Painting The Writing Master by Thomas Eakins (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Whilst the motivation is high I have been able to get a significant amount of writing done on book two of my series. The fantastic response I have had to the first book has inspired me to write like I have never written before.
RSI, back pain, eye strain and general madness aside, the last few months have been amongst the most productive ever. And it made me think about what has changed. Firstly my approach to writing shifted from sitting down in one or two big sessions a week and grinding out pages and pages. I have moved to short bursts, 2-4 hours at a time of writing, over a number of nights.
The results are significant. I am finding less writer’s block and much more thought out words hitting the page (screen). I have also adopted the ‘get something out and fix it later’ motto. In the past, I would waste time finding the exact word I was after or the perfect phrasing. I have found that by just using the first word that comes to mind, I am much more likely to find the right word with ease the next time I read over what I have written. This has dramatically increased my output.
I would be interested to hear what other writers are doing that works for them.
Blotting Away 
What I’ve started doing recently is opening up my laptop when I wake up in the morning and writing for about an hour or so. Once I actually leave my bedroom, the real world takes over and I always feel guilty about writing when I should be doing something else (work, chores, whatever).
I commend you for being able to write that early in the morning. I tend to be a zombie for at least 30 mins or until I have had a shower. But I completely see the logic.
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I’ve recently started using the “just get something out” after I saw a video of Neil Gaiman giving that advice. I find that it really helps. I also try and avoid re-reading the first draft of anything until it’s complete, unless I decide to change the plot halfway through or something. Otherwise I’m too tempted to hit the delete button usually.
There are so many great Neil Gaiman videos out there. The one about reading and the value of libraries is my favourite.
Oh I don’t think I’ve seen that one, I think I will look it up though.