I think in terms of writing consistently vs. writing more. Anytime we commit to writing is time well spent. For a long time I had a goal of writing 15 minutes per day. Many days I wrote more than 15 minutes and I never tracked things like word count. It was showing up to write that makes the difference. Also, as writers we need to read as much as we can. I'm a huge fan of audiobooks and this is a way for me to consume a lot more writing than I could otherwise.
Another lesson many writers learn is there's a point that we switch from reading craft books on writing to just reading good writing. I've read a ton of craft books and my bookshelf is crammed with these wonderful books. I'm at the point now where I read like a writer and study what other authors do well and what they do poorly. Another thing I do now after ten years of writing seriously is pay for editorial help. A good editor can teach any writer how to improve their writing better than any book.
Simon, thanks for your regular articles and encouragement.
I swallowed the “You have to write Xk words a day” advice, and tried so many versions… fill three pages, write pointless stream of consciousness stuff after you run out of current ideas, add that amount to your novel… They were all stressful. What I produced was usually bad. I always burned out quickly, stopped writing at all for a while, and felt terrible for failing.
Setting a time limit doesn’t work for me with writing (I find myself just staring blankly at the clock 😅) but I found setting a word limit does. Rather than “at least 2000 words” I flipped it to “maximum 500 words” and suddenly the stress is off! Because any amount counts.
Ideally my daily microfiction is a warmup and I then pivot to working on my novel. But my worst case scenario is that I wrote and published *something* today. And yeah, some of those things will be bad, that’s just how it goes. But they’re all fun learning experiences. 😄
I like the sentiment of the post but just wanted to post out that the 10,000 hours thing is bullshit. There is no scientific evidence that 10,000 hours or any set amount of them will lead to mastery of anything, except perhaps time tracking 😊.
This is not a criticism of your post, just a personal peeve of mine as you see all these books and gurus spouting the 10,000 hours myth.
This is such a crucial topic for storytellers and has been on my mind quite a lot lately. Today, I wrote six pages. The first five were workmanlike; only on the sixth did I write a line that surprised me - that had that tingle of truth and clarity about it that might mean it makes it into the finished story. Often I think you have to write and write to get your thinking mind to go quiet so that the good stuff can bubble up from the unconscious. One of my all time favourite authors, Jack Vance, called himself 'a million words a year man' because he knocked out so much pulp sci-fi. His storytelling is consistently good, but here and there elevates itself to unbelievable genius. All that furious mining uncovered the occasional diamond. But...another of my storytelling heroes, Philip Pullman, writes a relatively modest number of words a day, and his sentences are golden. So...I suppose we all have to find a rhythm and a balance that works for us. Great post, Simon, thank you!
I think I might still feel nervous sharing a new story with actual people *in the room* but definitely the regular serving up of words online to strangers has got me much more relaxed about that. I dread to think how many hours I've spent writing, it's 20 years since I got serious about it and I've had a blog since 2008. Where does the time go?!
Incidentally, I'm holding you slightly responsible for my other half's purchase of the complete Babylon 5 DVD box set in our local Oxfam at the weekend. When I signed up for your newsletter last year I mentioned to him that you were doing a watch along of one of his favourite series, and I think it's reawakened an interest :-)
Couldn't agree more, with all of this. And I loved Bird by Bird. I embroidered "One inch assignments, sh*tty first drafts" and hung it over my desk to help me over those humps when I have a hard time getting started.
I more or less have lots of issues with time management.
I know I could write, work out, game, watch a video.... But it's always one of those getting in the way of the others.
Recently I have been trying to get into writing more consistently. I set up a new page about something that I am passionate about, Japan to be specific. So I set that up, set up a discord for more chatting, and woot the about page.
The welcome post is out and want to push out at least 1 post every 2 weeks. If possible every week.
There is however 1 fear I constantly have. That is, that I run out of content. I never really liked talking about myself out my experiences. I always far I'm talking myself up to much. Like I try to be the center of attention. That couldn't be further from the truth though.
But I'm doing my best. Trying to put myself out there, connect to strangers with a similar love for a country, in this case anyway.
But you have me a little nudge with this post, thanks for that ^_^
Yeah, I have always struggled with talking about myself and my experiences. Who would want to read that, right? But it's easy to underestimate how much knowledge and/or useful experience we have in a topic.
