a classic with a group is much more fun than you once imagined. Of course, not every book club reads the classics, but knowing famous stories that stood the test of time can help you grow as a writer.

      #2 – Broaden Your Insights

      The more you surround yourself with other writers and readers, the more you will discover about the world of books. It’s easy to get stuck in a one-track mindset and walk away from a story with one set of takeaways. When you join a book club, the opposite happens. Yes, you experience your own insights, but you also get the privilege of hearing what others discover through the story. 

      #3 – Get A Feel For Audiences Across Genres 

      As a writer, your job is to connect with your target audience in such a way that they read your book and desperately want to read your next one. Book clubs study a myriad of genres, and your target audience is bound to exist in one of them. Joining a book club will help you understand your audience at a more personal level, and ultimately, write better books. 

      #4 – Learn From Genres You Don’t Naturally Read

      While writers read, not all writers enjoy genres outside their own. That said, it’s extremely beneficial to open yourself up to new writing opportunities through familiarizing yourself across genres. Imagine how well you could write historical fiction if you immersed yourself for a month or so in biographies of historical figures? 

      #5 – Discover Feedback Without Sharing Your Work

      One of the larger benefits of joining a book club is taking note of what other readers say about genres similar to yours. It can be intimidating to share your work-in-progress with beta readers, let alone your final draft with an audience. Book clubs allow you the inside scoop on what types of plots and characters work well in specific genres, and which ones do not. 

      Now that you know several reasons why you could benefit from joining a book club, let’s discuss some actual book clubs you could join or even submit your own book to. 

      A List To Get You Started

      Check out the below list to help you get started in your search today!

      #1 – Reese’s Book Club

      Popular for a reason, Reese Witherspoon is known for her book-to-screen adaptations. If you want to read up to twenty-four books a year, join Reese’s club! Join 2 million other readers and keep up with both YA and adult reads on social media. 

      #2 – Between Two Books

      Did you read The Goldfinch or love the movie? This book club began in 2012 and was established by fans of Florence Welch. This is an online club with over 100,000 members. A community that always seems to be involved in books somehow (video readings, discussions, etc.) this is a great club to join if you want a more intimate feel. 

      #3 – Silent Book Club

      What if you are an introvert but you want to get out more and interact with other readers? Join one of Silent Book Club’s more than 240 chapters, spread across over 30 countries. This club focuses on readers coming together, not to talk, but to read books in the presence of other readers. 

      Book Club Steps For Authors 

      What if you are an author and want to submit your book to a particular book club? You may want to try looking into the Greenleaf Book Club, which has been in existence since 1997. When pursuing how to submit a book club, a crucial step is to learn all you can about what readers love.

      Unique individuals fill every book club, so while you may want to pitch your book to famous celebrity clubs, it’s crucial to submit your book to the correct audience. 

      A second way to create an in with a book club is simply by engaging as a proactive member. Invest in the other readers, share your thoughts on books you loved, books you want to read, and authors you aspire to be like. 

      The more you engage as a member, the more likely other members will respect what you have to say and want to hear your opinion. Once you establish yourself as a contributing member of a group, consider talking with the person who runs the book club and pitching your book as a potential read. 

      Just as you need to understand your target audience and comparative works when writing your book, these details are vital to getting your book in for a book club as well. Before submitting your work, ask yourself the following questions: 

      • What types of books has this book club read?
      • What books did the members gravitate to?
      • How is my book similar?
      • How does my book stand out?

      Best wishes as you pursue both engaging with a book club as a reader and submitting your own book! 

      TWL. CTA. Book Outline Template
    • How to Set Writing Goals the SMART Way

      How to Set Writing Goals the SMART Way

      If you want to make serious progress as a writer, you need to treat your craft like any other serious area of your life. It’s not enough to treat writing as a haphazard hobby that you dip into and out of whenever the urge takes you. Instead, if you want to grow and evolve both your skillset and your level of output, you need to set clear writing goals to move you forward.

      For some writers, the idea of setting goals is antithetical to their romanticized notion of what a writing life looks like. These are the same kind of writers who lie to themselves that one day they’ll get a book done when the stars align and they are free of distraction during a magical writer’s retreat in a woodland cabin. Newsflash – that is never going to happen.

      Instead, if you’re a serious, realistic writer who wants to make tangible progress with your writing, we have just the article for you. Using this framework will allow you to set meaningful and manageable writing goals to drive your career forward. Ready? OK, let’s go. 

      What are writing goals?

      A writing goal is any clearly defined objective related to your writing career. It can be a large, long-term goal, such as releasing over 20 novels within your lifetime, or a shorter, more short-term goal, like spending at least half an hour each morning on writing prompts over the next month.

      To better understand what writing goals are, it’s good to have a solid understanding of what they are not.

      A vague aspiration is not a writing goal. So, for example, thinking to yourself ‘one day I’d like to be a better writer ’ is not a goal. It’s an aspiration or dream but is not specific or clear enough to be considered a goal. 

      Within this article, we’ll provide you with a complete, proven framework to set writing goals that stick and make a meaningful difference in your career. First, let’s get clear on why this process is worth your time and how it will benefit you.

      How do writers benefit from setting writing goals?

      Perhaps you’re feeling a little bit of resistance or discomfort at the idea of setting writing goals. If so, that’s understandable.

      You might be thinking something along the lines of ‘well, I barely have enough time to write as it is. Shouldn’t I spend the very limited time I have outside of work and family on actually writing? Isn’t setting a writing goal just another form of procrastination that will distract me from my projects?”. 

      Setting the wrong type of goals might be a form of procrastination, but that’s not what we will be doing here. Truthfully, if you feel resistance to the thought of setting meaningful and effective writing goals, it’s actually due to a desire to stay inside your comfort zone.

      When you write without clearly defined aims and objectives, you allow yourself the freedom to never fail. There’s no challenge and nothing at stake. That allows you to protect your ego from being hurt, but it also stunts your growth.

      The benefit of setting intentional goals for your writing is it allows you to not only grow and improve as a writer but to do so in a way that is aligned with your wider aims and objectives. If you’re not making the progress you’d like, your writing goals will flag that up and allow you to reconsider what you’re doing and correct course if needed.

      Ultimately, the choice to either set or not set writing goals is what separates professionals from amateurs. Which type of writer do you want to be?

      When you’ve decided you’re ready to step up, read on! We’ll be using the SMART framework for the next section. This will allow you to set writing goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-limited.

      Step 1 – Make your goals specific

      One of the major mistakes people often make when setting goals of any type, including writing goals, is making them too vague or general to be useful.

      Some examples of vague writing goals include ‘becoming a better writer’ or ‘taking writing more seriously ’. These might be worthy objectives, but they aren’t specific enough to be useful as a goal. 

      If you have a vague aim initially, such as those described above, you can try and narrow it down into a more specific writing goal. For example, ‘becoming a better writer’ might be narrowed down into ‘improving my first draft score on Grammarly by 10 points on average ’. Or ‘taking writing more seriously might translate into ‘spending 5 out of 7 evenings on writing instead of watching Netflix’. 

      The exact goal you set is entirely down to you. Only you know what will be most useful in driving your career forward. If you aren’t sure what to choose, you have a few options open to you. The first is to think of the major roadblock or challenge you have in your current writing life and set a goal that specifically addresses it. The second is to set as many goals as possible, and then eliminate some and prioritize others based on comparisons. Finally, if you have a writing coach or mentor, or other trusted ally, you could get their take on what they see as being the most impactful writing goal for you.

