Productivity Archives - The Writing Coach

An interview with Antony Johnston, author of ‘The Organised Writer’

October 2, 2020 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Authors, Books, Inspiration, Interviews, Motivation, Productivity, The writing life Leave a Comment

Our Founder Jacqui Lofthouse is delighted to interview Antony Johnston, author of The Organised Writer, published by Bloomsbury, 1st October. As one who’s fairly obsessed about productivity for writers herself, she was intrigued to find out more about Antony’s viewpoint.

1. What led you to write ‘The Organised Writer’?

My own life and career, first and foremost. When I became a full-time writer I assumed I could just bash out words, send an invoice every now and then, and never have to worry about anything else. How wrong could I have been?

After a few years I was drowning in unfiled paperwork, lost notes, and — the cardinal sin, to my mind — missed deadlines. I knew I had to get myself organised, and it wasn’t an easy journey. That’s what led me to start writing about productivity in the context of being an author, and eventually expanding it all into a book.

2. Tell me about your own writing life – I’d love to hear a little about the type of projects that you typically work on or are currently juggling?

My career has been one of accumulation, in a way — I started out writing magazine articles, moved onto fiction and web comics, then broke into graphic novels before also writing videogames, becoming a regular public speaker, getting into podcasting, and most recently focusing on screenplays and thriller novels. The thing is that whenever I pick up a new strand, I rarely leave the old ones behind!

So, what am I juggling right now? I recently completed the rough draft of a novel, and just this week outlined another. Last month I finished almost two years of working on a big videogame script, and I’m in talks to start on a new game. I have a screenplay doing the rounds in Hollywood, and I’m working with several producers to pitch other screen projects; a couple of movies, a TV show, an animated series. Earlier this year I wrote and directed a short film, and I continue to host and produce two podcasts. Then there’s my work with the Writers’ Guild and the Crime Writers’ Association, both of which I serve as a committee member.

3. Were you always organised?

I was, until I wasn’t, and then I was again! I spent ten years in graphic design, where I was very organised and on top of everything. But as I mentioned, when I became a full-time writer I thought I could leave all that behind, and so became very dis-organised. Realising that was a mistake is what led me to devise the Organised Writer system.

4. There’s a lot of material about productivity out there. How much have you utilised systems you’ve learned from others and how much have you invented systems to suit your own needs?

Learning from other systems, most notably David Allen’s Getting Things Done, is how I started. And there’s some great stuff in GTD, but one of the most valuable things it taught me is that traditional productivity systems don’t work for a writer, or in fact any creative worker.

So I returned to first principles, and challenged myself not to just tweak an existing solution, but to answer more fundamental questions of what I was trying to achieve, and what I as a writer needed from a productivity system.

5. Is this a book only for professional full time writers?

Not at all. That’s my perspective, of course, and it’s how I use the system myself. But it’s ‘modular’, to use a geeky phrase, so you can take different parts and slot them into your existing work practices.

All improvement requires making changes, but if you’re, say, a parent with young children, of course I understand that you can’t spare four hours every day to write. But using The Organised Writer’s principles ensures whatever time you can spare is spent focusing on writing, not worrying about everything else going on in your life.

6. What kind of difference might your systems make in the typical writer’s life? Can you give an example or two?

Two of the biggest problems busy writers face are scheduling and distraction.

Scheduling in the Organised Writer system is about planning ahead while remaining flexible. It helps you create ‘breathing room’ to deal with obstacles and unexpected problems while still hitting deadlines.

Distraction, meanwhile, is a problem in all walks of life but particularly so for writers. We rely on using our imagination to conjure words — but words are also what we use to remember tasks we have to carry out, and things we need to remember, that have nothing to do with writing. When these things clash in our minds, both sides lose. Part of the system is about helping you ‘offload’ non-writing things from your mind so you don’t have to worry about them while you’re working.

7. Tell me more about the concept of ‘clean mind’?

‘Clean mind theory’ is my term for what happens when we can clear our mind of all the non-writing tasks we have to do, enabling us to focus on writing and using our imagination to its fullest.

Sitting down to write with half a dozen tasks preying on our mind — things we need to remember, chores we need to carry out, and so on — is a huge distraction. One of the biggest benefits I myself get from the system is knowing I don’t have to worry about all that stuff when I’m writing. It’s liberating.

8. You write about ‘job sheets’ for projects – what are these and are they useful for writers at all stages of their careers?

I first came across job sheets working as a designer, and since bringing them back into my life as a writer they’ve been a godsend. They’re simply a printed form which you use to keep track of a project’s status; ticking off stages like research, notes, rough draft, revisions, and so on. They enable you to see at a glance exactly what stage all of your projects are at.

They’re useful no matter where you are in your career because it’s never too early to develop a good habit. Veteran writers juggling multiple projects will find them immediately valuable, of course. But even if you’re a beginning writer with only one or two projects, learning to use job sheets now will pay off later as you take on more work.

9. What suggestions do you have for writers who are reading this whilst sitting in an office surrounded by piles of unfiled papers and chaos, wondering how on earth they would begin to become organised?

Take heart, because I was once like you! As I say in The Organised Writer itself: read the book, take a weekend to sort out your workspace, then get back to work and follow the system.

