©
2004, 2008
Timer
Magic for Writers
BY
KATEY COFFING, PH.D.
Do
you dread sitting in The Chair?
You
know, The Writing Chair. I think the phrase deserves
capitalization to proclaim how we feel about it. We tell
ourselves we want to write, but in reality do anything
to avoid it and The Chair.
But guess what? You don't need to write the whole book
today. Hooray! So please quit beating yourself up. Instead,
just start moving toward your goal one step at a time.
If you're avoiding a writing session, remember this: the
vast majority of the time, starting is the hardest
part. Our emotional stress is highest just as we force
ourselves to walk to The Chair, open our manuscript, and
stare at the blank page.
Contrast this with how we feel once we've started writing,
even if only a paragraph: writing that paragraph brings
us back into the story we're telling. It greases the wheels.
Continuing is easier than starting.
So how do you begin when everything else on your to-do
list looks much more appealing—including washing the cat?
One of my favorite writing tools is a timer. "Timer magic"
can work for almost any task that's looming over you.
So grab a timer—a kitchen timer will do, or you can get
something nice like this—and
set it for fifteen minutes. C'mon, just fifteen minutes—you
can do anything for such a short time!
Now promise yourself these two things about those minutes:
(1) you'll be in your chair, and
(2) you'll be willing to write during that time.
I didn't say you had to write. I just said you had to
be willing to write. This technique isn't about
output, it's about changing your relationship to your
book. So even if you're afraid you'll be staring at a
blank screen, it doesn't matter. Sitting there and being
willing is your agreement.
Now: put your butt in the chair and your hands on the
keyboard, tap the timer, and go. And here's where freedom
comes in: your willingness to write can liberate you from
trying to write perfectly. (Perfection is an impossible
standard that freezes many a writer's heart!)
For fifteen minutes, your only goal is to write down whatever
comes to you. If it happens to be the next section of
the manuscript, great—and if not, no worries, just jot
down anything that could be relevant. Depending on the
kind of book you're writing, this may include ideas for
a "grabber" opening, snippets of dialogue, an outline
of the next chapter, or why your heroine hates red velvet
and scratches her nose when she's nervous. Anything. Don't
censor yourself—just let words, thoughts, and ideas roll
out of you. You'll deal with relevance later. Right now,
relevance is not your job. Perfection is not your job.
It's to brainstorm and babble.
When the timer goes off, you're free to stop. You've done
exactly what you pledged: fifteen minutes of time in The
Writing Chair, being willing. Congratulations!
Are you in the middle of a juicy paragraph or otherwise
feeling "the flow"? Keep going! Set the timer for another
fifteen minutes and it'll zoom by.
When the time's up, give yourself a reward. Rewards are
important, people. Perfectionists—and you know
who you are!—will be especially prone to think they don't
deserve a reward. Ignore that miserly voice! Better yet,
tell it to shut the heck up, and that Katey's given you
permission to have some fun.
So will your fun be a bowl of Rocky Road ice cream? Half
an hour of guilt-free reading of a favorite author's new
book? Choose what feels good, and what can motivate you
next time, too. And if you found yourself writing for
more than the initial fifteen minutes, do something extra
nice for yourself. You earned it!
Now, decide when you'll do this pleasurable progress-reward
technique again. Make it soon, to reinforce your momentum.
After a few more times, you'll find yourself adding more
minutes to the timer so you can get even more done. Soon
your book—the very one you've been dreading—will
become a habit! You'll find yourself finishing chapters,
then major sections, and before you thought possible,
you'll be typing The End.
Remember, writers: it takes only one step to start a journey,
and small steps can take you anywhere you want to go.
*
Katey
Coffing, Ph.D. is a life coach for women writers.
She helps women write, publish, and succeed! To discover
how to finish your books, entice the right agent, and
land great book contracts, visit Katey at www.Women-Ink.com.
To
get additional articles and tips for writers, visit the
Writing Articles page and visit
Katey's blog, The
Write Calling.
* * *
Want to buy a great timer? This
one at Ninth Moon has become a personal favorite.
(I care deeply about privacy and will
never share, rent or sell your contact info. Period.)
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All contents © 2004 & 2008 by Katey Coffing.
All rights reserved.