      Setting a specific objective is just the first step! There’s a lot more to meaningful writing goals than being specific, but without that starting point, it’s impossible to move on. 

      Step 2 – Set a measurable goal

      Now that you have a specific idea of what you most want to achieve as a writer, it’s time to make it measurable. 

      Just as being specific is needed to ensure your writing goal is something worthwhile, making it measurable is needed to be able to say if you are on track or not. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that being behind on your writing goal is ‘bad’ or a reflection on you. It isn’t. It’s merely an indicator that something needs to be adjusted – whether that’s your approach to the goal, or perhaps the goal itself might need to be scaled back.

      All of that is to say that there’s nothing to fear by making your goal measurable. It’s not intended to make you harsh on yourself or negative in any way at all. Instead, it’s just a way of helping you stay on track.

      An example of a measurable goal would be taking the specific goal of ‘make progress on the word count of my novel’s first draft’ and changing that to ‘write 750-1000 words of my novel at least five times a week’. See the difference? Both goals are specific but the second one allows you to say whether you are on pace or off the pace at any given time. 

      Making a writing goal measurable also allows you to set deadlines and plan. For example, if you know you are capable of writing 1000 words at least five times a week, can anticipate a realistic deadline for finishing your draft, and schedule editing, cover design, formatting, and everything else accordingly. Without a measurable goal, none of that is possible.

      Step 3 – Ensure your writing goals are attainable 

      It might sound obvious to ensure your writing goals are attainable, but a lot of people don’t! 

      Just as with fitness and health goals, people often overestimate what they are capable of. This can be down to several factors. First, if you don’t have a clear schedule of when you write and how much you are capable of writing within that time, you won’t have a realistic idea of what’s attainable for you. Second, people often underestimate the impact of motivation and other psychological factors. For example, you might have a strong drive to get up before dawn and smash out 2000 words for the first couple of weeks, but that might lessen after some time. Life happens.

      If you’ve been writing a long time, you might well have a solid idea of which goals are and aren’t attainable for you. If you’re newer and less sure, you have a couple of options open to you. First, you can ask around. Question your fellow writers as to whether they think your intended goal is or isn’t realistic. Second, you can try for a certain goal, but schedule a period of assessment and possible adjustment once you’ve determined whether it is or isn’t something you’re capable of achieving.

      At this point in the process, you should have specific, measurable, and attainable goals in mind. Next, let’s make sure they’re best suited to serving the aims of your writing career.

      Step 4 – Choose relevant writing goals

      One easily overlooked part of the goal-setting process is ensuring your chosen aims are the ones most relevant to your writing career.

      There are two major ways in which writers tend to either set irrelevant or less relevant goals. 

      First, you might be tempted to set a goal that you genuinely believe will move your career forward the most, but in truth wouldn’t be the biggest needle mover. For example, you might want to add five words per minute to your typing speed, when in fact, focusing on learning the fundamentals of book marketing might be far more beneficial.

      Second, you might set a writing goal that is unrelated to where you are as a writer. For example, you might decide to focus on learning worldbuilding for a series of epic fantasy novels that span tens of books, when in fact, you should focus on the fundamentals of writing dialogue. 

      This should be caveated by the understanding that you are free to set whichever goals you want. However, do so with the knowledge that you can only focus on so many things at any given time. Therefore, setting the most relevant writing goals to your career aims and objectives is the best way to move forward fastest. 

      Step 5 – Set a time limit on achieving your goals 

      The final stage of the process is setting a time limit on when your goals will be achieved. Without this, you run the risk of endless procrastination and delay. A deadline helps you hold yourself accountable and keep your progress on track.

      One way of thinking about a time-limited goal is simply seeing it as a dream with a deadline!

      Some examples of time-limited goals include ‘writing x words on my project by x date’, and ‘completing such and such writing course by the end of x month’. Or ‘finishing my new author website and sending it live by x time’. 

      If you follow this fifth and final step, you now have everything you need to set SMART writing goals that will move your career forward.

      If you’ve made it this far in the article, congratulations! Don’t let the momentum slip. Instead, before you do anything else, take a moment to draft out at least one or several writing goals most pertinent to your aims and objectives.

      The Write Life team would like to wish you every success and we hope this framework makes a real difference to your career!

    • 10 Must-Try Tools for Freelance Writers (Bonus: Most Are Free!)

      10 Must-Try Tools for Freelance Writers (Bonus: Most Are Free!)

      Freelance writers are always looking for ways to streamline the drudgery we often don’t get paid for — things like finding new gigs, doing background research, and keeping tabs on pitches.

      Of all the writing tools online, these 10 are the most useful to help you cut back on administrative work, so you can spend more time being creative.

      Grammar Checkers

      1. Grammarly

      Grammarly is an incredibly powerful grammar checker that identifies hundreds of types of writing mistakes.

      Unlike Microsoft Word, Grammarly finds correctly spelled words used in the wrong context, like “affect” vs. “effect.” It also highlights long, clunky sentences and suggests improvements.

      Grammarly is available as a free extension for Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. It works anywhere on the Web, so you can use it for your Gmail messages, social media posts, Web forms, and blog posts.

      A premium version of Grammarly with even more tools is also available.

      2. Copyscape

      It’s easy for a phrase you saw elsewhere to percolate into your brain. That’s where Copyscape comes in.

      Copyscape Premium lets you checks your content against what’s on the web before you submit it.

      If you’re a blogger or editor, you can also use Copyscape to scan the Web for duplications of your online content, and find out how to get them removed.

      3. WordCounter

      While there’s a built-in counter in your word processor, WordCounter.net does so much more.

      Simply paste your text into the box to see basic counts, estimated reading level, reading time, and speaking time – all for free.

      It will even keep your SEO on track by summarizing keyword density.

      Submission Tracking

      4. Sonar Database

      Sonar is a submission tracking tool for Windows. You can enter details about specific works and markets, including submission dates, status, notes and editorial contacts.

      Keep in mind that Sonar is very basic. There’s no reporting functionality, and it doesn’t display simultaneous submissions of the same work.

      Still, it gets the job done, and unlike other submission tracking tools, it’s completely free.

      Finding Writing Ideas

      5. HubSpot Blog Topic Generator

      Hubspot’s popular blog topic generator will come to your rescue when you’re short on post ideas.

      Enter up to three keywords (preferably nouns), and HubSpot will churn out five titles.

      The titles won’t always be a perfect fit, and you’ll need to revise for grammar. Think of them as a jumpstart for your brain.

      Finding Work

      6. Writer’s Market

      No list would be complete without the Writer’s Market, which lists details and writer’s guidelines for thousands of publishing outlets.

      While there are a few similar databases you can use for free, the Writer’s Market is by far the most comprehensive resource for identifying newspapers, magazines, book publishers, and online publications in your field.

      Going with a subscription instead of the print version means that you’ll always have the most current information.

      7. UpWork

      UpWork is the leading online job board for the gig economy.

      While it’s true that hoards of clients offer rock-bottom rates, there are enough serious companies to make UpWork a decent place to find new projects.

      Freelancers with expertise in technical writing, marketing and similar fields will have the easiest time scoring jobs that pay well. It’s also helpful to research what successful freelancers do and look at their profiles.