What's the worst that could happen? Nobody shows up to read, perhaps? But, then, you'd still have had a good time writing it, hopefully.
Running out of things to say is something I worried about a lot, but *so far* it hasn't happened. I find this extremely surprising! But it turns out that as long as you're writing about something you're passionate for, you probably won't run out of things to say, because you're *always* thinking about it. Sometimes I have stuff planned out, but often a Monday newsletter will be something that hadn't even occurred to me a week or two prior.
I totally get your time management thing. I have the same problem! It intensified when my son was born (12 years ago now, erk), because then my time became even scarcer.
I think this is why the 'just do 10 minutes' approach is a good one. If you set a 2,000 word goal, you're going to be sat there trying to write while wishing you were gaming/watching a movie/hanging out with friends/at the gym/etc.
But if you sit down to do 10 minutes of writing, none of that matters. Because after 10 minutes you'll still have time to do those other things. The pressure/competing attention goes away. Chances are you'll enjoy yourself and then do MORE than 10 minutes, which is fine - you won't feel like you missed out on something else, because you enjoyed doing the writing so much. Rather than your Gym Brain or Game Brain getting jealous.
Those are the little mental tricks I have to play with myself, at least. :D
I knew about the 10min 'trick'. The only thing that my slightly perfectionistic mind things is "10min... just 10min.... that doesn't do anything. What is 10min? I can hardly get into the vibe" Which is already turns me off from starting -_-
It's really annoying how my mind works.
But hopefully, my new project will help me stay motivated.
Ow and I just need to stop holding myself back with self-destructing thoughts.
I'm currently rereading "The Dip" by Seth Godin. Portions of your post echo some of the ideas he presents in the book. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It's all about sticking it out when the going gets tough—or quitting before you get started on the wrong things.
2. I LOVED Spider-Man 2 on Playstation 2 when it first came out. It's easily one of the best Spider-Man video games I've ever played. Almost like GTA in the world of Peter Parker.
Simon, this was brilliantly written, and masterfully read (SO grateful that you include an audio version of your writings).
"The only way to catch up to your future self is to keep writing" hits so, SO hard. I'm new to publishing serial fiction and stumbled across your substack in my research on how to do so. The power of habit breeds the vulnerability of courage — to act, to try, to fail and try again.
One of my recent favourite personal mantras is this: each baby step will result in a walk across the span of the world."
That’s definitely how serial fiction works: instead of trying to write a novel, which is a gargantuan, extremely difficult endeavour, you’re instead writing one chapter per week. Which is very doable. But do enough of them in a row, and you end up with a novel.
I love your perspective on this and have a follow up question, if you have the time:
When it comes to writing/publishing a chapter a week, how do you, personally, tackle issues around plotholes, continuity, and the like?
As a notorious pantser and recovering editing perfectionist who often recognizes that she's missed opportunities for certain beats/elements, character development, and foreshadowing after a novel draft is already finished, I hear many serial writers like to encourage their readers to act as beta readers in this regard. I'm interested in your approach.
(If you've already touched on this in a previous article, please direct me to it!)
It's a great question, though. I have a policy of never going back and editing previously published chapters, as I don't think it's fair on my readers (unless it's just a straight-up mistake or typo, that's fine). One a plot beat has happened, it's happened, and it's up to me to roll with it. :) That's part of the fun and challenge, I think: having to commit and figure your way out and through.
But I'm not a panster, and I write in a linear fashion, so it works for me. Different writing styles might need different approaches.
I wholeheartedly agree -- write more. I've been steadily writing for about twenty years now, and I try to write everything. I go back now and read stuff from twenty years ago, and I'm shocked at how bad it is. Even stuff ten years old -- wow that needs a ton of editing. I didn't know who I was as a writer then. I didn't know how to express myself. But I was also trying a ton of new things -- serials, differing perspectives, more or less dialogue, flash fiction. Diversify and experiment. But, yes, write more. Write all the things.
My list of WIPs is soooo large, but I love that they're all sitting there, staring at me like my dogs do, waiting for their turn. I'm mostly into serials now because I love the CYOA feel to them. Often I have no idea where a story idea is going, but it reveals itself as I write. I love those aha moments, when you realize 'oh, that's what's going to happen!' It's exciting and fun. As I tell people all the time now. I write for two reasons -- there are stories asking to be told, and I want to know what happens, too.
