{"id":8854,"date":"2016-08-23T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=8854"},"modified":"2016-08-22T09:53:37","modified_gmt":"2016-08-22T14:53:37","slug":"seasoned-writers-strategies-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=8854","title":{"rendered":"Best Demonstrated Practices: Seasoned Writers Share Their Strategies for Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, I wrote an article for a corporate newsletter that focused on BDPs, or best demonstrated practices, for sales professionals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several seasoned veterans in the field shared their most successful strategies for sealing the deal. Trial and error was key, as it turned out. Sometimes they\u2019d try one tactic, only to realize that it wasn\u2019t working very well, so they\u2019d tinker with it or even switch to something else. When that second effort worked better, they adopted it. And they shared their proven strategies with others in their corporations \u2014 spreading the wealth, in effect.<\/span><\/p>\n

As writers and editors, most of us who have been doing this for a while have also developed some strategies that help us get the job done. We might use the corporate-speak phrase \u201cbest demonstrated practices,\u201d but the concept is essentially the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

The strategies below \u2014 BDPs \u2014 help these writers succeed, and they might help you, too. <\/span>And who doesn\u2019t want to succeed at what you love doing?<\/b><\/p>\n

Get up from your desk to do your thinking<\/span><\/h2>\n

Staring at your computer monitor, with that tyrant of a blinking cursor, can be the death of great ideas. So it\u2019s time to step away from the screen, folks. <\/span>Often, getting a <\/b>change of scenery<\/b><\/a> is a great way to get your ideas flowing.<\/b><\/p>\n

And you might not even have go that far away.<\/span><\/p>\n

GiGi Rose<\/span>, a writer based in Nashville, Tennessee, calls herself a <\/span>shower thinker<\/b>. \u201cA shower helps get my ideas moving. No pressure to write, just to think,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Food writer and<\/span> blogger Susan Williams<\/span><\/a> is a shower thinker, too. \u201cI always thought that was a bit odd, but it seems to be where ideas come best,\u201d says Williams. \u201cIt’s like everything that’s a few layers deep rises to the surface there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Make technology your friend<\/span><\/h2>\n

Email can be a godsend. It can also pile up in your inbox and taunt you. (Just me? Nah, I didn\u2019t think so.) Fortunately, you can make technology work <\/span>for<\/span><\/i> you, rather than against you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Liza Graves, co-founder of the website<\/span> Style Blueprint<\/span><\/a>, found help for dealing with mountains of email in an email management program called <\/span>SaneBox<\/span><\/a>. The program pulls emails that don\u2019t seem urgent or perhaps as relevant into a separate folder dubbed the @SaneLater folder. The emails that get shunted into the @SaneLater folder get summarized in a daily email digest that arrives each afternoon, so users can check to see if they missed anything.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not 100 percent, but it helps,\u201d says Graves, adding that she likes not having lots of folders to check.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jennifer Dunn, writer and chief of content for<\/span> TaxJar<\/span><\/a>, is a big fan of the web-based project management program <\/span>Trello<\/span><\/a>. Trello enables users to create boards full of lists and tasks, then customize the due dates, make checklists and upload relevant files, among other features. The program also sends notifications to users so they don\u2019t miss anything.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dunn estimates that she\u2019s been using the program for about two years \u2014 ever since her company strongly encouraged her to give it a try. \u201cI got thrown in feet first and fell in love,\u201d she says. \u201cI use it for everything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Other useful apps and programs that many writers have turned for help in using technology to help them manage their work include Remember the Milk (Me! What did I ever do before I found this app?), insight.ly and <\/span>Freshbooks<\/span><\/a>, which many freelancers swear by for invoicing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Give yourself a break<\/span><\/h2>\n

There should be no guilt in taking a break, whether it\u2019s for an hour-long exercise class at the gym or for an entire day of the week. The truth is, all work and no rest can <\/span>burn out a writer<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

You might even discover some new ideas that bubble to the surface when you\u2019re not trying so hard.<\/span><\/p>\n

When she was working as a \u201csolopreneur,\u201d JoAnn Takasaki, a writer in Houston, Texas, realized that she was working all the time, including nights and weekends, and <\/span>decided to take action<\/b>. \u201cI put aside Wednesday for my personal day,\u201d she says. That\u2019s the day when she could head to the grocery store at 10 a.m. if she felt like it, or tackle other personal tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marketing professional <\/span>Phyllis Nichols<\/span><\/a> is a big fan of taking a walk. \u201cNothing helps me focus better,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t listen to music. Sometimes, a podcast, but usually (just) quiet. My brain always gives me some great ideas when I introduce some quiet time and let it help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Rose also believes in the value of taking a break and often seeks out her favorite spot in her house, bringing along her coffee mug. \u201cI believe in making yourself a sanctuary,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I either talk to myself out loud or read what I have written out loud. My little quirks keep me focused and centered. And they help me enjoy what I am doing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

You might also experiment with taking short breaks during your workday.<\/b> A method called the<\/span> Pomodoro Technique<\/span><\/a> is helpful for writer and editor Rebecca Schiller. The technique calls for 25-minute writing sessions, with short breaks in between. \u201cI make mine longer and take a 15 minute break,\u201d she says. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What works for you?<\/span><\/h2>\n

You might be able to adapt one of these best demonstrated practices to your own writing business. Or maybe you have developed a surefire winning strategy of our own, maybe a way that <\/span>you strategically schedule your day<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>manage your income and expenses<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Please share your best BDPs with us!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cBest demonstrated practices\u201d aren\u2019t just for sales execs. Read on for success tips from pro writers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":235,"featured_media":8865,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4],"tags":[811,809,812,810],"class_list":["post-8854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-craft","category-freelancing","tag-productivity-tips","tag-strategies-for-success","tag-success-strategies","tag-success-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/235"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}