productivity -

10Mar 2015 by Dianna L. Gunn

Do you have to wake up early to be successful?

I follow a number of blogs and newsletters, and lately I've been noticing a trend: a number of my favourite newsletters and blogs recommend waking up an hour earlier to get your writing done. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, especially because it was one of the key recommendations in COMMIT, the self-help book recently published by Linda Formichelli of The Renegade Writer. I know this strategy works for a lot of people, but I resent the idea that in order to be successful, I have to wake up earlier. Instead, I believe in a concept introduced to me by DIY MFA: magic time. Magic time is the time of day when you are at your best. It is the time when you can accomplish all your work in half the…

05May 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Yoga For Writers

Self care for writers

When you spend all day at a desk--whether it's for a day job or to further your writing career--and your evenings in front of a TV or computer it's easy to neglect your physical health. When you're on a roll and the words are flowing like water it's easy to stay perched at your computer for entire days--or nights--without moving except to refill your drink or use the washroom. Yet protecting our health is one of the most important things we can do as writers. A little bit of sleep deprivation might not make a huge impact, but eventually those late nights will take a toll on you. Failing to take care of yourself can also lead to Repetitive Strain Injury(RSI) or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, making it difficult or even…

02Dec 2013 by Dianna L. Gunn

5 Things to take away from your Nanowrimo experience

Inspirational, Nanowrimo, Writing

Whether or not you've actually finished your novel--and I certainly haven't--Nanowrimo is now officially over. Hopefully you spent yesterday basking in your Nanowrimo glory(I personally spent it sick as a dog), because now it's time to think about December and 2014. The best way to figure out what you should be doing over the next few weeks and into the new year is to start by looking at where you are now. Take a look at your experience last month and figure out the following things: 1. How much you can write in a day with focus-- this helps you set realistic goals. During Nanowrimo odds are you really pushed yourself. What's the most you can write in a day you've set aside on the weekend? What's the most you…

29Apr 2013 by Dianna L. Gunn

Making The Sacrifice

Goal setting, Inspirational, Writing

For the last couple of months we've been talking a lot about disturbances in your writing, from writer's block to family to repetitive strain injury. It's important to develop strategies for dealing with each of these obstacles, but in the end it all boils down to one thing: making sacrifices. Today we are blessed that we can do just about anything we want with our time. We have literally millions of options. We can read or watch anything almost instantly with the internet. We can communicate instantly. We can also do everything that came before the internet: go for a bike ride, travel, garden, socialize at the local pub. With so many options, everyone's always busy. We fill up our time without thinking about it and forget to leave time…

12Apr 2013 by Dianna L. Gunn

Rules for Productivity

Goal setting, Inspirational, Writing

I mentioned last week that I realized I was over committed. The truth is, I've known it for a while, but I denied it. I wanted to be super woman, to be able to manage eighteen projects at once while still in school and even working. Unfortunately, I'm not super woman, and I reached a point where I couldn't deny it anymore. So I decided to create a plan. But it didn't turn out to be like any other plan. Instead, it's a list of rules. Some of it is taking my own advice from my series on finishing projects. I know how to finish a project. I've written over a dozen novels. Yes, editing is always slower work for me, but that's no excuse for the pace I've been…

25Mar 2013 by diannagunn

Dealing with School/Work Related Interruptions

Inspirational, Workshops, Writing, Writing

School and work are both important, but focusing on one or the other to the exclusion of all else can be dangerous. We're often told to put these things above all else, which can lead to self-neglect and even self-hatred. Capitalism tells us to focus on what makes us money and ignore that which nourishes the soul. Since these beliefs have been drilled into us since we were kids, they're difficult to ignore. Unfortunately work and/or school will probably always be factors in your life. The key is to make sure that they don't interrupt your writing time more than absolutely necessary. So how do you keep school/work out of your writing time? 1. Don't take on extra responsibilities. If you don't have to stay at work late, don't. If…

06Aug 2012 by Dianna L. Gunn

Productive Procrastination

Writing

The title may seem like an oxymoron, but it's not. Everyone procrastinates, and I happen to be an expert at it. Most days, I spend a couple hours procrastinating. So how do I get anything done? I make procrastination work for me: I do simple, less important tasks while avoiding big tasks. For example, I spent an hour today looking at potential freelance markets instead of writing this blog post. Instead of avoiding work altogether, I'm avoiding the task I least want to do. Sometimes my least exciting prospect is editing a manuscript--whether that be my novel, a short story or a freelance article--and other days it's a blog post. Every once in a while, writing anything is daunting. On those days I'll read short stories and take notes or…