      Productivity

      8. ZonePDF

      ZonePDF offers tools for splitting and combining PDFs.

      You can convert JPG, PPT, Word, and Excel files to PDFs, for example, then merge them together.

      It’s useful for technical writers who need to integrate various screenshots, spreadsheets, and pages extracted from existing PDFs into a report. You can also split a client’s background document and repackage a single page in a new file.

      9. Evernote

      This online note-taking software is perfect for collecting and organizing your background research.

      Much like your desk drawer, you can basically throw anything into Evernote, including images, PDFs, text, audio recordings and more. Just forward your emails to a personalized Evernote address to add them to your account.

      All of these items are “notes,” which Evernote organizes into notebooks. You can also create new, text-based notes directly in Evernote, and upload file attachments to them. Tags and OCR search capability make it easy to find the note you need.

      Try creating a notebook for your next piece, and putting everything you need in it, including:

      • Images
      • Screen captures of your web research
      • Writer’s guidelines
      • Relevant emails
      • Your to-do list for that piece
      • A recorded interview

      It’s the easiest way to store many different types of information in a single, searchable location you can access from anywhere.

      Evernote is also the quickest way to snag and save copies of your work as it appears on the Web. That way you’ll always have a copy for your portfolio, even if a link goes dead a year or two down the road.

      Writing Platforms

      10. WordPress

      If you have a personal blog or website, there’s a good chance you’re using WordPress.

      Originally a blogging platform, WordPress has become a full-fledged web content management system in its own right.

      Countless businesses now use WordPress for their blogs and websites, so more writing gigs require familiarity with it. If you don’t know how to use WordPress, you may be losing out on jobs you’re a perfect fit for otherwise.

      Freelance writers are masters of multitasking, but we put a lot of time and effort into making it happen. Spending a few minutes to explore these tools will help you minimize the mundane going forward, so you can focus on your craft.

    • How to Track Changes in Google Docs: Using the Suggest Edits Feature

      How to Track Changes in Google Docs: Using the Suggest Edits Feature

      Do you do most of your writing in Google Docs?

      From collaboration to easily checking word count in Google docs to its Suggest Edits feature, many writers rave about this free word processing software. (Here at The Write Life, we’re big fans of Google docs!)

      Since its emergence in 2014, Google Docs’ Suggest Edits feature has had editors everywhere rejoicing because of its almost-seamless ability to make content collaboration a whole lot easier. 

      That wasn’t the case at first, though. Initially, Google Docs dropped a track changes add-on that came with a few quirks and kinks that needed to be ironed out, making the editing process more clunky than desired. 

      Within the last few years, however, the process of tracking changes in Google Docs has immensely improved. It’s since been a great way for multiple people to access and revise the same document in real-time without the frustration of wondering if you’ve got the “latest” version or if someone’s working off a different draft than you — I’m looking at you, Microsoft Word. 

      If you haven’t taken the ever-evolving Suggest Edits feature for a ride to see how it’s been updated, we’ve taken several trips for you, and here’s what we found.

      How to track changes in Google Docs

      While Google’s new editing collaboration tool is called Suggest Edits, many writers still refer to it as Track Changes, and not just because that was the name of Google Doc’s previous editing tool. “Track Changes” is the name of Microsoft Word’s editing tracker, which many writers used long before transitioning to the more collaborative Docs.

      Unlike Google Doc’s old Track Changes, which was somewhat clunky in that it required the installation of an add-on, Suggest Edits is now a built-in feature in Google Docs. That means you can use it immediately, whether you’re working on a new doc or you’ve created one from scratch.

      It’s simple and easy to use. When you’re in a doc, you’ll see a pencil icon button on the upper right-hand corner of the screen. (It’s underneath the “Comments” and “Share” buttons.)

      Click this button and you’ll see a drop-down menu that allows you to switch between several modes:

      • Editing, or straight-up working on the doc, where your changes are not tracked
      • Suggesting, whereby revisions are visible via tracked changes and
      • Viewing, which allows you to see what the doc will look like in its final state

      The mode you’re currently in will appear next to the pencil icon.

      To suggest an edit, simply select Suggesting mode and make changes in the text of the doc — add words, change fonts, add subheadings, delete paragraphs, etc. Your changes will be highlighted and a revision box (that looks just like a comment box) will pop up next to them showing the date and time you made these changes and what specific changes were made.

      If you want to add an explanation or further notes to your changes, you can “reply” to the revision box just like you’d reply to a regular Google Docs comment.

      For more information on this feature, check out Google’s help page.

      Pros of Google Docs’ Suggest Edits tool

      Overall, I’m a huge fan of using this new tool to track changes in Google Docs. Here’s why:

      Huge improvement over revision history

      Before Track Changes and Suggest Edits came along, the only way you could tell which changes had been made to a Google Doc was via the less-than-stellar “revision history” setting. This allowed you to see everything that was different between your current doc and its previous versions, but you had to play compare-and-contrast to guess which specific changes had been made between versions, a tedious and imperfect process. Now all the changes are highlighted individually and you can see them all at a glance.

      Eas(ier) to use

      Like most Google tools, Suggest Edits is super simple to use. Once you know where to find Suggesting mode on the navigation bar, you’re good to go. And Suggest Edits’ in-text revision boxes are much easier to scan and work with than the old Track Changes add-on, which displayed all revisions that had been made to a doc in one long sidebar you were forced to scroll through.

      “Accept all” option

      This long-awaited feature is finally here, and it’s as useful as it was anticipated to be. If you’re working on a Doc with numerous changes and you want to accept or reject everything a previous user suggested, hit the “Tools” button on your toolbar, then select “Review Suggested Edits” from the drop-down menu. From there, you can either accept or reject all, or even make your selections individually from the neat pop-up box without having to scroll through the page.

      Ability to preview your suggested changes

      Remember when Google Docs Track Changes required you to accept/reject each individual change if you wanted to see the final product? Those days are long gone. While you’re in “Tools” > “Review Suggested Edits,” you have three options you’ll see in a drop-down menu: “Show Suggested Edits,” “Preview ‘Accept All’,” or “Preview ‘Reject All’.” Preview the accepted version and edit a clean page that doesn’t contain highlighted or crossed out text everywhere. Your eyes will thank you.

      Easy to share and collaborate

      With Word’s track changes, you still have to trade documents back and forth, updating them as you go and hoping everyone is working off the same draft. This Google Docs feature allows you to work in the same document as your peers and view changes as they happen, keeping everyone on the same page and storing that page conveniently in the cloud where anyone can access it at any time.

      Ability to differentiate editors

      Track Changes didn’t demarcate which revisions had been made by which users, which could prove troublesome if you were working with a team of people and needed to know who’d done what to your doc. Thankfully the comment-like format of Suggested Edits addressed that issue and it’s now clear to see who’s made which changes.

      Manage your suggestions

      Sometimes you need to share a document with multiple clients or other users, but only some of them have editing privileges. You can update document users and permission levels as often as you’d like and at any time as you see fit — users you’ve given “can comment” permission can suggest edits but not approve or reject them; those with “can edit” permission can do both; and the “can view” permission prohibits users from making any changes to the document.

      Added dialogue potential

      Sometimes you need to explain why you’ve made a certain change, or you want to add extra comments or questions for your team to see when they’re considering your revisions. With Suggest Edits, you can make these notes right underneath your revision box, making dialogue and discussion much easier than in the old static sidebar.

