#331: Writing Well: 7 Ways to Make Consistent Progress in Your Writing Each Week

Welcome to Kingdom Writers, where we help equip and empower Christian writers of all genres to share your unique gifts with the world. We're your hosts, C.J. and Shelli Hitz.

This podcast is filled with spiritual encouragement as well as prayers to help you overcome the resistance you face as a writer. Your story matters.

Hey, Kingdom Writers, welcome back. It's Shelly Hitz, and in this Writing well episode, we're going to talk about seven ways to make consistent progress in your writing every single week. And this is really key to be able to just, you know, fulfill the calling God has on your life and move forward in your writing. To see that book published, this was actually a question asked in our Kingdom Writers Community Facebook group. This is a free group and you can join us at any time. It's@trainingauthors.com group and we would love to have you join us. And when you join, I ask a question like, what is the biggest question that you have about writing, publishing, and marketing your book? And so this particular question came from Regenia Hunt. And so thank you, Regenia, for your question. And she asks, how do you make a set writing time? So I'm going to cover seven things, and we've covered most of this in more depth in other episodes of the podcast, but I just thought this would be a really good way to answer your question on how do you make a set writing time? And the seven things I'm going to share are going to help you make consistent progress in your writing. Now, if you haven't yet, we have a free download for you. It's called the Writing Wheel, and it's an ebook. And it shares five proven writing strategies you can use today to get more writing done. You can Download that at trainingauthors.com forward/writingwheel w h e E L. And in that download, you'll also get our writing journal. So you'll be able to track your writing and really apply some of the things I'm going to be talking about today. So if you don't have that yet, go get your copy@trainingauthors.com writingwheel and that's writing W H E E L. All right, let's dive in. So the option number one is first to know the time that works best for you. So if get a set writing time and you want to consistently make progress in your writing each week, it's really, it's really important to know, like, what time works best for you. Because if you try to start writing in the mornings and, you know, a lot of People will say, get it done. You know, eat that frog, I think was Brian Tracy's book that made that popular of like, get the big thing out of the way in the morning. But what if you are not a morning person? A lot of creatives, like, they're really on fire and creative at night. One of my friends, she said she literally has written her books in the middle of the night, like midnight to 3am that's like her. That was like her sweet spot. Now she had kids at home, so maybe that was part of it, but I think it was just partly like that was when it really worked for her. But in our writing journal, we have the ability to. And we, we write it out for you of like how to track your writing and then your word count and so you can see if there's any consistent patterns. For me personally, like around 1 to 3pm is a sweet spot for me to get deep work done. So whether I'm writing or doing something else. And that can even extend a little bit later. If I want to do four hours, I would do like 1 to 5pm For CJ, it's kind of the same time, but for you, it could be a different time altogether. Now the thing is, with any of these tips, we're not going to be able to have perfection in everything. And so sometimes we just simply need to choose the time that is available for us. Right? You may have a busy life, job, family, volunteering, church, responsibilities, all the things. And so then you're just going to need to look at your schedule and see what would work for. For you, for you. Maybe the only thing you can do right now is just get up 15 minutes earlier and write. Sit down and write for 15 minutes before you jump in the shower. Have your time with God, whatever it is. And so there are different seasons in life. If you're not able to write in your perfect writing time, write anyway. But if you have the choice and you can choose what time you write in, number one, choose a time that works best for you. Because if you're trying to write in the morning and you're not a morning person and that's not your creative time, you might just sit there and stare at the page for an hour or same goes for late at night or otherwise. And those are things to keep in mind. Now number two. So number one is know the time that works best for you if you have the flexibility of writing at a different time. Number two, know the location that works best for you. So this also also is part of the writing wheel. Download. And the writing journal that we include in there is to document, like, where you're writing. And then you can also see patterns develop of, you know, I really get a lot done when I'm at the coffee shop, or I really don't get a lot done when I'm at the coffee shop. And, you know, numbers don't lie. Word count isn't everything. You know, we celebrate every word around here. And inside Christian Book Academy, our online membership, we tell people, just celebrate every word. And it's not about, like, grinding and pushing it out. However, word count can tell you some things. And so when you really start tracking your writing and you're able to see those trends, then you can kind of see, oh, maybe writing at the coffee shop isn't my best location. And I thought it was. Now, for CJ and I, I work best at home. I. I just. A lot of times I just like to be, you know, maybe I'm in my workout clothes or my pajamas or whatever. I don't have to get ready. I don't have to pack everything up. It saves me the travel time. I like