You don’t necessarily need to find solace in complete solitude to complete your first book. If you commit to your writing goals and follow an actionable plan, you can publish your book without saying goodbye to your great workspace.
Here are twelve proven tips that will help you get the most out of your time and help you become a published writer without disturbing your work-life balance – keep reading!
1. Get Help from Professionals
Don’t force yourself to do everything from designing, publishing, and editing all by yourself. If you want to save time and ensure that you don’t feel burdened, you need to consider getting help from people you can trust like Catherine Nikkel, a book writing coach.
For example, if you live in the UK, you can find one of the best book cover designers in the UK online to find a reliable designer for your book.
Explore online portals to find writing and publishing professionals. Make sure you set realistic expectations from people whom you hire for your writing/publishing tasks so you don’t run into problems in the long run.
2. Don’t Rush Through the Process
Writing faster while doing a full-time job doesn’t mean you need to think about cutting corners. Instead of giving up on the hopes of writing your best, you have to set achievable goals and deadlines to help you write better and faster.
It’s recommended to take at least twelve months to finish your first book. Identify how you will spend your time and work according to a plan so you don’t fall short of your goals. If possible, reach out to fellow writers to find out how they manage their tasks without compromising on anything important.
3. Optimize Your Routine
You will have to get rid of activities that don’t allow you to maximize your productivity. Doing so is the only way you can manage your job and succeed in achieving your writing goals at the same time. S
Start by improving your sleeping routine. Instead of staying awake till late at night, make sure you get into bed at the right time and wake up early in the morning. Fixing your sleep schedule will boost your creativity and also help you feel energetic – allowing you to write better and faster.
After improving your sleeping habits, move on to boosting your diet and leading a lifestyle that promotes wellness of body and mind. With that out of the way, learn when to sit down to write and how to get the most out of your time.
4. Allocate Time for Reading
Writing better and faster will only remain a dream if you don’t work on boosting your creativity. The easiest way you can become an idea-generation machine and let your creativity flow on paper is by reading good books.
Set aside some time from your daily routine to read books from your favorite genre. If possible, ask for book suggestions from your close circle to explore different writing styles and ideas.
5. Overcome Perfectionism
You don’t necessarily need to write the best when you start writing. Remember that there is always room for improvement, and if you get stuck with the ghost of perfectionism, you will never be able to achieve your writing goals.
Be flexible when writing, and don’t try filtering your thoughts. Write whatever comes to your mind and edit your content later to write better and faster.
6. Identify Your Favorite Genre
Trying to break into a genre you don’t like will make it difficult to write with your hectic job routine. Instead of forcing yourself to do something you don’t like, it’s better to identify the genres you love the most to speed up your writing.
The best way of identifying your favorite genre is by exploring as many genres and subgenres as possible. As mentioned above, keep reading books alongside your writing routine to find what you’ll love to write.
7. Don’t Forget About Journaling
Letting go of the ideas that pop into your mind is the biggest mistake you can make. Make sure you carry a small notepad to write down your daily occurrences and also jot down any amazing writing ideas that come to your mind.
8. Find Your Writer’s Voice
You don’t need to impersonate your favorite writer when writing your first book. Instead of following in the footsteps of stealing the style of other writers, it’s better to find out how you write naturally.
A great way to identify your inner writer’s voice is by rewriting some of the works of your favorite writers. This simple yet powerful practice can enable you to explore your ideas and find how you think of the world around you.
9. Grow Your Network
Networking can help you connect with fellow writers in a short time. Getting advice from other writers can help you learn the best writing practices without making mistakes. It’s better to participate in physical networking events to grow your network faster.
However, if you don’t have a lot of free time to join in-person events, you should consider setting aside some time for online networking events.
10. Join a Writing Class
Making the same writing mistakes over and over again will discourage you from writing and push you to focus more on your job. Instead of giving in and overlooking your writer’s goals, it’s better to participate in a writing class to strengthen your writing skills faster.
11. Learn To Use Writing Tools
You don’t necessarily need to rely on traditional strategies as a writer. It’s better to find out the writing tools that can simplify your life to achieve your writing goals faster alongside your job. Some of the great tools for writers are:
- Todoist
- Milanote
- LibreOffice
- Grammarly
- Hemingway App
12. Understand the Publishing Process
Not knowing how publishing works will only make things difficult for you once you get done with writing your first book. Instead of waiting for months to get your first book published, it’s better to explore the publishing process along with your writing routine.
You can get your book self-published or find a good publishing agency. Weigh the pros and cons of both publishing routes to choose the one which suits you most.
Iskra Banović is our seasoned Editor-in-Chief at Blufashion. She has been steering the website’s content and editorial direction since 2018. With a rich background in fashion design, Iskra’s expertise spans across fashion, interior design, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and culture.
