Interview with author Anne Janzer
Anne Janzer, author
One of the benefits of writing a book on writing is that it gives me the chance to talk with those who are so much more knowledgeable than I am in certain areas.
It’s like having a private consultation without the cost!
Anyway, in the course of working on the Process section of my latest book, RUT-BUSTING BOOK FOR AUTHORS, I reached out to author and writing coach Anne Janzer for some advice on dealing with the time management challenge when writing a book.
It can be so hard to balance the writing and the marketing (which you need to be doing while you’re writing the book!) along with all the other personal and professional demands. From my own experience, there are days when I feel like all I am doing is playing catch-up, and worried that something important is falling through the cracks!
So I was thrilled when Anne agreed to give me some tips for the book, especially because I knew how valuable her information is from reading her book, The Writer’s Process.
And when she sent me far more than I was expecting, I thought I’d share some of the extra information with all of you—both to help you overcome any tendency to procrastinate (which can plague all of us at some point) and give you a taste of what you’ll find in RUT-BUSTING BOOK FOR AUTHORS.
For more about Anne, visit her website and her social media channels: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
And be sure to check out her books: The Workplace Writer’s Process, The Writer’s Process, and Writing to Be Understood.
Now on to our interview!
Let’s get right to the heart of it. How does procrastination differ from taking time to thoroughly evaluate and map out a strategy for a writing process?
Planning, research and strategizing are all part of the writing process. But at some point, you need to know when to say “enough” and move on. Nonfiction or historical fiction authors can get so caught up in the research that they can’t? get past that phase.
My rule of thumb is to aim for twenty percent more research than you think you’ll use. Don’t aim for perfect; you can always fill in holes later.
When do we cross the line from planning to procrastinating?
Don’t confuse procrastination and incubation. When you put off researching or planning, that’s procrastination.
But if you’ve struggled with the work and are taking an intentional break, that’s incubation.
Incubation happens after you’ve researched or struggled with a project and then put it aside to do something else. Parts of your mind keep working on the unfinished project, and that can make you more productive and creative.
What are some of the reasons why we procrastinate, especially when it’s a writing project we really want to accomplish?
Emotional reasons can keep us from working on important projects. We may be afraid of failing or feel like imposters. When you sense those thoughts, resolve to prove your inner critic wrong by getting to work. Your actions can change your beliefs.
Maybe you believe you need a fully formed story or book idea before you write. Waiting for inspiration is a dangerous form of procrastination because, for most of us, the ideas only flow when we’re engaged in the work.
Writing is a physical manifestation of deep thought—and we have few opportunities for deep thought in our lives. Give yourself permission to write.
I like to “free-write” about a subject before I develop a book idea. I think of this as inner research, and it helps me zoom in on what I really want to do. Free-writing is writing fluidly and quickly, without self-editing, planning or structure, and with no intention of showing the results to anyone. Free-writing helps you explore different angles on your subject.
Your latest book, The Workplace Writer’s Process, is for freelance and contract writers. In it, you cover how to get writing projects done consistently, efficiently, and successfully. What role does time management play in this?
Time management is a huge part of success in freelance and contract writing. In this situation, you often have to manage other people’s time—interview subjects, subject matter experts, reviewers, and approvers. You need a rock-solid idea of how long different parts of the process can take.
You should always build a buffer into the schedule for the unexpected and the factors outside your control.
How can a tendency to procrastinate hurt their freelance career?
As a freelance writer, you may accept projects that you’re not super excited about. (Paying the bills is a lovely thing.) Those are the projects you’re most likely to procrastinate on. If you throw something together quickly when the deadline arrives, the quality of your work suffers—and perhaps your reputation. Plus, it’s stressful and no fun.
Use the power of incubation to make these projects (and all of your assignments) better. As soon as you can, start researching and taking notes, even if you don’t plan to write for a while. This gives your background mental processes a chance to search for interesting approaches.
When you’re ready to write, you will have primed the pump and the words should flow more easily. The drafting should take less time, and the results may be better.
