Pacing: In a Writer’s Life and In a Writer’s Work
How to write consistently while avoiding burnout. Catch the first Simply, Write edition in May to learn how writers create pace on the page to keep readers reading.
I’m a little intense and can be a tad impatient. So, when I set goals, I rocket out of the starting gates. Resolve to get more exercise? I’m off the couch and at the gym lifting weights and walking on the treadmill, for 90 minutes. That lasts a couple of days before I’m exhausted, in pain, and burned out.
Exercising that hard is not sustainable for me, and that dogged mentality doesn’t work well for writing either. Writing anything can be a long process, and pacing yourself is important to getting the work done consistently and reliably.
Pacing is essential to your health, your writing process, and the stories you tell.
It’s essential to both the writer and the writing.
I’m much better at it on the page than in practice.
I tend to get so fired up when I get a new idea or sign a contract on a new project that I go all in until finally my energy and my body just fizzle, leaving me feeling depleted, struggling to get anything done.
I had to learn how to structure my writing time and my days to keep the energy flowing into my work but also into my relationships and my life so that I had the support, health, resilience, and balance I needed to publish consistently, over the months and years.
In the next two columns, I’m going to share with you some of the tactics professional writers use to avoid burnout and produce writing every day. Then, we’re going to go deep into another type of pacing—moving the reader through the story. What tools do you have aside from your words to compel readers to turn the page, read the next chapter, connect with characters, and pick up on the details or clues you want them to catch?
FYI— In the May 9th edition of Simply Write, I will be providing specific ways you can enhance the pacing in your writing to hook readers, move the story along, and improve your work. Members of the Simply Paid Subscriber Perks program will be able to get an audio version of that article—one of many new things we are rolling out for our paid subscribers—and a writing assignment. Become a member of the SPSP today to get access.
Today, let’s start with the pacing of a writer’s life. The best writing is a result of consistent effort over time. But how do we write words every freaking day? How do we keep the energy flowing, confidence high, and commitment strong on a piece of work that could take months or years to finish when we also have kids to feed, work meetings to prepare, laundry to fold, and dental appointments to keep?
Start with a realistic daily goal.
My daily goals wind around the other demands of my business and family. So, look at your schedule the night before, see what lies ahead, and then set your writing goal for the day. But just set one. Listen— some days, I’m full-on writing for ten minutes, and that’s it. But ten minutes keeps my mind in the loop, moves me to a new place in the piece, and makes me feel like I’ve gotten something done. That boosts motivation for the next day.
On other days, I’ll get hours in. But no matter what, each day I write something, somewhere, because it builds my mental muscle and memory of how the story is going to unwind. It also eases the anxiety and overwhelm that can develop when it feels like things are piling up on us.
What does a writing goal look like if you only have ten minutes to spare? Let’s take a look.
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