Well, luckily my readers do not think the I am churning out slop.
It is too bad that there is such a prejudice in some circles against writing quantity. Everyone has different capacities, and it seems to be a common reaction for a writer who takes days, weeks, or months to write the perfect paragraph to assume that someone who writes quickly or has high production levels must be a hack and just be producing worthless pap.
Write a little regularly, if that is your capacity. Write a lot regularly if that is your bent. Putting pen to page is your best bet for improving your writing. Athletes work out regularly and increase their capacity. Musicians practice for hours to perfect their craft. Writers write if you want to improve your craft.
Great post, Simon. Love the workmanlike attitude: show up and practice your craft. It won’t all be great—or even good—but that’s why we have revisions.
Spot on Simon, I think, regarding quantity and pressure. That's why Nannowrimo has never worked for me, because - even when you remove the quality handbrake - I just don't feel motivated to hit a daily wordcount. At a lower level, a minimum threshold can be motivating, but beyond that, it becomes a slog. I've done contracted writing projects where that was a requirement, and it was hell! :)
I think in terms of writing consistently vs. writing more. Anytime we commit to writing is time well spent. For a long time I had a goal of writing 15 minutes per day. Many days I wrote more than 15 minutes and I never tracked things like word count. It was showing up to write that makes the difference. Also, as writers we need to read as much as we can. I'm a huge fan of audiobooks and this is a way for me to consume a lot more writing than I could otherwise.
Another lesson many writers learn is there's a point that we switch from reading craft books on writing to just reading good writing. I've read a ton of craft books and my bookshelf is crammed with these wonderful books. I'm at the point now where I read like a writer and study what other authors do well and what they do poorly. Another thing I do now after ten years of writing seriously is pay for editorial help. A good editor can teach any writer how to improve their writing better than any book.
Simon, thanks for your regular articles and encouragement.
Brilliant summary, Simon. 👍
I swallowed the “You have to write Xk words a day” advice, and tried so many versions… fill three pages, write pointless stream of consciousness stuff after you run out of current ideas, add that amount to your novel… They were all stressful. What I produced was usually bad. I always burned out quickly, stopped writing at all for a while, and felt terrible for failing.
Setting a time limit doesn’t work for me with writing (I find myself just staring blankly at the clock 😅) but I found setting a word limit does. Rather than “at least 2000 words” I flipped it to “maximum 500 words” and suddenly the stress is off! Because any amount counts.
Ideally my daily microfiction is a warmup and I then pivot to working on my novel. But my worst case scenario is that I wrote and published *something* today. And yeah, some of those things will be bad, that’s just how it goes. But they’re all fun learning experiences. 😄
I like the sentiment of the post but just wanted to post out that the 10,000 hours thing is bullshit. There is no scientific evidence that 10,000 hours or any set amount of them will lead to mastery of anything, except perhaps time tracking 😊.
This is not a criticism of your post, just a personal peeve of mine as you see all these books and gurus spouting the 10,000 hours myth.
Ditto on the personal peeve.
I don't think people even stop to think about that figure.
1250 full time workdays. Three and a half full time years.
Surgeons get a few hundred hours of practice before being qualified. 😁
Yeah, the third paragraph of my post about 10,000 hours is all about how it's a faux-scientific concept.
Doing something a lot definitely increases your chances of getting better at it, though. :)
This is such a crucial topic for storytellers and has been on my mind quite a lot lately. Today, I wrote six pages. The first five were workmanlike; only on the sixth did I write a line that surprised me - that had that tingle of truth and clarity about it that might mean it makes it into the finished story. Often I think you have to write and write to get your thinking mind to go quiet so that the good stuff can bubble up from the unconscious. One of my all time favourite authors, Jack Vance, called himself 'a million words a year man' because he knocked out so much pulp sci-fi. His storytelling is consistently good, but here and there elevates itself to unbelievable genius. All that furious mining uncovered the occasional diamond. But...another of my storytelling heroes, Philip Pullman, writes a relatively modest number of words a day, and his sentences are golden. So...I suppose we all have to find a rhythm and a balance that works for us. Great post, Simon, thank you!