      Synchronization with Word docs

      Still got that one guy on your team who hasn’t gotten on board with Google Docs and insists on sending you his revisions via Word attachment? Now when you convert a Word file to a Google Doc, any track changes in the Word doc will automatically be converted to suggested edits on the Google Doc.

      And when that same guy takes your Google Doc and converts it back into Word? Any suggested edits are automatically converted back to tracked changes.

      Mobile access

      It used to be that you needed an actual computer to take advantage of prevalent Doc functions, but not anymore. Gotta edit and track changes on-the-go? No problem! Whether you’re #TeamAndroid or #TeamiPhone, all you need is the Google Docs app to suggest edits, accept/reject edits, add comments, share the document with others and more. At the top right-hand corner of your screen, you’ll see three black dots. When you click that option, a drop-down menu will reveal all of the editing options you can access.

      Cons of Google Docs’ track changes

      While there are many pros to using Google doc’ track changes feature, there are a few minor cons to consider.

      You need to plan ahead for offline use

      A big difference between Microsoft Word and Google Docs is accessibility. If it’s installed on your computer, you can access and edit a Word document just about anywhere. Google, on the other hand, requires a bit more finagling. Working on a Google Doc without setting up offline access means your work won’t save automatically and you’ll lose all of it. To avoid this sticky situation, set up your offline access beforehand, or only set it up for certain Drive files. 

      You lose access to edits once you accept them

      Before you reject or accept all suggested edits, make sure you’re absolutely sure, because there’s no going back (…ish). Once you implement changes into your document, they’ll disappear from your revision history and you won’t be able to access them under “Review Suggested Edits.” Though, all hope is not lost. Here are two silver linings that weren’t available with Google Docs Track Changes:

      1. Alternatively, you can click the comment box icon (next to “Share”) to see all the suggested edits and comments in one place. It’s not the greatest view, but it’s better than losing access to all the suggested edits entirely.
      2. Say you’re doing a final edit of a document whose owner has already edited the copy under the “Suggesting” mode, and you go through accepting/rejecting each one. While the edits disappear from your revision history, it doesn’t from theirs! Since you’re not the document owner, your final decision isn’t so… well, final. 

      The verdict on tracking changes in Google Docs

      Google Docs’ first attempt at offering an editing feature with its Track Changes add-on had a decent amount of pros and just a few cons.

      But the product keeps improving, and has even more pros and two cons that come with solutions. In other words, it’s a serious step up, and a feature many editors now can’t imagine living without.

      Whether you’re working with an editor on your ebook, collaborating with another writer on a series of case studies or working with a blog management team to get content ready for publication, Suggest Edits is definitely worth checking out.

      Have you used Google Docs’ Suggest Edits feature? What do you think about it? Share your thoughts in the comments!

      This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

      Photo via Roman Samborskyi / Shutterstock 

    • Do You Need an MFA? 3 Important Elements You Can Replicate On Your Own

      Do You Need an MFA? 3 Important Elements You Can Replicate On Your Own

      [twl_reusable_block post_id=41455]

      If you’re like me, you spent most of your childhood in school. That’s where you learned how to learn, and you’ve probably come to associate improvement with school. So, when it comes to improving your writing, it’s natural that you would consider a Master of Arts (MA) or a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. After all, what better way to give yourself time to write and a structured place to do it?

      But MFAs are time consuming and expensive, and it’s certainly possible to significantly improve as a writer without them. How do you know if an MFA is right for you? And can you reproduce the benefits of an MFA without enrolling in a program?

      My take on the MFA debate

      Full disclosure: I have both a BA and an MA in writing. It’s hard for me to regret those years; they were a lot of fun and I gained an enormous amount of experience. I also met my husband, so I can’t say my MA was useless. However, I think I could have taken another path, perhaps one that didn’t require so much of my time, money and inner calm.

      Based on my experience, I don’t think having an MA or MFA is necessary to become a great writer. This should be obvious to anyone who knows anything about literary history: Many famous and influential writers did not begin in academia.

      Instead, to become a better writer without a set path, replicate important aspects of the MFA. Basically, the money you spend for your MFA (and it’s a lot of money) insists upon discipline and buys a few elements crucial to the writing process. Recreate these elements on your own to strengthen your writing skills without enrolling in an MFA.

      1. Read across genres

      Great writers need to read; there’s no way around this one. Language has to start in your brain to end up on the page, and the best way to get it there is to read. (Or listen to audiobooks on tape, whatever works for you).

      Expose yourself to past developments in your genre, as well as what’s happening now. This is where you acquire the tools you’ll use, as well as improve on, later.

      While reading may seem like a simple task, it’s not. With hundreds of millions of books in the world, it can be impossible to know where to start. An MFA program will not only give you an organized, vetted list of these books, but it will also force you to read them and analyze them thoughtfully. The program will expose you to new styles and authors you may never have come across otherwise, expanding your toolset and allowing you to contextualize your own work.

      You can discover new works and authors without an MFA, of course, and you should continue to do it after one. Read everything — not only in your genre, but in completely new ones. Step outside your comfort zone. Read extensively and often. Listen to books on your way to work, and always have something new to read.

      [bctt tweet=”Read everything — not only in your genre, but in completely new ones, says @inkhat”]

      Don’t know where to start? Published authors often give examples of their favorite works in interviews. Look up one or two of your favorite writers, and try a few of their recommendations.

      2. Meet word count requirements

      Writing is craft, and craft requires time and effort. Carving out this time can be difficult. Unless you’re the incarnation of discipline, you’re going to have trouble hitting your word count goal every day.

      An MFA program will insist on that word count. It requires you to produce, and to produce at a fast pace, something that is necessary to learn your craft.

      This pace also helps you develop the ability to stop thinking of every sentence as precious, let go of your inner editor and move on — which can be harder than it seems. The less you’ve written, the more valuable each word becomes, and the more difficult it is to edit them. As you keep writing, you’ll realize that your ideas, no matter how poetic, aren’t perfect. Editing and writing become easier the more you do the work of hitting that word count goal.

      Of course, you can achieve daily writing goals without an MFA, but the process involves a great deal of discipline and focus. You have to push yourself to meet daily, weekly or monthly word counts. It’s hard to do this alone, which is where the final element comes into play.

      3. Find a group of supportive, committed people

      You need to foster a group of peers with whom you can discuss and trade writing. These should be people whose writing and opinions you respect, and who aren’t afraid to offer constructive criticism. If you find yourself in a group that only praises your writing, leave. It’s not going to help you at all.

      An MFA will give you this group gift-wrapped and ready to go. You start with a critique group on day one, writers vetted and approved by the same people who selected you. It’s likely that these relationships, both as friends and colleagues, will continue long after you’ve left the program.

      Again, a writing critique group is something you can create on your own, but it can be challenging. Writing is a solitary art, and many writers tend to be independent by nature. Finding a group means fostering professional relationships, and that can take time and effort.

      Look online for local groups, or attend local conventions and conferences in your genre. Go to signings and readings. Chances are you’ll find intelligent, like-minded people who can help you learn to write, and vice versa.

      Do you need an MFA?

      If you’re having trouble with these elements, or the discipline of writing itself, an MFA might be the right choice for you.

      Enrolling in a program also buys you dedicated time to write, which is often difficult to find when you’re working a full-time job. It’s also a socially acceptable time to write, which translates fairly seamlessly into a resume when you leave. It may not land you a job, but it’s an easy story to explain. A program also exposes you to research tools and professional pathways you might not otherwise be able to access.