I know that might sound easier said than done. But if you’re prepared to make the effort, and committed to getting organised, within weeks it’ll become second nature.

10. Does being organised affect the quality of the art in your view? For example, let’s imagine Francis Bacon’s painting studio – a supreme mess, yet still the working environment of a genius…

But was that mess inspirational to him? Or was it simply a byproduct of his lifestyle?

In a way this is an impossible question to answer, because we can’t make a direct comparison. I can say without a doubt that I’ve done my best work since using the system. But I acknowledge that I can’t know whether that might have still been the case even if I was disorganised.

What I do know, again without a doubt, is that since using the system I’ve done more work than I otherwise would have… while conversely being much less stressed.

11. Your book also covers aspects of productivity. If you could share one piece of advice here relating to the act of writing itself – what would that be?

‘It’s easier to revise anything, even the worst writing in the world, than it is to write it in the first place.’

That’s a mantra I’ve both preached and practised for years. Again, it might sound easier said than done, but it’s absolutely true. So when in doubt, just write — because you can always come back and revise it later.

12. How can your book help writers who are working on multiple projects?

That’s the core of the first part of the book. Scheduling, task management, memory offloading, job sheets… it’s a holistic way to help you stay on top of your workload.

If you’re in control of your schedule, you know what to work on next; if you have an overview of every project’s status, you know what you need to do next; and if you’re not distracted by chores and tasks, the work you do will be better and allow you to finish each project sooner.

13. You write about organising money as a writer. What about those who are not yet making money from their writing – could your book help that move towards becoming professional?

Yes, absolutely. Talent may be the most important factor in a writing career, but hitting deadlines is a very close second. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, editors love knowing they can rely on a writer.

But besides that, getting a grip on your finances is another good habit worth developing as soon as you can. Start keeping accurate records now so that when you take on more work, and find yourself sending and chasing multiple invoices (and bills!) every month, those good habits will already be in place to help you stay on top of things.

14. What differences have you seen in the writing lives of others who have used your systems to date?

Mainly an increase in productivity and a decrease in stress. One novelist friend didn’t need help with her writing per se, but she took the calendar and scheduling system and adopted it completely to help her stay on track. Conversely, a comics writer friend was already good at juggling projects, but took clean mind theory to heart to help him write more every day.

The Organised Writer is a system that rewards good behaviour with the ultimate writer’s high — knowing you’ve done enough for the day, and can now relax. Every writer knows there’s no better feeling than that.

Thanks so much Antony – I really appreciate the time you’ve taken to explain your system and it’s been an absolute pleasure to read your fascinating book! I know many of my clients and blog readers will benefit from your ideas.

Readers of The Writing Coach blog can buy the book at a discount from Bloomsbury using the code ORGANISEDWRITER20, here: www.bloomsbury.com/theorganisedwriter (codes expires on 30th November)

Words Away Salon: ‘Be Your Own Writing Coach’

June 25, 2017 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Authors, Community, Confidence, Events, Interviews, Motivation, Networking, Productivity, The writing coach, The writing life, Writers Leave a Comment

The Words Away salon is on Monday, July 3, 2017
7:30pm – 9:30pm at The Tea House Theatre, Vauxhall

Do you need some inspiration and motivation tips to get going and keep going this summer? What’s stopping you from finishing that book? Do you start but never quite finish? Would you like to be more confident in your approach to writing?

The Words Away Salon

This month, our Founder Jacqui Lofthouse is delighted to be the July guest at the Words Away Salon – the topic for July is ‘Be Your Own Writing Coach’.

The Tea House Theatre, Vauxhall

Words Away creative writing salons concentrate on the writing process. Run by writers Kellie Jackson and Emma Darwin, who every month invite a guest author to join you, the audience, in discussing a particular topic in writing, a genre, or a question of craft.

Emma and Kellie say:

Over tea, cake and a glass of wine, we’ll explore the challenges and opportunities, the difficulties and joys of writing, and the reality of being a writer. We hope you’ll come and join us. The Salons are held once a month on a Monday evening, 7.30pm at the Tea House Theatre, 139 Vauxhall Walk, London, SE11 5HL.

The Be your Own Writing Coach event is on Monday July 3rd and the guest is Jacqui Lofthouse, our Founder, a novelist, writing coach and literary consultant who has a wealth of experience and ideas for making the most of your writing time. The July literary salon is the last before the summer break and should equip you with some new ways to a more productive writing life.

What is Words Away?

Words Away aims to bring writers together in a creative environment to explore the writing process. They hold monthly salons at the Tea House Theatre Cafe, in London and host creative writing retreats at Rathfinny Wine Estate, East Sussex. Through their Salons they offer a focused exploration on a particular topic with a chance to exchange ideas and ask questions in a friendly setting.

Jacqui Lofthouse, this month’s guest at Words Away

Be inspired. Develop and nurture your craft. Meet other writers. Please join us, all welcome.

If you’re looking for other literary events in London, do take a look at our event at Waterstones, Gower Street on Wednesday 12th July: Literary Fiction, a panel discussion where Jacqui Lofthouse will be interviewing authors Roopa Farooki, Miranda Gold, Alice Jolly, Clare Morgan and Charles Palliser.