You’ve coached other authors through the book writing process. What are some of the common problems you’ve helped them overcome?
Most authors realize that a book is a major project and get organized. They start strong, then falter partway through. Here are three common traps that derail them:
- Getting too attached to the initial outline: When you’re about halfway through the rough draft, you may realize that your first outline for the book isn’t quite right. Part of your plan doesn’t fit, or you’ve gone into much more detail on another section. It’s okay to rework the outline when you’re partway through drafting: I’ve done it for all of my own books and help other authors through the same thing. Look at the project from the reader’s perspective and see what you would change.
- Polishing the text as you draft: If you invest a lot of time and effort polishing your prose, then creating a first draft takes a long time. It can be discouraging. Worse, you will resist reorganizing or cutting this highly edited material if you decide it doesn’t fit. Instead, get the first draft done as quickly as you can, even if it’s imperfect. But then, don’t fall into the third problem:
- Not leaving enough time for revision: When you’re impatient to get the book out, you might shortcut the revision process. If you’ve been writing fluidly and freely, you’ll need to take a few passes through the draft, and get an outside perspective. If you care about the quality of your writing, revise.
A challenge I have—and one I’m sure I share with other authors—is getting everything done related to writing a book, from the actual writing part to all the marketing and research that is part of being an author. Based on your experience as a coach and author, how do you “do it all”?
You are so right, Nancy, the challenge of doing everything can seem enormous—particularly for self-published or indie authors like us.
I often think for the indie author, finishing a book manuscript is like completing the first phase of a triathlon. You drag yourself out of the water only to face two more races—publishing and marketing.
You can do it all, but not all at once.
Think of yourself as alternating between different roles: author, publisher, marketer, etc. Divide your time.
Give yourself permission to put aside your “author” role for a day so you can work on publishing tasks, or to commit an afternoon to marketing. Some authors dedicate one day a week to focus on book marketing.
When I’m working on a book, I typically write in the mornings and work on marketing and other tasks in the afternoon. In the months immediately following publication of a book, I put aside writing projects altogether, except those supporting the book.
Have you beaten the “delaying demon” or do you have times when you struggle with procrastination? If the latter, how do you overcome it?
We all struggle with the delaying demon from time to time. I have a couple key practices when I want to achieve something major, like write a book:
- Create deadlines. When I’ve done enough research to get started on a project, I start the clock ticking by creating deadlines for each phase of the project: research, outlining, drafting, and revision. Deadlines are great motivators.
- Prioritize. Long-term projects often fall victim to immediate, urgent tasks. Prioritize and schedule the important work of writing. This may entail making painful choices.
Saying no is difficult, but necessary.
For example, I find it challenging to not respond right away to questions or request. I enjoy helping other people, but there’s a real danger that I’ll spend all of my time working on other people’s priorities, not my own.
One way I deal with that is to check email less frequently, and to plan a time in my day for doing things for other people, rather than adding everything to my own “to do” list.
When I’m deeply involved in a book, I shut down everything else for a month to do a writing sprint.
We can’t make more time for writing; we must decide that it’s worth working on—and renew that decision every day. That’s why schedules and deadlines are so helpful.
What tips do you have for writers who need help staying on track, to help them shift from procrastination to productivity?
Split the work into smaller pieces, so you can bring the right mental systems to each phase (research, outlining, drafting, revising, etc.).
If you feel completely dry when you sit to write, you may be skipping the research and incubation phases. Do freewriting or play with the outline, then you may feel ready to write. At the same time, don’t wait for inspiration. Inspiration happens when you’re involved, not sitting on the sidelines.
The great thing about writing a book is that the process is varied—you might research one chapter while drafting another and outlining a third. There’s always plenty to work on, even if you don’t feel like drafting. Keep it moving forward.
Have faith in the process, and you’ll make it through the messy, muddled middle to the end.
The post The Delaying Demon: How Procrastination Can Torpedo the Writing Process appeared first on The Writer's Place.