Your readers are waiting for your next book eagerly, one you had promised them a month ago. But it’s nowhere near completion. Your publisher is breathing down your back. You really need to get down to it. For this, you need to increase your productivity as a writer first. There are many ways to do so, but what is really essential is your dedication towards following through seriously and completely, in order to complete your work on time to your own and to your readers’ satisfaction. With just a few changes like those below and the determination in sticking to them, you can do it!

1. Write

Well, that sounds obvious. But it’s still worth considering because authors often keep putting off when they should be writing. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t turn out just the way you want or if your story has meandered right off the track. Yes, these are inconveniences but nothing with which you can’t deal. The important thing is that you have more words to your story now and have progressed. The very motivation this brings can push you to finish the book on a better note. And by ‘write’, I do mean write for the specific book in mind, not start a new project or write something random. These are fun, but will not help you get your book published if you have five unfinished manuscripts but none ready for publishing!

2. Don’t edit

Don’t bother editing or proofreading while you are writing. It might appear useful to just edit all your work of the previous day and make it perfect before moving on, but you are effectively just getting stuck in the same place. This approach works for very few authors, so if you find that you are never satisfied with your editing, it’s time to put that behind you and focus on your writing. Write a bad first draft but complete the book. It can always be enhanced or even rewritten, but the inner core of the book will be down in black and white.

3. Schedule yourself

Devising a schedule can help you a lot in keeping things on track. Even if you don’t exactly stick to your schedule, you know realistically how much you could achieve and you strive to do so. This is the exact point of a schedule, which helps you from meandering through your writing and ending up with nothing concrete. Count it as a success if you only exceed the schedule slightly. In other words, don’t beat yourself up if you are unable to finish on time. Also, be realistic with your schedule and make sure you can handle the amount of work you are setting yourself. This brings us to the next point, which is to …

4. Set targets

Setting targets can help in breaking up a large task into bite-sized chunks. If you break down your final target into daily or weekly targets, it gives you a better picture of the work that lies ahead of you. It also helps in your being able to handle things at a level that you can actually control rather than a vague date sometime in the future when you have to get a book of a vague number of words together with just a vague deadline. See the problem with that? With smaller, concrete and more easily achievable targets, you set yourself up for success. Another advantage is that each time you fulfill one of your shorter targets, your confidence would increase as will your motivation to continue and complete the book.

5. Discuss your story

No, you shouldn’t put it up on your blog for random strangers to see. However, you can allow a few people close to you into the secret and get the benefit of their opinions. It could be your partner, a close friend, a child or even a trusted editor, on whom you can bounce off ideas. It will remain your idea and your book, but genuine criticism and encouragement will not hurt. The great thing about letting others in on what you are doing is that they probably would have more perspective and be able to point out any problems. With some fresh input, you might just find that you are better able to flesh out your story and your characters.

Image credit: Pixabay

Kavitha is a freelance content writer and French translator, and has been working in this field since 2008. She has degrees in computer applications and international business and has a background in business and international trade. She enjoys learning languages and is currently learning Japanese. Her interests vary from books and writing to travelling and history.