The Observer – a writing prompt

February 2, 2015 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Confidence, Inspiration, Motivation, Productivity, Writing Exercises Leave a Comment

Reading Jane Harris’s wonderful historical novel The Observationsthis week reminded me of one of my favourite writing exercises which I call ‘The Observer’.

Here’s your writing prompt this Monday morning:

A character stands in the street, looking up at a lighted window. The character observes the person through the lighted window and reflects on the significance of what s/he sees and what actions s/he will take next. You can write in the first or third person, but the most important thing here is to remember that your character is observing the other. What does s/he notice? Think of the five senses – what does the street smell like? What about the quality of the light? What noises interrupt the observer? What is s/he afraid of?

We must sense the fascination. What will you reveal about the character in the street and the one at the window? What will be hidden?

I’d love to know how you get on with this exercise. Do let me know in the comments!

Monday morning writing prompt: the muddy boots

January 19, 2015 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Motivation, Productivity, Writing Exercises Leave a Comment

Sometimes life can get in the way of writing, so I thought I’d help to get you in the writing zone each week by offering you a regular writing prompt.

There are no rules. You may choose to free-write, to get as many words as possible down on the page (for later editing), or you may prefer to pause for thought, writing at a more leisurely pace. Equally, you could use these prompts to deepen a character you are already working on.

Today’s prompt: A character takes off his or her boots and walks off. It doesn’t have to be this pair of boots – the boots you imagine may be different. The room might be more squalid or the the boots might have been taken off out-of-doors, somewhere more earthy, somewhere darker. What is important is the mud on the boots. You must know where that came from.

Who do they belong to? Write a first person account of the character’s movements immediately after taking off the boots. Consider where s/he has been, where s/he is going, what s/he wants and what s/he fears. Include sensory detail, particularly sense of smell and touch. Don’t forget to give your character a sense of purpose.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments, to find out what came out of this exercise for you. Where did it take you? What might happen next?

On ‘playing a ten’ (or what an acting class taught me about confidence for writers)

May 18, 2012 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Confidence, Motivation, Productivity, The writing life 5 Comments

Confidence for writers is such an elusive creature. Why’s that? Because we are working in a profession where rejection is often a part of the deal. We frequently work without a structure, sometimes without colleagues, relying on our wits and in many cases not getting enough feedback. I’ve worked with enough writers over the years to know that insecurity can go with the territory. Even published writers experience this, as they go through the publication mill. ‘Will I get enough publicity? Will anyone notice my novel has even appeared? What are the reviews like? How are my sales?’

If you’re a confident writer reading this and thinking ‘speak for yourself, I’m confident as hell’ then by all means, skip to another post on this site. But it seems to me that insecurity is a part of the human condition and in the many years I have spent working as a coach and mentor to writers, I’ve not met a writer who doesn’t experience it in one form or another.

Recently, in my regular drama class at City Lit we were playing a character-based ‘status game’ that got me thinking about confidence in a new way. I’d like to share my insights, but first, a simple question:

Confidence for writers? Shouldn’t we be thinking about talent first?

In truth, I think the two go hand in hand. In order to develop talent, we need to work hard at our art. If we wish to develop as a writer, for example, it’s necessary to spend many hours reading: to absorb the skills and the technique of those who have gone before us. We need to work hard at our writing desks too, developing our ideas and our style – and we need to get feedback from others, to get a sense of how readers perceive our work. We need to read other writers on their processes (the Paris Review interviews are fantastic for this), perhaps attend writing classes or meet with fellow writers to learn more about our craft. All of this takes time and dedication. But where are we to find this time and dedication if we do not first have confidence that we can DO THIS? And if we produce our masterpiece, how are we going to ensure that we maintain our confidence for long enough to persist through possible rounds of rejections? (JK Rowling had twelve before Bloomsbury accepted the first Harry Potter book; George Orwell endured “It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA” for Animal Farm and why not take a look at the blog “One hundred famous rejections” for more.) It seems to me that writers need confidence to inspire their talent and confidence to match their talent as they take their work out into the world.

I have written in the past about “creativity and despair” in my post on the life and work of Sarah Kane “4.48 Psychosis: creativity and despair”. I also wrote about this theme in my novel Bluethroat Morning. Creative despair is the flip side of creative brilliance and my work here at the writing coach centres on how we can use our creativity to inspire positive growth and how we can avoid the creative tendency for harsh self-judgement, especially in a success-driven world. (See my newsletter post on ‘success’ too)

So what’s this ‘playing a ten’ business?

In an improvisation class, our tutor suggested that we play with the idea of status. If every character had a ‘status’ from 1-10, she suggested (where 1 was extremely timid and 10 was super-confident), how would that affect our playing of that character? We were asked to pick random numbers from a hat and to walk into the room and say ‘hello’, demonstrating that number via our stance and attitude. If there wasn’t a strong consensus about what number we were, we had to adjust our playing accordingly and try again until people ‘got’ our status. What was interesting to me is that sometimes we had really differing views of what a ‘4’ or a ‘8’ might look like.