      On the other hand, pursuing an MFA is a serious undertaking that requires a great deal of time and money. Now that you know what you’re looking for, you may be able to recreate the most important elements on your own. Then you can focus on the fun part: writing!

      If you’ve pursued an MFA, what elements most helped you evolve as a writer? If you’ve chosen not to enroll in a program, how have you developed your skills?

      This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

      This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

      Photo via LStockStudio / Shutterstock 

    • 25+ Productivity Apps That Help Freelancers Get Way More Done

      25+ Productivity Apps That Help Freelancers Get Way More Done

      When you’re a freelancer, you are every department of your business—sales, A/R, administration, IT. Not to mention, you know, the actual writing part.

      Your time is valuable, so spending time on unnecessary tasks (or doing necessary tasks in an inefficient manner) is not good for business, literally. Which is why we’ve compiled this list of apps that will help you cut back on wasted time, boost productivity and get on to the high-value work that really makes your business hum.

      So whatever your need, there is — as they say — an app for that. Here are some of our favorites. Different apps work best for different people, be sure to play around with whichever sound interesting! Some even offer a free trial so you can try them on for size.

      Time tracking

      Whether it’s keeping track of how long you’ve worked on a project or learning just how much time you’re wasting doing other things (so you can swiftly cut them out), these apps have your back.

      1. Klok

      Klok is a simple work timer at its core, but with a clever twist: it displays your work as it fills you day, as if you added in everything you actually did to Google Calendar afterwards. It can be connected to other popular productivity apps like FreshBooks and Basecamp, making it useful for team collaborations as well as solo writers. There is a limited free version, and paid licenses start at $19.99.

      2. RescueTime

      RescueTime is an invaluable (and frankly terrifying) tool, whether you’re a writer or not. It breaks down your screen time into categories and shows you exactly what percentage of those hours are spent productively, and which are spent on, you know, Netflix. RescueTime is a great way to get an overall sense of how you’re actually directing your energy, giving you both daily and weekly reports to keep you accountable. But like we said, you probably won’t always like what you see… so be prepared for that!

      3. Tick

      Tick is unique in that it allows you to access your time-tracking tools from any device, anywhere. (After all, not every aspect of your business takes place in front of your laptop. Sometimes, it’s a client meeting over coffee. Still counts!) After your 30-day free trial, you can opt into a membership starting at $19 per month. The tiers increase from there based on your desired number of projects.

      4. Toggl

      Toggl is a simple, but powerful, time-tracker, allowing you to break down your hours by project, client, and task to see exactly where they’re all going (and where they maybe should be going instead). The basic plan is — score! — free forever, but there are also paid tiers to explore, starting at an affordable $18 per year.

      Taking notes and organizing your thoughts

      Keep your brilliant gems at your fingertips and easily findable by letting these apps take the complexity out of capturing all those fleeting inspirations.

      5. Evernote

      Evernote, the self-described “best note taking app” on the market, may just be offering truth in advertising. It comes with a host of inventive features including the ability to turn voice memos into notes or to clip and tag interesting things you find on websites, as well as creating to-do lists and sharing with other users. Your notes will be accessible from any device, no matter the OS and no matter where you are. Premium and business versions are available, but the basic service is totally free, and still powerful.

      6. Google Keep

      Google Keep works similarly to Evernote, and comes installed stock on many Android and Google-based devices. You can use it as a mobile app to quickly capture those amazing one-liners, and then open the app on the desktop to more easily put them to use. It also offers a simple but powerful labeling system to help you keep your thoughts organized, as well as reminders and check-off-able lists for those times when you just need to remember to pick up some milk on the way home.

      7. MS OneNote

      MS OneNote allows you to take personal notes as well as to easily collaborate with others, and you aren’t just limited to typing out your thoughts. You can use a stylus or your finger to draw or annotate existing content, or include audio notes, online videos, and other kinds of media. OneNote comes as part of an Office 365 subscription, which starts at $69.99 per year and also includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and so many other classic Microsoft services.

      8. MindManager

      MindManager by Mindjet is perfect for those writers who quake at the very thought of creating outlines. Instead of staring down the scary blinking cursor, you’ll create a “mind map” — a non-linear, stream-of-consciousness diagram that might just help you see what you’re actually getting at. From there, it’s easy to sync the information with MS Word, or to pop it into an Outlook email. You don’t have to enter your credit card information to take part in the 30-day free trial, but a perpetual license will cost you between $99 and $349 depending on your operating system.

      9. Simplenote

      Simplenote is just that: simple. It’s a free service that allows you to take and sync notes on iOS, MacOS, Android, Windows and even Linux, and it even creates backups of past versions of notes you edit — which can help put writers at ease when it’s time to kill their darlings!

      Conquering your to-do lists

      Categorize, prioritize, sort and ultimately cross off your tasks with these apps.

      10. Get It Done

      Get It Done allows you to sync your to-do list between your mobile device and your web browser, which is perfect for when you remember something you meant to do the moment you close your laptop and head out the door. It also allows you to delegate tasks to team members and colleagues, as well as organizing related tasks into projects.

      11. HiTask

      HiTask is free for up to five users, and is a great simplistic to-do app — but the real power move is upgrading to the $5/month business tier, which allows you to sync your list in real time with Google Calendar or outlook. (It’ll also grant you unlimited storage.)

      12. MS To-Do

      MS To-Do is a great option for those who keep most of their work documents organized in MS Office. It’s easy to sync up with the other MS products you use on a daily basis, and it’s available to anyone with a Microsoft Account — which means you don’t even have to purchase a subscription to use it.

      13. Remember the Milk

      Remember the Milk is a to-do app that will work for your business must-do lists as well as personal ones. The basic service is free, but with the $39.99/year Pro level, you can break down individual tasks into subtasks. For instance, “write essay” might house, under its umbrella, “write outline,” “draft thesis,” “flesh out paragraphs,” etc, which may help make even overwhelming projects seem doable. (Which they totally are. You’ve got this!)

      14. Teuxdeux

      Teuxdeux describes itself as “simple” and “shiny,” so if you’re looking for a great-looking to do app that will help you, well, write to-do lists, this might be the one for you. (It can also help you set recurring tasks and custom lists, and you’ll be able to download your to-dos whenever you want to.) After your 30-day free trial, you’ll be upgraded to either the “skeptic” subscription ($3 per month) or become a “believer” ($24 per year).

      15. Todoist

      Todoist also starts out as a free service and functions similarly to the others in this list. But the $3/month Premium tier unlocks automatic reminders and customizable project templates, and there’s also a business level for company-wide team collaborations.

      16. Toodledo

      Toddledo is another free to-do list option that syncs across devices and makes it simple to share and export your to-do data. It’s available for both Apple and Android as well as being useable from a desktop browser.

      Managing team projects

      These apps help collaborate in a way that’s quick, intuitive and a lot easier than playing never-ending email tag.

      17. Asana

      Asana help you and your team not just get organized, but also stay on track. Its timeline feature makes it simple to see where projects stand at a glance, so you can more easily get ahead of those pesky deadlines. The basic tier is free, but to unlock the tool’s full potential, you’ll want to upgrade; subscriptions start at $9.99 per month per user, with a minimum charge of $11.99 monthly.