I think I might still feel nervous sharing a new story with actual people *in the room* but definitely the regular serving up of words online to strangers has got me much more relaxed about that. I dread to think how many hours I've spent writing, it's 20 years since I got serious about it and I've had a blog since 2008. Where does the time go?!
Incidentally, I'm holding you slightly responsible for my other half's purchase of the complete Babylon 5 DVD box set in our local Oxfam at the weekend. When I signed up for your newsletter last year I mentioned to him that you were doing a watch along of one of his favourite series, and I think it's reawakened an interest :-)
I will happily take responsibility for that, and consider it mission accomplished.
Couldn't agree more, with all of this. And I loved Bird by Bird. I embroidered "One inch assignments, sh*tty first drafts" and hung it over my desk to help me over those humps when I have a hard time getting started.
I more or less have lots of issues with time management.
I know I could write, work out, game, watch a video.... But it's always one of those getting in the way of the others.
Recently I have been trying to get into writing more consistently. I set up a new page about something that I am passionate about, Japan to be specific. So I set that up, set up a discord for more chatting, and woot the about page.
The welcome post is out and want to push out at least 1 post every 2 weeks. If possible every week.
There is however 1 fear I constantly have. That is, that I run out of content. I never really liked talking about myself out my experiences. I always far I'm talking myself up to much. Like I try to be the center of attention. That couldn't be further from the truth though.
But I'm doing my best. Trying to put myself out there, connect to strangers with a similar love for a country, in this case anyway.
But you have me a little nudge with this post, thanks for that ^_^
Yeah, I have always struggled with talking about myself and my experiences. Who would want to read that, right? But it's easy to underestimate how much knowledge and/or useful experience we have in a topic.
What's the worst that could happen? Nobody shows up to read, perhaps? But, then, you'd still have had a good time writing it, hopefully.
Running out of things to say is something I worried about a lot, but *so far* it hasn't happened. I find this extremely surprising! But it turns out that as long as you're writing about something you're passionate for, you probably won't run out of things to say, because you're *always* thinking about it. Sometimes I have stuff planned out, but often a Monday newsletter will be something that hadn't even occurred to me a week or two prior.
I totally get your time management thing. I have the same problem! It intensified when my son was born (12 years ago now, erk), because then my time became even scarcer.
I think this is why the 'just do 10 minutes' approach is a good one. If you set a 2,000 word goal, you're going to be sat there trying to write while wishing you were gaming/watching a movie/hanging out with friends/at the gym/etc.
But if you sit down to do 10 minutes of writing, none of that matters. Because after 10 minutes you'll still have time to do those other things. The pressure/competing attention goes away. Chances are you'll enjoy yourself and then do MORE than 10 minutes, which is fine - you won't feel like you missed out on something else, because you enjoyed doing the writing so much. Rather than your Gym Brain or Game Brain getting jealous.
Those are the little mental tricks I have to play with myself, at least. :D
I knew about the 10min 'trick'. The only thing that my slightly perfectionistic mind things is "10min... just 10min.... that doesn't do anything. What is 10min? I can hardly get into the vibe" Which is already turns me off from starting -_-
It's really annoying how my mind works.
But hopefully, my new project will help me stay motivated.
Ow and I just need to stop holding myself back with self-destructing thoughts.
I've come up with some of my best idea in 10 minutes. :P
But yeah - a lot of this business if simply figuring out what particular tricks we each need to pull for our specific brain weirdness. Good luck!
Great post, Simon.
I'm currently rereading "The Dip" by Seth Godin. Portions of your post echo some of the ideas he presents in the book. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It's all about sticking it out when the going gets tough—or quitting before you get started on the wrong things.
Also, on your "Other bits":
1. "Bird by Bird" is a great book. I've had it for years and read it every now and then when I'm feeling the need for inspiration. One of my favorite Substackers, Helen Redfern, recently did a series of book club posts on "Bird by Bird," if you're interested in checking it out: https://open.substack.com/pub/helenredfern/p/come-and-read-bird-by-bird-by-anne?r=124lma&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
2. I LOVED Spider-Man 2 on Playstation 2 when it first came out. It's easily one of the best Spider-Man video games I've ever played. Almost like GTA in the world of Peter Parker.