This is, of course, interesting from the point of view of characterisation too. Our teacher pointed out the fact that ‘status’ in this respect has nothing to do with job. ‘My cleaner is a ’10’,’ she said. ‘If he’s cleaning the communal hallway, he takes over the place and I find myself saying a quiet ‘excuse me’ if I want to get past.’ This exercise reminded me of another drama exercise I’d undertaken in a previous term where a teacher asked us to focus on different parts of our body as we walked. We discovered through that exercise that ‘confidence is in the chest’. When you walk with your chest thrust forward, you inevitably feel more confident. (If it’s useful for character development profiles, we also discovered that age is in the hips and gender is in the knees, in terms of the way one walks…)

In the class on status, we then played various improvisation games where characters interacted with each other in different status positions. (I was a gallery attendant meeting a gallery-goer who had a higher status than me.) We discussed how our status can change, depending on different circumstances and relationships (one might be a ‘9’ at work and a ‘3’ at home for example). And at the end of the class, we discussed the way in which anyone who is feeling like a ’10’ on a particular day can walk along the pavement in such a style that almost everyone will get out of their way. We were asked to leave the class walking ‘like a ’10’ to see if this is true. (It is. Try it!)

But does ‘playing a ten’ actually make you more confident?

When taking part in this exercise, I was reminded of how the physical body affects our mental state. I once heard the coach Aboodi Shabi talk about how the body affects the self and his ideas remained with me. When we walk with a focus on our chest, for example (our teacher suggested walking as if there was a small glowing golden ball in your chest), then something in our physical self shifts – and this can result in a mental shift too. As we begin to walk more confidently, so we feel more confident and happier even. It struck me that if we can simply ‘decide’ to shift our confidence physically, then a mental shift is also more likely to occur.

Equally importantly, I was reminded of the work of Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, via their book The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life. Benjamin Zander is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and in the book he talks about how he improves the outcomes for his students via the practice of ‘Giving an A’. He starts the term by telling his students that he will give all of them an ‘A’ if they will simply write him a letter, as if from themselves at the end of term, telling him what they did to deserve their ‘A’. In Zander’s words, ‘This A is not an expectation to live up to, but a possibility to live into.’

Zander’s students excel because they are not therefore constrained by self-doubt. One of the reasons that I’m interested in this theme is the fact that I have worked with writers who are effectively ‘getting in their own way’: not writing at their full capacity because a lack of confidence is stifling their creative potential and growth.

I want to be clear about this. I am not saying that increased confidence will turn you into a genius. I am saying however that if you learn to allow your creative potential to flow (via a state of confident experimentation) then you have a chance of writing something good and inherently true to you (and maybe even amazing). I have witnessed many times how increased confidence leads to better work. Confident writers are more open to creative accident, are more likely to access moments of creative brilliance, are more productive and have greater verve in their work.

How does one play this elusive ‘ten’?

To be honest, an eight or a nine would do! The best advice I can give is to approach your work with a sense of curiosity and openness. When you are writing, don’t ask yourself what the ‘right’ way of doing this is. Rather, aim to get honest words down, focus on expression rather than on your self. Too many writers approach their desks with self-consciousness. You need to get past this if you are going to write well. Some people find meditation helps. I like to play Bach’s Cello Suites (the Pablo Casals version is my favourite) to get past myself and into a more relaxed state. You can also try simple breathing and postural work: close your eyes, breathe slowly and deeply, relax your knees a little, stand upright, as if a thread is pulling up the back of your head, draw your breath in deep and focus on the present moment. You might like to look at the book ‘Presence’ by Patsy Rodenburg (Director of Voice at the National Theatre) if you want to do the physical work that will lead to greater confidence. What would happen if you approached your writing desk with a real sense of presence?

For ‘confidence’ you could even substitute ‘truth’. Tell yourself ‘I’m going to focus on writing something which I believe to be true or something which seems real and true to me’. Confidence is about openness to process and about the messages you give yourself. An unconfident writer would approach his or her writing desk thinking ‘how the hell am I going to write anything good? Who am I to think I can write a decent sentence let alone a novel?’ A confident writer, by contrast, would go to the writing desk in a spirit of enquiry. ‘What am I going to find out today? I wonder what my character is going to reveal to me. I want to try to write about my childhood home in precise sensual detail and I have no idea where that will take me, but let’s play with it…’

We live in a world where too many people play small and stifle their creativity. Each one of us is unique and we only have one life in which to express our personal truth.

I would love to hear what happens when you experiment with the idea of ‘playing a ten’. Why not ask yourself the following question:

What makes me feel confident? What can I do to increase this feeling? How would my writing improve if I allowed myself to believe that what I write will have real value?

Do share how you get on in the comments below – or if you have any ideas on how to increase the feeling of confidence, I’d love to hear them.

Time management for writers: ten ways of finding time to write when you have no time

January 31, 2012 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Confidence, Goal setting, Inspiration, Motivation, Productivity, The writing coach, The writing life 8 Comments

This post about time management for writers originally appeared on my very first blog ‘Stubborn World’. It tackles the thorny issue of how to find time to write in a busy life, something that so many of us struggle with. I do hope that you find some of these ideas inspiring.

Sometimes ‘just opening the file’ is all it takes…

1. Set aside a regular time each week for your writing and make it sacred. Even if you can only find a single time slot, for example Sunday evening, put it in the diary and make it A FIXTURE. Tell everybody you know that you’re busy and honour this time. It may seem a small step, but it’s a way to signal to yourself and others that you are committed.