to get things done, and so that gives me more time. And I'm comfortable here. I have my tea latte. Actually, I have it right now as I'm recording. But CJ works best outside the home in a coffee shop or somewhere. And he's actually found a specific coffee shop here in Colorado Springs that's not too busy, not too, too loud, that he gets a lot done. So even specific coffee shops, you might find, like, one is better than the other. So, number one, know the time that works best for you. Number two, know the location that works best for you. And as far as location goes, if you're working and writing from home, try to have a little writing nook or a writing table or an office area where you can keep things set up so you don't have to tear it down and set it up every time. I learned this tip on when I started creating art on a consistent basis. Even though I didn't have a specific art studio in the beginning, I just put up a folding table in the corner of our dining room. Bless CJ's heart. He's let me do so many crazy things over the years of our entrepreneur journey, but I just put it up in the corner, and then I didn't have to tear down my stuff and put it back up every day. Same thing for writing. Keep all your writing stuff in one spot. Keep it out, keep it organized, keep it clear, uncluttered. Okay. Number one, know the time that works best for you. Number two, know the location that works best for you. Number three, consider developing a little writing ritual. So maybe you are a coffee person, so you have your coffee right there in a certain cup that you love or you're, you love tea. Like for me I'm a tea drinker now, cuz coffee just, you know, caused issues with my heart and all those things. So I can't have as much caffeine, but I love my tea and I'll make tea lattes. And so maybe you have a coffee or tea, maybe you light a candle, maybe you play a little bit of music, but do a few things that spark joy for you, that bring joy, because then you are in a state of joy that then flows into your writing time. All right, Number one, know the time that works best for you. Number two, the location. Number three, consider developing a writing ritual. Number four, reset your nervous system. So what do I mean by this? Well, you know, God has created us as amazing human beings and bodies that are designed to be able to reset themselves in many ways. And so when we sit down to write, typically, you know, you may have just gotten up, maybe you've had a busy day, maybe you just had some words with your family member, or you know, you've had stuff going on. So if you just take a moment to reset your nervous system by taking three deep breaths, it can really make a difference. So I, a lot of times I will have our Christian Book Academy members do this when we're in a group writing session. Every month we have a two day virtual writing retreat and CJ and I kick it off and you know, just having you breathe. So breathe in like three counts, breathe out five to seven counts. When you breathe out longer than you breathe in, it calms your nervous system, it helps to decrease the cortisol, the stress hormone in your body. And so just take a moment every time you sit down to write, to reset your nervous system by taking three deep breaths. All right, so number one, know the time that works best for you. Number two, the location. Number three, consider developing a writing ritual. Number four, reset your nervous system. Number five, start with prayer. So I encourage you to set your, your timer for one minute and just spend that one minute inviting God into the process. So CJ often says, we are priestly pens in the hands of the author of life. And so, so if we, if we're wanting to write words that will outlive us and impact lives beyond us and into eternity, we need to be connected with the God of the universe that created us. And just think of yourself as a pen in God's hands. We need to position ourselves. We need to actually position ourselves in his hand. And so taking that minute just to invite him into the process, invite him to flow into, through you. And then take one minute, set your timer again for one minute and then just journal out and just ask him, like God, what is it you want me to work on today? You may have come into this writing session with an agenda, but ask him many times, he'll say, yes. He'll confirm and say, yes, that's good. But there will be times where God may say, I want you to go a different direction today. And it may be exactly what you needed. Number one, know the time that works best for you. Number two, the location. Number three, consider developing a writing ritual that sparks joy in you. Number four, reset your nervous system with three deep breaths. Number five, start with prayer, just two minutes. And then number six, really look at your writing journal again. You can download it for free and track your writing and@trainingauthors.com writingwheel and that will get you all of the information to help you begin tracking your writing. But as you do, do you work better as a consistent writer or as a chunk writer or a combination? So a consistent writer will write consistently every day and we recommend a minimum of 15 minutes so you can write for 15 minutes a day and that can actually allow you to finish your book every month. Inside our online membership Christian Book Academy, we run a five day writing challenge. And you know, it is amazing. It's, we, we, we encourage our members to write at least 15 minutes a day for those five days. And anyone who completes the entire challenge gets entered to win for some prizes that just make it fun. But most importantly, we have seen over and over that members have gotten so much done just writing for 15 minutes consistently. And then, or are you a chunk writer? So maybe you work better if, if you write in chunks. And that to be honest, is, is what works best for me. I can get in