Drafts Are My Secret Writing Weapon: Advice From A Productive Writer Who Has Commonly Been Called, “A Machine.”
Do you have a lot of ideas and not as much follow-through? Here’s a tip!
Why is it so common for writers to talk about abandoned novels and projects? Is there some fatal flaw built into all of us where we can’t get things done?
No! But, a lot of writers struggle with productivity due to lack of a system.
People try to remedy this with solution-based lists that certainly work for some, but definitely not for all. I love reading these, but I find that most don’t resonate with me.
It’s great to check-in on the things that have been successful for others, but ultimately, if you want to succeed in writing, you will need a system that works for you.
Since shifting into writing full-time, I’ve done some necessary work on fine-tuning my productivity. There have been some ups and downs, but I’m excited to say that a lot of the ups have lent themselves to things that have helped me level up with my productivity, thereby protecting my energy to do what I love most; create.
What’s my secret weapon?
I use my voice memos function on my iPhone all day…but that’s not the weapon.
Frankly, that’s a bad habit I’m trying to break.
Sometimes my voice memos become pieces, and sometimes the inspiration is gone by the time I get around to listening to them.
I find recording voice memos helpful to brainstorm thoughts that are coming out of my brain too fast to write down, but since I started utilizing drafts on Medium, I’m produced more work, and I’ve been able to keep my thoughts and plans more organized than ever!
Instead of opening voice memos, I open Medium and click, “Write a Story.”
First I give my story a title; It doesn’t have to be the permanent title! (I know some people tend to think of titles later, and that’s okay!) It just has to be a clear label so I can return and know why I created the draft in the first place.
Sometimes, I take a few minutes to scribble in a paragraph. Sometimes I’m ready to write the piece and instead of jotting down and idea, I manage to jump right in and spend an hour or two creating the whole thing!
And sometimes I just stick the title in and click out.
Medium saves your drafts and all work without you doing a thing, so when you click away and come back, all drafts are listed and ready to be finished when you’re ready.
This feature has turned into a wonderful part of my flow and output as a writer.
I still open voice memos when I don’t feel like typing, but taking a minute to type the beginnings of an idea and know that it’s waiting for me feels like having a personal secretary!