2. Write only what you love. Nothing is going to make you write if you are not passionate about what you are doing. When considering a writing project, ensure it is something you really WANT to write about. If you can find the passion, you are halfway there. Your desk will draw you like a magnet.

3. Perfect your writing space. Make sure that the place where you write is conducive to your work. It’s difficult for anyone to work at a desk that’s strewn with bills or work-related reports. Think carefully about what kind of space you would like to create for your writing. Does it include a pin-board covered in inspirational post-cards? A vase of flowers? A perfectly clear space? Or, if you can’t manage a desk, might it involve an early night curled up in bed with a journal? Make this a space you long to return to. DON’T SKIP THIS STEP!

4. Just ‘open the file’. Every day. I learned this one from time management coach Mark Forster. The biggest excuse for not writing is that we ‘don’t have time’. We believe we must have huge swathes of uninterrupted time if we are to be truly inspired. Thus, we often don’t write at all. But what would happen if you made a true commitment to just ‘opening the file’ every day. You go to your computer or desk, you open the document you are working on and you commit to writing for five minutes. Try it. Five minutes can become ten, fifteen… suddenly an hour has passed. Trick yourself into working. Daily.

5. Simplify your life. This one is essential. And it goes deeper than you may think. What are you so busy with that you don’t have time to write? Is there any way in which you could simplify your life? What could you let go of in order to find time to write? What would happen if you decided to say no more often and set up stronger boundaries about yourself? Could you resign from a committee? Get your shopping delivered? Stop wasting time surfing the Internet? List ten ways now in which you are complicating your life. And commit to taking three actions to create more time to write.

6. Carry notebooks wherever you go. You know this, right? But do you do it? First, it’s about the notebooks being there, when you’re inspired. But it’s also a way of allowing a thought to develop over the course of a day or a week. Get down the initial inspiration and watch the idea twist and change. If you don’t record it, you may lose it. A notebook encourages you to ‘write when you’re not writing’; to be constantly musing on the development of your work.

7. Find a place you can escape to. Maybe it’s a nearby café or the reading room of an art gallery. Again, make this a regular date. When you are outside your normal environment, away from distractions, it is easier to focus on the task in hand. It doesn’t matter where you write, it just matters that you do it. Many of my clients write on the train, or in their lunch hour. One writes for the first hour after her toddler is dropped off at nursery. Don’t assume you must be at your desk. What matters most is momentum.

8. Make a game of it. Set yourself a weekly target in terms of word count and make yourself accountable to somebody else for reaching that target. Set up a reward for yourself, if you hit your weekly target. It’s amazing what you can do when you have an incentive. Remember, if you only write 500 words every day, you’ll have a draft of a book within 6 months.

9. Use the ‘mosaic’ method. It occurs to me that mosaics, like novels, are built from tiny fragments, that, taken alone, are not a work of art – yet when they are assembled, formed into patterns, they become something entirely different. Don’t make the mistake of believing you need to see the entire picture before you begin. Think of it as laying down single tiles (single words). Each day, you lay a few tiles; you’ll see your pattern build. You don’t have to have a template. You simply have faith that a pattern will emerge. But you have to put those tiles down, even if it’s just a few.

10. Don’t let the well get empty. If you find yourself lacking in inspiration, it’s possible you’re pushing yourself too hard. Working all hours? Sitting at your desk in the evening, staring at a blank screen? Too much pandering to screaming children? Not enough time to just stare at the sky? If you don’t make time for creative play, you’ll have nothing to write about. It’s SO important to fill that creative well. What small thing can you do today to ensure your creativity will flow? Visit an art gallery? Dig the garden? Read a fascinating book about the Russian Revolution? It doesn’t matter how you recharge your creativity, but if you don’t have ‘input’ you won’t have ‘output’. It’s that simple!

What time management tips can you pass on to other writers? How do you fit writing into your schedule?

How a single image can lead to an entire novel: on listening to author Ian Beck

December 8, 2011 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Authors, Books, Motivation, Productivity, The writing life 7 Comments

Question: What can a writer learn from an illustrator?

Answer: The fact that we don’t have to know the entire plot before we begin. Indeed, we might know nothing at all about our story but if we have a strong ‘hunch’, it’s important that we follow it.

Earlier this month my daughter and I attended a talk at the Richmond literature festival with the author/illustrator Ian Beck. Beck was there to talk about his new novel The Haunting of Charity Delafield. I had expected the talk would be more interesting to my daughter than to me, but I was wrong because as Beck described his working process, I recognised it as the same process I use when I write novels myself, the same process that I recommend to clients time and again: the organic method of development.

Beck was, in the first instance, an illustrator, having trained at Brighton College of Art in the sixties, where one of his tutors was Raymond Briggs. After working as an illustrator for magazines and in the recording industry for several years (his work included the album cover for Sir Elton John’s ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’), he moved into children’s book illustration in the ’80s. More recently, he has written novels for children and young adults.