my zone, I can do my deep work. I turn off all notifications, you know, and I just go. Whereas CJ tends to work best doing it consistently, he'll just chip off a little bit every day. And so we're all different. So what works best for you? Is it best for you to block off a time for two hours every week or to try to write 15 minutes a day? So let's recap. Again, know the time that works best for you, Know the location. Develop a writing ritual. Reset your nervous system. Start with prayer and know if you're a consistent writer, a chunk writer, or a combination. And then finally, number seven, put it on your calendar like it's an appointment. So, Regenia, your initial question was, how do you make a set writing time? Well, the long and short of it is you've got to prioritize it. You've got to set boundaries, and you've got to put. Put it on your calendar like it is an appointment to your doctor or coffee with a friend, something that you wouldn't cancel unless it's an emergency, and then communicate with your family. So there's lots of fun ways you can put signs on your door, writing in progress, you know, whatever you want to do. Text people, say, I'm going to be unavailable for this amount of time, but put it on your calendar. And then you've got to get that button, chair time. Like, that's just the bottom line, right? We've got to ourselves available, put that pen, that priestly pen in the hands of the author of life so that God can flow through us so we can get that writing done. So I hope that this was helpful for you. It was inspiring for you. And let me just recap the seven ways to make consistent progress in your writing every single week. Number one, know the time that works best for you. Number two, know the location that works best. Best. And number three, develop a writing ritual that sparks joy. And number four, reset your nervous system with three deep breaths. Number five, start with one minute of inviting God and then one minute of asking him for his wisdom on what you are to work on today. And then number six, no, like, do you work best as a consistent writer, a chunk writer, or a combination? And number seven, put it on your calendar and guard that time. Guard it fiercely. All right, Kingdom writers, you are doing it, right? However you're doing it, you know, every writer is different. There is not one formula for finishing your manuscript, for finishing that first draft. But I will tell you, I say this over and over again. If you do not have a first draft, you don't have anything. But once you have that first draft out of your head and onto paper, then even if something happens to you, somebody else can take that ugly, messy first draft and have it edited and published and take it to those next steps. And so we have a workshop for you that helps you do just this. It helps you develop, you know, and choose your book topic, outline your book and really create a plan to write your book. And basically you can get your book, you know, on paper in just 90 minutes. And that, you know, includes your outline. It's like you're not going to write your whole first draft in 90 minutes. We know that. Right. But we can really help you to get unstuck and move forward on your book. So if this sounds like you, we invite you to join us and learn my three simple book writing formulas@bookwritinglab.com the workshop is only $27. It's going to help jumpstart your writing. And we are just so excited to work with you, to see you move forward in God's call to write on your life. So let me just close in prayer. So, Lord, thank you so much for every Kingdom writer listening right now. Thank you for what you're doing, calling them to do, and what you have just gifted them to do. I pray that they would take what they learned in this episode, these seven different ways to make consistent progress in their writing, that they would take the things that really apply to them and would help them and that they would put it to action. Faith without works is dead. So we pray that God, that each of us would move forward in the things that you're called calling us to do, including our writing. We pray this in Jesus powerful name. Amen. Amen. Friends, I just read James 2 this morning where it talks about faith without works is dead. And I thought, oh, it just came to me as I was praying. I thought, you know, that's so true. You can have faith and really have great God ideas given to you for books and all of that. But there is that component that it takes the time of sitting down and connecting with God to write it. Right? Faith without works. Faith without action is dead. And so I encourage you to combine the two. We don't want to just strive and work apart from faith, but yet we don't want to just sit in faith and never do the work. And so this episode is to help you move forward and do the work and see what God will do once you do your part. It really has been mind blowing to for us to see what God has done with our writing and so let me know. Share with us in our group. You can just go to trainingauthors.com group and share with us. Share with us. What was your takeaway from this episode? What is God doing in your writing? What questions do you have? And maybe I'll even answer them on this podcast. So thank you all for being here and I will see you next time. Bye Bye.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Kingdom Writers. We believe that you as a Christian writer have a specific role to play in the Kingdom of Heaven to impact lives for eternity.

And because of this, we choose to pour out our lives into encouraging writers like you to not only tell your stories, but to take the courageous step of self publishing your stories in book that will outlive you and leave behind a powerful legacy. This podcast is sponsored by Christian Book Academy where we help you give birth to your books. We invite you to join our community of Kingdom writers.