Simon, this was brilliantly written, and masterfully read (SO grateful that you include an audio version of your writings).
"The only way to catch up to your future self is to keep writing" hits so, SO hard. I'm new to publishing serial fiction and stumbled across your substack in my research on how to do so. The power of habit breeds the vulnerability of courage — to act, to try, to fail and try again.
One of my recent favourite personal mantras is this: each baby step will result in a walk across the span of the world."
Thanks for this.
That’s definitely how serial fiction works: instead of trying to write a novel, which is a gargantuan, extremely difficult endeavour, you’re instead writing one chapter per week. Which is very doable. But do enough of them in a row, and you end up with a novel.
Thanks for reading!
Hey, Simon, thanks for the reply! Means a lot.
I love your perspective on this and have a follow up question, if you have the time:
When it comes to writing/publishing a chapter a week, how do you, personally, tackle issues around plotholes, continuity, and the like?
As a notorious pantser and recovering editing perfectionist who often recognizes that she's missed opportunities for certain beats/elements, character development, and foreshadowing after a novel draft is already finished, I hear many serial writers like to encourage their readers to act as beta readers in this regard. I'm interested in your approach.
(If you've already touched on this in a previous article, please direct me to it!)
I've got a few articles around this general topic!
This one best explains my technique, I think, and is full of very silly pseudo-scientific diagrams: https://simonkjones.substack.com/p/the-story-loom?utm_source=publication-search
Ages back I wrote something about serials for plotters and pantsers. Might be a bit out of date now so use with caution: https://simonkjones.substack.com/p/how-serial-writing-works-for-plotters?utm_source=publication-search
And then there's this one that is specifically about foreshadowing in serials: https://simonkjones.substack.com/p/foreshadowing-in-online-serials?utm_source=publication-search
It's a great question, though. I have a policy of never going back and editing previously published chapters, as I don't think it's fair on my readers (unless it's just a straight-up mistake or typo, that's fine). One a plot beat has happened, it's happened, and it's up to me to roll with it. :) That's part of the fun and challenge, I think: having to commit and figure your way out and through.
But I'm not a panster, and I write in a linear fashion, so it works for me. Different writing styles might need different approaches.
I wholeheartedly agree -- write more. I've been steadily writing for about twenty years now, and I try to write everything. I go back now and read stuff from twenty years ago, and I'm shocked at how bad it is. Even stuff ten years old -- wow that needs a ton of editing. I didn't know who I was as a writer then. I didn't know how to express myself. But I was also trying a ton of new things -- serials, differing perspectives, more or less dialogue, flash fiction. Diversify and experiment. But, yes, write more. Write all the things.
My list of WIPs is soooo large, but I love that they're all sitting there, staring at me like my dogs do, waiting for their turn. I'm mostly into serials now because I love the CYOA feel to them. Often I have no idea where a story idea is going, but it reveals itself as I write. I love those aha moments, when you realize 'oh, that's what's going to happen!' It's exciting and fun. As I tell people all the time now. I write for two reasons -- there are stories asking to be told, and I want to know what happens, too.
Well, luckily my readers do not think the I am churning out slop.
It is too bad that there is such a prejudice in some circles against writing quantity. Everyone has different capacities, and it seems to be a common reaction for a writer who takes days, weeks, or months to write the perfect paragraph to assume that someone who writes quickly or has high production levels must be a hack and just be producing worthless pap.
Write a little regularly, if that is your capacity. Write a lot regularly if that is your bent. Putting pen to page is your best bet for improving your writing. Athletes work out regularly and increase their capacity. Musicians practice for hours to perfect their craft. Writers write if you want to improve your craft.
Great post, Simon. Love the workmanlike attitude: show up and practice your craft. It won’t all be great—or even good—but that’s why we have revisions.
Editors can’t edit until words are written.
Spot on Simon, I think, regarding quantity and pressure. That's why Nannowrimo has never worked for me, because - even when you remove the quality handbrake - I just don't feel motivated to hit a daily wordcount. At a lower level, a minimum threshold can be motivating, but beyond that, it becomes a slog. I've done contracted writing projects where that was a requirement, and it was hell! :)