A single image

Beck’s latest novel ‘The Haunting of Charity Delafield’ began life as a single image, similar to the one that now graces the book cover, seen here. At first, he thought the girl in the red coat might be a character for an illustrated book – perhaps about a girl who had lost a puppy. But that idea didn’t work and Beck put the image on a Christmas card and left it alone for a while. Slowly, however, after a long break, Beck told us, the idea for a longer novel began to take shape. He talked about visiting a garden, Levens Hall and realising that ‘her garden is a bit like that’. He visits a particular house, full of mysterious objects and understands that Charity (at that time, in fact, he called her ‘Rose’ and her maid was ‘Charity’) lives in a big Victorian house full of peculiar things. It is the perfect place for a haunting. Soon Beck was writing a story about a girl raised alone, knowing little of the outside world, “confined to her overly-protective father’s Victorian mansion with its labyrinth of secret corridors and abandoned rooms.”

‘Stories can begin in all kinds of odd places,’ Beck said. ‘The important thing is knowing how to recognise it.’ It was three years from the time of that first illustration to the completion of the novel. It’s clear you can’t rush an organic project. Beck has a shed in his garden where he writes, but he’s equally comfortable scribbling for half an hour in a coffee shop. He believes it is vital to be ‘open to imagination, allowing things to happen’. His early influences were illustrations such as Pauline Baynes’ image of Mr Tumnus in Narnia, and books such as The Borrowers and Dr Dolittle. He admires the work of Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac and Harold Jones in Lavender’s Blue: A book of Nursery Rhymes.

But what about the plot?

I didn’t ask the question ‘but how did you work out the plot?’ Why? Because as an organic writer myself, I understand that when we begin with character, setting, relationships, questions – the plot emerges as part of the process. Of course, different writers have different methods of developing plot and I do not underestimate the importance of a good structure in a book. One of the reasons I always advocate organic growth is because I believe that when characters are fully realised, they end up doing things that we don’t expect them to do. The more we write about them, the more we understand them and all of our best-laid plans can go awry. I will write about ‘good plot structure’ in a subsequent post. But I highlight Beck’s method of starting with an image or a hunch, even if you don’t know where that will lead you, because I am deeply aware of how many authors are held back by a sense of ‘not knowing’ where a novel is going. Whereas ‘not knowing’ can be the powerful thing. ‘Not knowing’ is, so often, what the creative process is all about. We have to be brave and we have to face the blank page and we have to recognise that there is mystery in the creative process. If we are to produce our best work, we must remain open to uncertainty.

You can find out more about Ian Beck and his earlier ‘Tom Trueheart’ novels on his website here.

If you’re interested in the organic method of writing, my ebook Get Black on White offers a simple introduction. Or do sign up for the newsletter on this website for regular fortnightly advice and motivation on the writing process in your in-box.

Ten simple steps to make editing a novel easier and more fun

September 9, 2011 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Editing, Motivation, Productivity, Technique 5 Comments

Writing a first draft of a novel or any book is, you might say, the easy part. But it’s at the editing stage that we craft our work into something special. We aim to transform our material into work that will compel a reader.

Even if you don’t have a local canyon, choose somewhere inspirational to work…

If you’ve recently finished a draft of a novel – or indeed, if you are mid-draft but aware that you need to edit before you continue – the methods that I share here break down the process and make it much more manageable.

When I edit my own novels, I always work through several stages so I thought it might be useful to share a checklist of the things I’m looking for when I edit my own work. This article focuses on fiction primarily, but a parallel process can be used for non-fiction.

Take Time Out:

Once you have completed your manuscript, take time away from the work prior to editing. Have a break for a couple of weeks and consider getting feedback on the work from a trusted writing colleague. Think carefully before sharing your work however and choose somebody who you know will be constructive. Opinions can be subjective and if you are not getting professional feedback, it is worth choosing a number of readers, so you can get a balanced opinion on the work. You might like to prepare a list of specific questions for your reader. Alternatively, if you prefer to keep your work private, just taking time out alone will be enough. You need to gain distance from what you have written before you can edit it. Do something fun whilst you’re waiting!

Consider the feedback carefully:

The best part about receiving feedback is that you are free to use it or discard it. Nobody will give you some ‘ultimate truth’ on your novel. Some feedback will be valuable. Some you can discard. Go with your gut feeling. It might take a few days for the feedback to sink in and for you to sift what is useful. Sometimes we experience a sense of disappointment that the work is not perfect already. It’s a natural response. But learning to accept feedback and use it well is a vital part of our work. The fun part here is the freedom you have to accept what you’ve been told -if it is insightful – and use it well. Take your reader’s notes to an inspirational place and journal on the areas of your work that you now sense need work.

Go for the full read-through:

Take a deep breath and don’t put it off any longer. Just take time out, pick up the entire work-to-date and a pen to scribble with, get comfortable in an armchair (or on a cliff-top, wherever you feel at ease…) and read. Read it as if you had never read it before, as if you were an outsider, a professional editor. Read the whole document – if necessary over several longish sessions – and annotate your text with any comments that occur to you in relation to changes you want to make, including small line-edits. Just get everything down on that manuscript as this will be your working document. Whatever comes into your head as you read – get that on the page.

Look at the big picture:

As you read, have a separate notebook where you make notes on what I call ‘the big picture’. This is where you can scribble more lengthy thoughts on the over-arching shape of the work. Is the structure effective? If not, why not? What would you like to change? How might you adjust it? Are there any missing pieces of the puzzle? Get it all down in your journal as you read. You’ll use these notes later.

