I just went through the most productive 5 days of my entire writing career. Starting very early Thursday morning and ending Tuesday afternoon, I completed some 10 chapters, consisting of about 43 double-spaced pages, and finished the third book of the current trilogy. This was part of a surge going back several weeks, and it meant 20 chapters in just under a month. That’s half a book. Which would normally take me between three and six months (depending on the book) to complete. Moreover, these chapters were good. In the past, higher productivity tended to mean lower quality as I found myself just listing events like it was non-fiction rather than a creative and stirring narrative. So, how’d I do it?
Full disclosure: I retired last year. Yes, that made significantly more time available for writing, but in the past, additional free time had not produced this type of productivity, whether from weekends, holidays, or week-long vacations. Little surges, yes, but nothing like 10 chapters in 5 days.
Let me also say this post is not about expected productivity of creative writers or a comparison to how fast Hemingway wrote or Poe or Stephen King or James Patterson for that matter. This is personal best stuff, trying to identify what things changed to enable me to be that productive and, hopefully, determine if it were just a quirk or a potential I could unlock for future projects. So, here are some thoughts on what may have contributed to this record pace of composition.
Writing as an Escape. A key point for me during these productive weeks was trying to avoid remodeling our little bedroom. Ripping out heavy shelving and patching the resulting holes, helping hang wallpaper, putting up chair-rail, and endless painting (and clean-up) were all something I was eager to avoid. But this was the top project around the house that would brook none of the usual dodges and excuses. So I took refuge in writing, the one activity that took precedence over everything else. And I say if self-delusion can put your butt in the chair of the writing desk, then grab for all the deception you can get.
Preparing the Pieces. In previous blogs, I described how I don’t always write in chronological order. Rather than writing what happens next in the story, I often jump ahead to write the scenes that are clear in my head, the juicy parts where I have clear vision and feel an emotional urge. The hot topic of the day. These can be as little as a few lines or an entire chapter, and this has often proven to be a powerful tool, using the energy of that vision to get me typing away with a smile on my face. The only real danger is poor organization where these mini-masterpieces get lost amongst the clutter of not-so-inspired tripe that I didn’t have the heart or wisdom to delete. Then these pieces are just waiting to get incorporated in the story as the normal timeline advances, and they are a huge reason for the sudden rush to completion.
Playing the Schedule. I do my best creative writing in the morning, particularly when I first wake up. So, when I find myself stirring at 1 AM after only four hours of slumber, I don’t try the near-impossible task of turning over and trying to get back to sleep. Instead, I pull on some comfy clothes, head downstairs, get a cup of coffee, and use my morning surge to attack the computer. An hour or two of this, and I’m healthily tired and ready for more sleep, so I go back to bed for a couple more hours. And then, when I awaken from this second extended nap, I find I’m ready to tackle the story anew. Two morning starts instead of one.
Writing, of course, does not stop when morning inspirations wane. While the creative muse might withdraw as the day advances, that doesn’t mean you retreat from the keyboard. No, after lunch (or sometimes breakfast) you need to begin the mundane tasks of writing: editing, rewriting, correspondence, or writing things like this for the blog which keeps my marketing manager (the long-suffering Barbara JoAnne) happy. And oddly, an uptick in my creative productivity seemed to result in a small surge in the support stuff as well. Not sure why. Maybe momentum or enthusiasm or just enjoying the sound of my own (written) voice.
Consistency. Finally, after some careful review, I’ve come to recognize that another powerful factor in my recent productivity was writing itself. Nothing succeeds like success runs the old adage, and similarly, nothing gets writing done like writing. Writing constantly and consistently means you don’t lose the “voice”, you keep better control of the characters, the plot nuances are right in front of you, and it all just flows a little better. Let time and mundane events knock you off stride, and you’ll stumble a little when you try to get back to it. And such stumbles can even leave small breaks in your narrative, things you can feel more than see but which are there nevertheless.
Well, there are my thoughts to try to explain a phenomenally productive period without resorting to bio-rhythms or the state of the moon. I’ve expressed my concerns to Barbara about slowing down as I approach my 71st birthday – I don’t know a lot of septuagenarian authors still working out there – but she has consistently assured me she is seeing no drop off in my efforts at any level. I guess completing half a book in about four weeks is some strong support for her position.
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