      18. Basecamp

      Basecamp is a whimsical team-managing tool, making it easy to break down projects by task, assign tasks to specific team members, and also to pow-wow around the digital campfire. Each assignment offers a functional discussion board, and it’s easy to ping other users. You can also add and organize related documents and necessary media, too! Pricing is a flat $99/month, no matter how big or small your team is, which may make it a little top-endish for freelancers — but if you’re working with a large client on a regular basis, they may enroll you in their existing Basecamp subscription free of charge!

      19. Flow

      Flow is a sleek, beautiful way to see all of your team’s projects in one place. It allows you to customize your workflow to suit your needs, including the ability to set priorities and track projects from start to finish. The basic tier starts at $5.95 per month per user, but the souped-up $11.95 version really unlocks the tool’s workflow-organization potential.

      20. Slack

      Slack is less about project management, per se, than it is about team communication, but it’s become such a darling of remote work teams that we had to include it on this list. It’s kind of like those old AOL chatrooms we all frequented in the late 90s, but with 21st-century additions like hashtags, integrated GIFs, and easily user pinging. Oh, and you’re supposed to be talking about work, not roleplaying wolves or whatever.

      21. Trello

      Trello is a flexible, user-friendly workboard that’s as handy for solo writers as it is for those working on a team. You can break down your potential (and actual) in almost any formulation you can imagine, and add tons of pertinent information under the task (i.e., has it been pitched yet? Drafted? If it has been pitched, who’s said no, and which outlet is next in line for the opportunity?) Best of all, Trello is totally free at its still-powerful basic level, and even if you upgrade, it starts at just $9.99 per user annually. 

      Concentrating, already!

      Sometimes that smartphone/tablet/computer that’s enabling us to do all these awesome things is also our worst enemy. So tap into the power of these concentration apps to block out distractions, improve your focus and get down to business.

      22. Focus

      Focus is a website and application blocker built specifically for MacOS, allowing you to set a specific amount of time — like 25 minutes — in which your browser won’t allow you to navigate to distracting sites like Facebook or Reddit. It has one-click implementation, making it easy to make the decision to do what you need to do. After your free trial, choose from three paid tiers, starting at a one-time purchase price of just $19.

      23. Focus Booster

      Focus Booster is sort of a combination app, working as both a time tracker and a distraction eliminator. It utilizes the pomodoro technique, a scientifically-backed approach to productivity cycles, to help break down your workday into digestible chunks (and help you see where the time actually did go, whatever your intentions.) Focus Booster starts at $2.99 per month or $32.98 per year at the individual tier, but a professional subscription is also available

      24. Freedom

      Freedom aims to give you the — you guessed it — freedom from the internet’s ever-present distractions to help you get down to business and do the work you need to do. It’s usable across devices and operating systems, and after your 30-day free trial, you can subscribe for as little as $2.42 per month.

      25. StayFocused

      StayFocused is a Chrome extension that allows you to block those websites you just can’t seem to help yourself from clicking back over to, when you should be staying firmly in your draft. For best results, head straight for “The Nuclear Option,” which allows you to block ALL websites except for the ones you allow (i.e., Google Docs only) for a set number of hours. Best of all, it’s free!

      26. Time Out

      Time Out helps you hack your productive hours by forcing you to take automatic, customizable breaks. At regular intervals, your screen will dim and you’ll be prompted to take a moment or ten to get up, stretch, or do anything but keep poking around the internet. There’s also an optional app usage tracker to help hold you accountable if you need a little bit of extra motivation!

      27. WriteRoom

      WriteRoom offers MacOS users a full-screen writing environment, which makes it marginally less easy to distract yourself with one of the internet’s many charms. It’s basically like a stripped-down word processor, making you focus on the stuff that actually matters: your writing.

      There are plenty of other amazing productivity apps on the market, as well as behavioral techniques to help you get your rear in gear even when you don’t feel like it.

      So, Write Life readers: what’s your favorite app for getting a lot done?

      This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

      The original version of this story was written by Kelly Gurnett. We updated the post so it’s more useful for our readers.

    • How to Become a Better Writer: Do This (And Only This, Seriously) For 1 Hour

      How to Become a Better Writer: Do This (And Only This, Seriously) For 1 Hour

      Settle in for a writing hour!

      You know what this is, right? An hour for writing, and nothing else.

      Make the clay, you’ll shape it later! But, due to the perverse nature of our writerly souls, you may want to weenie out of straight-up writing during your self-timed Hour of Writing.

      Well, don’t.

      Here’s a list of things you can’t do during your writing hour.

      You can’t:

      1. Stop to Google the correct last name of someone you want to write about. You WILL click on other things. It may last an hour, it may last four hours. You cannot, therefore, Google a name. Just say “Andy” and move on.

      2. Look to see what made that ding sound on your computer, even when you’ve just done something petty on Facebook and it could be a response. That can wait, like a present you can unwrap later.

      3. Stop writing to research. Not for what you’re writing, and not to research the girl you just saw your ex put a photo up of. Even if your research is totally legitimate, in either case, it most definitely, now and forever, written in stone, does not count as writing. You must write.

      Research is not writing: it does work toward writing, but you know you’ve set this hour for a reason, and it’s to build the clay that research will help shape. But research alone will be nothing without this clay. SO go build it. It’s made of words and focus and time. This time that you set aside.

      4. Make a snack. It’s an hour for crying out loud. Eat before or after. This snack need is just your inner child who can sit in a corner and cry about it for all you like, but you’re not having a snack right now.

      5. Pinterest. Nope. No. Not even Pinterest for Writers! Do not pass go and definitely don’t even think about collecting an even $50 freelancer’s paycheck. The very name/word Pinterest should not be even thought while in your writing hour. Stay far away from this magical and enchanting timesuck while writing.

      6. Clean/organize/pluck a hair: I mean really. This should go without saying. Be a writer with a messy room and a poky hair coming out of your face right now. Because that, after all, is who you are.

      7. Stop to pitch this amazing thing you’re writing, RIGHT NOW. I mean come on. Again, this time is for writing. Pitching is a part of writing– but not this part. Plus, thinking about pitching something, as you’re writing it, will change the pitch (sorry, couldn’t resist that) of your writing. Subconsciously, your unique tone will morph into the tone you think the editors have in mind. So just keep writing and keep your mind outta the obviously forthcoming tidal wave of fame and money for one hour. Just one hour.

      8. Go through and edit. You may start your writing hour that way, overlooking the three pages you’ve written before that you’re now starting in on again, and it can be a good way to get into the piece. But better to write like the wind, like no one’s watching, like no one’s editing, or ever will edit, or even read. Writing hour is for writing, making stuff to edit. When you are satisfied you’ve done a good chunk, maybe then you can edit.

      But it’s like this: when you leave the house without expectation, you look great, you look you, and it wasn’t hard, right? Yet when going to some meeting or event where you’re trying to present yourself a certain way or even just Look Nice, it’s so much harder and you (I do, anyway) inevitably end up looking less panache-full, less easily stylish, less You. The best writing is from that same easy You-ness. Yes, with editing. But let the ease come out first.

      Oh, and while we’re at it, here are just a few things you can do during your precious hour of writing.

      You can:

      1. Start a new blank document to write about something else you’ve just thought about.

      2. Stop to put on slippers because your feet are cold. Totally acceptable.

      3. Stop to say one sentence to your housemate, but then give them a look after you’re done, to make them stop saying their sentence in return, because, like you told them earlier, you are just going to write for one hour straight and you can’t waste time talking.