Use a simple check-list:

As you read your manuscript, look out for the following in particular. Make notes in the margins and your notebook. Keep scribbling freely and don’t let any thought go:

Structural issues – where does it not hold together? Are there plot holes? Does it go off at a tangent? Is the plot too clichéd? In non-fiction, does the ordering of the material work?
Voice issues – is the tone right? Is it consistent? Is it written from the right perspective? Do I need to make changes to the narrative voice?
Character issues. Are the characters believable? Do they take actions that seem real? Do I believe that they are flesh and blood? Is their dialogue naturalistic? Can the reader empathise? Do the characters develop and change in the course of the book? What do they learn?
Dialogue – Is it a good, condensed version of natural dialogue? Is it too focused on telling a story via dialogue and not realistic enough? Would the characters SAY this? Is the dialogue there for a purpose – to deepen characterisation or to advance the story?
Telling not showing – Am I telling the reader too much, when I should be revealing the truth through action? Remember, dialogue doesn’t equal “showing”. Good “showing” is when a scene is dramatised and we are immersed in what is happening, unaware of the narrator’s presence. We don’t say ‘he is sad’, his sadness is revealed to us.
Pace – is the action always moving forwards? Am I certain that each scene is propelling the character towards their goal, even if they are frustrated in that process? Am I wasting time, waffling? Every scene must be there for a purpose and advance the plot in some way.
Scene structure – Is there movement in the scene? Do the characters shift? Does perspective change? Is there drama and conflict and change and development?
Sentence construction. Is this working on a line by line basis? Am I overusing adjectives? Am I using adverbs? (They rarely work!) Do I repeat myself? Are there phrases I overuse? Does it flow? How’s my grammar?

Condense your actions down to a short list:

Once you’ve completed the read-through, take a separate session to look through your annotated notes. Then, choose a notebook – or a document if you prefer to work electronically – that relates specifically to your editing process and begin by making a list of all the major ‘big picture’ changes you want to make. Then ask yourself – can you condense this list to five key areas? Examples of such areas could be:

The character of Isabelle is too passive; I need to change her actions and responses to make her more feisty and thus engage the reader.
The pace in the first third of the book is too slow – cut down on extraneous scene-setting and cut to the chase. Keep the scenes more focused on action.
Work on my tendency to over-describe and lay-on the adjectives. Remember that less is more
Get clearer on Simon’s motivation in the novel. That needs to be built at an earlier stage if the book is to have drive.
Find a different resolution to the love affair. At present it is too clichéd and the end of the book doesn’t have impact as a result.

Don’t forget the line edits:

These are simply examples of the kind of points you might make, but there’s something very powerful in having key focus areas. It means that as we go through the book, we know where our main attention should lie. In addition to these larger points, you will also have a list of smaller points. However, you can work directly from the manuscript in relation to the smaller points rather than noting them separately.

Keep excellent records – be organised:

When you are editing, work on your main document but draw from all of your sources. Have the annotated manuscript(s) at your side and your list of key points. Editing can be an organic process, as when you make changes to a book, other aspects of that book can shift and change. Keep your editing notebook open as an ongoing document. From time to time, print up your newly edited work and read it through. It’s so satisfying to read a new draft and to feel how much smoother and more believable it is becoming. When working with clients, I’m often amazed at how swiftly work can improve with good editing. It is always a pleasure to see how work can be transformed in this way. Don’t let your filing get disorganised at this time. You need to know where everything is so that you can draw everything together with ease. Generally I save a copy of the old full manuscript, then take a fresh copy of it and ‘over-write’ the new version on the word processor. You can start a whole new document if you prefer, but I generally find over-writing works best.

Be a perfectionist:

Once you’ve edited the document – if you are preparing for submission – you need to read the final manuscript through at least twice more. This might seem like the least fun part but if you approach it in the right way, you can gain a lot from this stage. No literary agent or publisher wants to receive a manuscript full of typos and often-repeated words (we all do it!) When I was finishing my last book, I did the final read-through on a Kindle. (You can forward the ms to your freekindle.com address). There’s something empowering about this, as it enable you to see the manuscript as if it were a finished book. But also – when you read it like that, all the little errors leap out at you. The final read-through is the most fun of all because (if you’ve done your job!) you can really enjoy the pleasure of reading your work in a fully polished form and you can take huge pride in this.

Remain true to your own vision:

Finally, remember that if we don’t edit, we don’t learn. Even when we think a book is finished, it will then go to an agent or a publisher who will notice aspects of the work that will improve with further editing. As a result, the book generally gets stronger and stronger. At the same time, remember that it is important to hold tight to your own vision of the book. Stand your ground if you need to. We do learn so much in this process and it strengthens our abilities as a writer.

Essentially, aim above all for the best possible work you can do and for a vision that is uniquely yours. Then your own pleasure in the work and your skill will shine through to the reader, agent or editor. Don’t forget – you don’t have to do all of this at once. Just make that commitment to the read-through, pick up the manuscript and a pencil to scribble with and before you know it, you’re engaged in the process.

Why not try beginning today and let me know how it goes? You can break the process down into simple thirty minute chunks if you’re busy.

What would you add to these recommendations? Do please share in the comments.

