Systems that Help Me to be a Super Prolific Writer by Shaunta Grimes

The one question I’m asked more than any other isn’t about any technical aspect of writing. It’s not about where I get my ideas or how I got published. No, the one question I’m asked the most is ‘how do you get so much done.’

To be honest, it’s kind of embarrassing.

The answer to that question is this: I’m an extremely disorganized person who is prone to never finishing anything. (Ever.) So, over the years, I’ve developed a series of systems and hacks that help me to do the things I want to do.

And as a result, I tend to get enough done that people comment on it. A lot. 

I’ll give you an example. Since November, I’ve:

• Written seven short stories, a novel, and half of another novel.

• Edited a third novel.

• Written more than 50 blog posts.

• Taught six two-hour classes a week in October, November, January, and February.

• Ran three two-hour workshops every week.

• Held more than 100 half-hour one-on-one coaching calls with my students in December.

• Managed a team of seven as we worked to keep Ninja Writers up and running.

Whew, right? Even to me that doesn’t sound like someone who struggles with disorganization or not finishing things. And, I suppose, it’s not. Anymore. But it took me a long time to get there.

I have a few tools or systems that changed my life. I’d love to share two of them with you today. Before I do though, I want to point out one more thing. My systems haven’t just set me up for doing a metric ton of work.

They’ve allowed me to figure out a way to do a ton of the exact kind of work I want to do. I get to spend all day running an amazing writing community, teaching super-talented writers, and writing my own books. Plus, I work with an incredible team.

Sometimes, it’s hard to believe this is my life.

A Tiny Goal, Pointed in One Direction

A long time ago, I realized that I wasn’t getting anything done in my pursuit to do big, big things. If I couldn’t write 2000 words or in hours-long blocks of time, I didn’t write at all. That wasn’t working for me. 

And often, when I did write, it was on one of multiple projects.

As a result, I had no consistency. And even though I was writing, because I moved around from project to project, I almost never actually finished anything. 

My solution was to make a goal so tiny that it would be harder to skip it than just do it. That goal was to write for ten minutes a day. Just ten. Period. If I wrote for ten minutes, I won. But those ten minutes had to be on the same project until that project was finished.

I developed a ridiculously simple little tool that we call FRED in Ninja Writers. (The Folder for Reaching the End of your Draft.) It’s just a calendar and a log. I get a star when I hit my little bitty goal. And I keep a record of my work. 

It’s like magic. Honestly.

You can download your own FRED for free here.

Obviously, I write for more than ten minutes a day. But my tiny goal and FRED make sure that I write something every single day. Some days I can write a lot more. Others, I can’t. That’s okay. The magic is in steady progress.

A Planning System that Works With my Brain

My planning system has evolved over time. And to be honest, it’s still shifting. 

One of the most important planning systems I put into place was keeping a single notebook, rather than just picking up any old pad of paper when I wanted to write things down. My everyday notebook is my second brain. Everything goes in there.

I also keep several planners. 

One is a day-over-two-pages book where I note all my Ninja Writers appointments and everything else that’s scheduled. 

One is a notebook that’s far more free-flowing and artistic--I keep a daily to-do list in it. Because it’s creative and fun, I love to work in it, which keeps me on task with everything else.

One is a monthly calendar I use for future planning.

And lastly, I have a small planner in my wallet that goes with me everywhere.

Here’s a video of me setting up my planners for a week.

I’m aware of how ridiculous my planning system might seem to someone who doesn’t live in my brain. But look back at that list of all the things I’ve done in the last four months. It works--for me.

As my planning system evolved, I realized things about myself. I don’t do well with digital calendars or planners. Analog works for me.

I need to write something down to remember it. I need to see my entire month in one glance, but I also need to be able to plan out each individual day. A weekly planner doesn’t work well for me.

I can switch gears between one project and another pretty easily, so time-blocking works for me. 