      And, woo! My timer has gone off and I’ve completed this and done work on two other pieces!

      Time to go pitch this, and edit. All the writing I’ve done during this hour looks and reads like it was patched together and written by someone on their fifth day of train travel, with ADHD, on drugs. Which may be 100 percent accurate at times.

      But at least I wrote: getting it down is the first part of all the work, the rest of which cannot be done with that first step. So get it down, regularly, even with misspellings, lack of total focus, and insanely circular logic. Just get it done– and then edit it, talk to your housemate, look up the right spelling of last names, get a snack, and then go be petty with glee on facebook.

      We can do our life’s work for an hour. And the same tomorrow.

    • Forget Your Endless To-Do List: Try Time Blocking Instead

      Forget Your Endless To-Do List: Try Time Blocking Instead

      Are you the kind of writer who’s always worried about meeting deadlines?

      Do you begin every day with a to-do list and end it with only half of the items done? Do you get stuck working late, staying up all night with a draft or sending apology notes to editors?

      At least half of being a successful freelance writer is time management.

      When you work in a career that pays by the project instead of by the hour, it’s to your advantage to maximize those hours and complete as much work as you can. It’s also good to get in the habit of meeting your deadlines, avoiding all-nighters and maintaining a work-life balance — especially if you plan on freelancing for the long haul.

      I’ve definitely done my share of working late, worrying about deadlines and writing overly ambitious to-do lists.

      But as I became a more experienced freelancer, I started learning how to time-block my freelance work: that is, to know not only what I’m going to do, but when I’m going to do it and how long it will take me.

      Time blocking is a strategy often attributed to professor and author Cal Newport, although similar elements show up in productivity systems like Bullet Journaling or Getting Things Done. I started time blocking without really knowing what it was called, but it changed the way I scheduled and completed my freelance work — and it definitely helped me earn more money.

      How long does it take to write 1,000 words?

      I have 90 minutes in which to write this piece. I think it will take me closer to 60 minutes, but I added a 30-minute buffer just in case.

      I can’t go longer than 90 minutes, because I have an interview scheduled with a source that will take between 45 and 60 minutes, and after that I need to prep and send some invoices and do one more email pass, and then it’s the end of my workday.

      That’s how time blocking works.

      I’ve known since the beginning of April that I would write this piece on either Monday, April 24 or Tuesday, April 25, so I could make sure to have it done before its deadline of Wednesday, April 26.

      I’ve known since last week that I would write it on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 25. Today, I looked at my to-do list and decided that I would give myself between 1:30 and 3:00 p.m. to get it done.

      How do I know that it’ll take me between 60 and 90 minutes to write this 1,000-word post?

      Because I’ve been writing these kinds of posts for years now. I know that, once my research and outlines are assembled, I can write roughly 500–600 words in 30 minutes. Writing twice as many words should take about an hour, but longer pieces also require a bit more structure, which means I might need a little more than an hour to get everything done.

      If you’re new to freelancing, you might not yet know how long it takes you to write 500 words. You might not know how much prep work is required before you can sit down and write a piece like this, or interview a source, or draft a pitch, or send an invoice.

      I have the advantage of experience here — but no matter where you are in your freelance career, you can start figuring out how much time your work actually takes to complete.

      The three elements of time-blocking

      My to-do list is currently scheduled through the end of May — which means I have a spreadsheet that lists every item I need to complete in May, on the day I plan to complete it. (As a reminder: I’m writing this post on April 25.) As the work gets closer, I’ll start planning the time at which each task will get completed as well.

      Some people time block by literally setting appointments on their calendar. I used to write time and duration notes next to every item on my to-do list (“The Write Life: 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.”) but by this point I can do a lot of my time blocking in my head because I know my typical daily routine. I check email from 9 a.m. to 9:20 a.m., I write two short pieces for The Billfold between 9:20 a.m. and 11 a.m., and so on.

      I know that I need to schedule easy-to-complete administrative tasks, like sending invoices, between labor-intensive tasks like writing, researching and interviewing. This gives my brain a much-needed break and still allows me to get things done.

      Time-blocking also helps me know how much work I can take on, which helps me maximize my income. Work expands to fill the time allowed, as the saying goes — and if you’re a freelancer it’s really easy to let that work expand to the point that it prevents you from taking on more income-producing gigs.

      Right now I’m working on a large, heavily researched project that will come due on May 15. If I didn’t time-block that project into daily segments lasting between one and two hours, I could easily tell myself that my schedule was full; that I didn’t have time to write this article for The Write Life or to pitch a new client.

      That’s a money-losing move on my part.

      But back to that big project for a minute. When I divide the project into individual time-blocked segments, I don’t label those segments “work on big project.” I write “research and draft questions to ask sources” or “write introduction and methodology section.”

      Time-blocking only works when you combine three key elements: what you need to do, when you’re going to do it, and how long you have to get it done.

      Rescheduling and time-swapping

      Time blocking is not a perfect system.

      Maybe a source asks to reschedule the interview, maybe an editor asks for some extra revisions or maybe you start coming down with a cold. Maybe you sit in front of your laptop and realize you don’t know what you want to write yet, or maybe you write an entire piece based on your carefully-planned outline and then decide to throw it out and start over.

      So yeah, life happens. Just because I plan to write a specific piece between 1:30 and 3 on Tuesday afternoon doesn’t mean that something won’t happen on Tuesday morning to throw everything else off schedule.

      But the great thing about time-blocking is that you can look at your to-do list and your calendar and say “Okay, I didn’t get this done. Where else will it fit?”

      Let’s say something came up and I wasn’t able to write this piece today. My deadline is actually tomorrow, which means I have a full day in which to solve this problem. If I need 60–90 minutes to get this done, I could either work late this evening, reschedule some of the administrative work I had planned to complete tomorrow or push back the piece I had scheduled to write tomorrow afternoon.

      I could also do a time swap: if my 90 minutes got cut down to 30 minutes, for example, I could look ahead on my to-do list, find a 30-minute task that I had planned to complete tomorrow, and get it done right now.

      Then I’d have 30 minutes free for tomorrow, and if I also planned to work 30 minutes late tomorrow, I’d get my 60 minutes back and complete my piece by the deadline.

      So that’s how time-blocking works.

      Yes, it takes time to time block, so you’ll want to schedule that work into your calendar. (I set aside 60–90 minutes at the end of each month to plan the next one.) But if you can master the art of knowing how long it takes to complete something, you can start planning your freelance day to hit your deadlines, clear your to-do lists, and maximize both your time and your income.

      Are you going to try time-blocking? If you’ve tried it before — or if you’re a veteran time-blocker — what tips and advice do you have?

    • Determined to Meet Your Writing Goals? Set Up a Production Schedule

      Determined to Meet Your Writing Goals? Set Up a Production Schedule

      The following is an excerpt from Shut Up and Write: The No-Nonsense, No B.S. Guide to Getting Words on the Page, available February 18. Mridu is giving away three free copies of her new book! Comment on this post for your chance to win — after two weeks, we’ll randomly choose a winner to receive a copy. Update: Congratulations to Katherine K., Robyn C. and Jay L.! 

      Here’s a truth that changed my life: Those 30 unfinished projects I have lying on the backburner? I’m not going to be able to finish them all this year.