My favourite productivity tips for writers

June 28, 2011 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Confidence, Goal setting, Inspiration, Productivity, The writing coach, The writing life 6 Comments

One of the main questions that I get asked in my work as a writing coach is “how can I become more productive as a writer?” Modern life is full of distractions and most of us are juggling many roles at one time. It is hard sometimes to set aside our other commitments and take time out to do work which is important and yet – if we’re not on an external deadline – not urgent.

It is easy to put our writing off until “tomorrow” yet the problem with tomorrow is that it never comes. It’s worth noting that if we decide to write only when we have a decent three hour slot, say once a fortnight, then we might produce, for example, 1500 words in that slot, which equates to 39,000 words a year. If however, we decide to find a single hour, five days a week, for writing and produce 500 words in that hour, then we will produce 130,000 words in a year. That’s quite a difference.

I am not saying that productivity is the most important yardstick by which to measure our writing. Of course it is not. Personally, I’d far rather produce an excellent novel over three years than a shoddy one in a year. The point I’m making however is that if we work regularly, our work grows faster. Regular work is also likely to deepen a book because if you engage with your subject matter more frequently, it is more likely to occupy your subconscious and your conscious mind during the rest of the day, and thus you will be doing what I call (in my very scientific lingo) “working when you’re not working”. In other words, you’re not likely to engage subconsciously with the problem you’re having with your plot if you only pause to consider your novel once a fortnight. But if you just touch base with it every day, even for a short period, your mind will get working on the problem, even when you’re walking to work or doing the washing up.

If you would like to be more productive as a writer, here are my key tips:

Decide how much time you can realistically give to your writing each week. For example, two hours, twice a week. In those four hours, you might produce around 2000 words which equates to 104,000 words a year. Even the busiest person can generally find four hours if they try hard enough. Can you commit to this? If so, do post a comment below as a mark of your own commitment.
I highly recommend time-management guru Mark Forster’s idea. He says that you should “just open the file”. You can kid yourself into writing by telling yourself that each day you will simply “open the file”. You’ll be pulled into the work and do more than you’d intended.
Find someone or a group of people to be accountable to. In my Facebook group for clients, we have a regular Monday morning accountability post. We did this when I ran an online club for writers too and I know that this little trick alone made an enormous difference to the writers who were members.
When you plan your daily work, keep it simple and focus on your three most important tasks. I learnt this from Leo Babauta at Zen Habits. Every day I still write my main three tasks in a small Moleskine journal. It helps to keep me really focussed on what is important on any particular day.
When you plan your time, where possible always put the writing first. If you have a choice between writing and answering your email (and you’re not at work with your boss looking over your shoulder), then just write. Do important tasks first and you’ll move ahead with all of your goals more quickly.
What can you give up in order to find more time to write? Is there a committee that you sit on that you only attend out of a vague sense of duty? Do you really get pleasure out of your book club or does it simply mean that you have to read books you wouldn’t choose to read (which also takes up time)? I’m not saying that book clubs are a bad thing – I love mine and wouldn’t be without it. I’m simply saying that whatever takes up your time potentially takes time away from writing. Consider your priorities carefully.
Be aware of your own rhythms. Remember, the only way NOT to be productive is not to write at all! Find the best time of day for you and work then. One person who attended a teleclass on productivity I ran said, “While I have been angsting about not being as productive as some of the more macho, gung-ho writers of my acquaintance, I have been ignoring my own work rhythms and ways to get things done.” I do have a tip to pass on which it only occurred to me the next morning when I woke up, inspired by the conversation. I have become more productive this week since I “limited” the amount of time I write every week. Instead of setting “Sunday afternoon ” aside as writing time, I have limited myself to 60 minutes every morning, over coffee, and 60 minutes in the evening, with a glass of wine. But 60 minutes, and nothing else – no reading, no revising, no email. The rest of the day is free for work, family, reading, or mucking about. I’m doing about twice as much work now as I was a week ago.
Another person attending that class said: “I still keep paper and pencil available wherever I go. I have now included keeping my hand-held recorder with me wherever I am. When I go to bed, I make sure it is on the nightstand. I have even carried it with me when I am out walking around my property, I try to remember to put it in my pocket and if I have forgotten and words start flowing, I head to the house to get it. I live and breathe my book(s) and am constantly thinking of what needs to be included to put in them and how to word them. Using the small recorder is invaluable when I need to include much more than just a few “tickler” words. I speak into it in paragraphs instead of those few short words.” Yesterday I had a meeting with a client and we talked about how useful she is finding the iPad in this respect, as you can write longhand on the tablet and change it into typescript.
Do remember that it is more important to get the words down than it is to “get it right”. At the inception stage of a work, we should ideally get into a more diffuse “right-brained” mode of working, allowing ourselves to free-write, to dream, to journal. In the words of Hemingway, “every first draft is shit”. Don’t let the inner-critic get in the way at this stage. Only later, once the voice has formed, once you know your characters and main story thrust should you allow your “left-brained” mode more sway. At that stage more planning becomes important.
For me, the most important productivity tip of all is to only write what you are passionate about. If you have a genuine fascination in your material, you will be drawn back to it all the time; you won’t be able to leave it alone.

I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface here, but I hope some of these ideas have inspired you to find more time for writing in your everyday life. I would love to hear your ideas for productive writing – please do share in the comments. I’m looking forward to your thoughts.

An interview with Antony Johnston, author of ‘The Organised Writer’