I’m motivated by simple rewards. That means a sticker on my calendar and an unbroken streak are enough to keep me making a little progress every day. Carrots work for me, sticks not so much.

If something makes me happy, I’ll keep coming back to use it. My more artistic daily notebook and my everyday notebook make me happy, so I use them every single day. I’ve set up Asana and Google Calendars and Trello so many times, and then never looked at them again.

Bottom line is, finding the systems that work for you and with the way your brain works is important if you’re working to improve productivity and efficiency as a writer.

Manifesto

Writing is a rollercoaster affair of highs and lows.

Quite often, the deep insecurities threaten to overpower us and we struggle with many challenges such as: staying focused, the ever-changing market/industry, negative book reviews, the sense of isolation, building an online writer’s platform, writer’s block, rejection after rejection, to name a few. But insecurity is part of the human experience. During these moments of doubt and fear, you need a lifeline...  a manifesto will give you direction and boost your spirits. It should be displayed in a prominent spot, where you can see it everyday!

What is a manifesto?

Wiki How states: “a manifesto is a statement of your intentions, which can consist of only a few words or many pages of text. Its scope may be limited to a particular role or period of your life, or include your goals and aspirations for your entire life. Many people find it useful to compose a manifesto, believing that such a document will help guide them in making decisions and keep them focused on their goals.”
Here is an example of a writer’s manifesto, taken from K.M. Weiland’s blog, Helping Writer’s Become Authors.

                                                             

                                             

Have you written a manifesto? Where is it displayed?

4 Reasons to Celebrate Your Writing Milestones

Writing is a long journey. We can’t simply wake up one morning, say, “I’m going to write a book today,” and it’s done. It takes time to craft, develop an idea, research, plot, write the first draft, rewrite, revise and edit. The journey isn’t done once the book is complete. Those cover blurbs, queries, and synopses need to be written. And still the journey isn’t done once the book is out in the public. There’s the marketing, more marketing, and still more marketing … and then there is the next book.

Because of everything that needs to be done, the book can seem like a golden egg at the end of an arduous quest through rocky terrain, past fire-breathing dragons, across seas of flesh-melting lava. Okay, so perhaps not that bad, but you get the picture I’m painting here. The sheer magnitude of what we want to achieve can become daunting. We need to break the journey into manageable sections, the end of each with its own little treasure waiting for us. And that treasure is the celebrations. Here’s why:

Celebrations give writers:

1. A sense of achievement. By celebrating our milestones, no matter how small those achievements might be, we turn our focus from what we haven’t yet done, to what we have. We can look forward with a sense of satisfaction, which in turn builds our confidence to keep working toward that golden end goal of publication.

2. A reminder of the love of writing. Celebrations build the passion we have for not only the end product, but the little joys along the way. It’s easy to get caught up in the doubts and questions and hard work. As a consequence, we might begin to drag our feet. To regain our skip, and recall why we love writing so much, we need to step back and celebrate.

3. A ticket back to reality. Often when I write, I throw myself into my story world and get caught up with the characters. It’s good to step away and reconnect with the human race. Celebration is an easy way of doing this. It coaxes us from our self-made writing caves and invites others in.

4. A needed break. Celebrations provide a necessary break and enable us to dive into the next part of the process better equipped. If we keep working without taking a moment to step back, then we’ll lose that special something in the story.

So the next time you complete an outline, polish a chapter, or query an agent, celebrate. You’ve come a long way. You’ve taken an amazing step. You are a writer.

What are some ways you like to celebrate? What have you most recently celebrated?

Don’t forget this Wednesday is IWSG day where we all post about our writing insecurities. If you haven’t already joined our group and would like to take part in our encouraging community, then you can sign up HERE.



Lynda R. Young found success as a digital artist and an animator for many years, and now as a writer of speculative short stories. Her work is published in a number of anthologies and online. She is currently writing novels for young adults. In her spare time she also dabbles in photography and all things creative.
You can find her here: Blog, Twitter, Facebook