      Shocking, I know. But if you’re anything like me, you secretly hope you’re going to make tiny bits of progress on each of them and then, magically, they’ll get finished in one go. It doesn’t work like that. Ever.

      Even if you’re prolific writer with no life (guilty— I wrote 240,000 words in the last six months in personal projects alone), you’re still only going to be able to tackle between two and 10 projects a year. There are people who write a book a year and others, like novelist Dean Wesley Smith, who can write a novel a month.

      You decide where you fall on this productivity scale.

      Even if you were superhuman like Smith and wrote a quality novel a month, that still means that you have to pick 10 ideas from your long list (I’m hoping you will take a few weeks off here and there to recharge your batteries).

      Which brings us to the difficult task of picking projects that are the most important, the most beneficial to our careers, or the most potentially profitable. Then we must run with them.

      At the beginning of this year, I undertook the maddening exercise of selecting ideas. It drove me nuts. Of all the dozens of ideas I wanted to be working on, how on earth was I going to pick six or fewer? This is where the whole “being realistic” thing comes into play. Sure, you could pretend you’re going to write two novels and three nonfiction books in a year while blogging three times a week and bringing in freelancing work to pay the bills. All on top of raising your three children.

      But deep inside, you know the truth. It’s not going to happen. Aren’t you better off picking a project and sticking with it? Isn’t it better to finish it, send it out into the world and hopefully make money with it? Or perhaps you learn from your mistakes and move on to the next. Isn’t that a saner way to do things?

      I have a gazillion ideas that beg for my attention every single day. When that happens, I throw them into an idea file. I have projects selected for the year and I will focus on them. Next year, I will make another list, pick again, and every idea will get its chance.

      Once you’re done with the step involving picking your projects for the year, you should think about how long each will take. Do you need a whole year to finish your novel, or can you get it done sooner? Perhaps it will take even longer. How are you to know?

      One of the best ways I know to estimate how long a project will take is this:

      1. Figure out how many new words you can write in an hour. We’re talking new words and not rewriting. For me and most writers I know, this number is around 1,000.
      1.  Think about how many hours a week you have available that you can devote to writing new words. Again, we’re talking first draft, new words only. If you need to revise work, set a different time in your week to do that. You don’t want to mix the writing part of your brain with the revising part, because that’s what leads to five-year novels. Trust me, I know. Let’s say that this number is five hours. That is, you can devote one hour a day to writing new words while taking weekends off. This means you can write a minimum of 5,000 new words a week.
      1. What’s going to be the total length of this work? Sometimes this is hard to predict. Almost always, however, you’ll have a rough idea. If you’re writing a nonfiction book such as this one, you know it’s more likely to be in the 30,000-word range rather than the 100,000-word range. Similarly, mainstream fiction will be 80,000 words and romance novels will run a lot lower. Based on the scope and market of your project, how many words do you think your project is likely to run? For the purpose of this discussion, let’s say that number is 60,000.
      1. Let’s do some math now, shall we? If your manuscript is 60,000 words and you’re writing at a pace of 5,000 words a week, you can easily deduce that if you work diligently, show up at the page each day, and write your 5,000 words for the week regularly, you will have a completed first draft in 12 weeks, or three months. If all your manuscripts are similar in length, you could easily finish four manuscripts by the end of the year, working only an hour a day. Not bad.
      1. Finally, pick a daily target and put aside everything else and focus on hitting that day after day, consistently. This target could be project-based, such as “one short story a week,” or process-based, such as “1,000 words a day.” It could even be time-oriented, such as “one hour a day.” Choose what works for you, but make sure it helps you feel positive and optimistic about coming to work every day. By focusing on the daily target and not the project as a whole, you make progress every day. Before you know it, you’re typing the words “The End.”

      This is why production schedules help. They allow you to see, in black and white, how staying on track can get you to your goals. When you’re feeling unmotivated and discouraged, look at your production schedule and see the date on the calendar for when you’ll be finished, if you stay on track.

      Once you know what your deadlines look like for each project that you’ve picked out for the year, mark those big deadlines in your calendar. Break those big deadlines into smaller chunks if you can.

      For instance, with this book, my goal was to write a chapter a day, regardless of the word count. Some days I wrote much more than that, but one chapter was my bare minimum. That was my daily deadline. If you’re working on a larger project, such as a novel, you could have deadlines for the 10,000-word mark, the halfway mark, and so on. Mark each of those milestones on your calendar so that you know how on- or off-track you are as you move through the work.

      If data and spreadsheets inspire you, as they do me, create some of those as well. Personally, I have a notebook that I use in which I’ve written down dates and word counts like this:

      November 1 (Sunday): 1,000 words

      November 2 (Monday): 1,000 words

      November 3 (Tuesday): 1,000 words

      Then, I cross out the word counts as I move forward. Sometimes, I’ll work ahead. When that happens, I allow myself the flexibility of taking time off or giving myself leeway for when, undoubtedly, life gets in the way in the form of a sick child, a fried brain or a car breakdown.

      Moreover, if you’re a freelancer or work in an industry that already drowns you in deadlines, you need to juggle so you don’t end up with four work deadlines and a novel deadline in the same week. The week you’re traveling abroad for work is not the week to schedule the start of a new book project. Having a production calendar helps you keep daily word counts in sync with the rest of your life.

      No matter how you eventually publish your work, you’ll have to create room in your day for dealing with pesky publication issues as well: Edits, back cover copy, design, blogging, promotion, events and so on. While you may be able to continue your writing during those times — and you should! — sometimes it’s impossible to fit everything into a single day. Allowing for that helps keep self-loathing at bay.  

      My favorite reason for having a production schedule is that it keeps me from getting hung up on or too attached to one single book or project. The day after I finished my first novel — a feat that took five full years — I began work on this book.

      It was bad enough that my first one had taken that long, but I didn’t want to spend the next three months obsessing about agents, publishers, and advances. While those things were important and got their time, I also wanted to move on to newer work so my self-esteem and career goals weren’t tied up in a single book.

      This is fairly common among writers, as you might already have noticed. They’ll finish writing a book and then spend weeks, months, or years trying to get it published while writing nothing else in the meantime. A production schedule or calendar allows you to have more work in the pipeline so that there’s something else to focus on when you’re finished with the current project.

      Let me add, right away, that to the creative writer, “production schedule” seems like a very business-like, no-nonsense term that grates like fingernails on a chalkboard. Calling a book a “product” is like someone calling an article “content.” I don’t like it.

      Yet, I’m a firm believer in looking at your work as art when you’re in the process of creation and a business when you’re looking at it from a career standpoint. In that sense, think of yourself as a publisher who has books to ship. By doing so, you have the best of both worlds: The creativity that comes from the art, and the money, sales and motivation that comes from a business.

      Just because it’s numbers doesn’t mean it has to be dry. Find beautiful and artistic calendars for your walls that you can color in when you meet your goal for the day. Or, if you’re like me and you enjoy crossing things out, buy a moleskine and cross out word targets as you go along. The more fun and entertaining you make it, the more likely you are to stick with it. Just remember to make it simple and not overly complicated.

      Now you have a road map, a production schedule for a year, six months, or however long you’ve planned ahead. A road map can tell you exactly what to work on and what lies ahead. It shows you that if you commit to the work every single day, you will have a finished project in your hands — or three — by the end of the year.

      All you have to do is show up.

      Have you used a production schedule? How did it help you meet your writing goals?