by: Shannon Redmon @shannon_redmon

As a published author, I love to talk to readers. They always have such great questions and often want to know how long it takes to write a book or how many words we write in a day. They seem surprised when I tell them I can write a novel in two months. Most believe the book-writing process takes years and truth be told, the start-to-shelf time is probably a year or more, but the time to write the actual story doesn’t take near as long, especially when we apply a few productivity tips.

Here are my top five:

1. Set a daily word count: Whether your goal is 3000 words or 500, the point is to hit that goal every day. After all, if you write 1000 words a day then you can have a full book in 85 days which is less than three months. The objective is to write every day. This is a discipline that takes effort. There are some days when we don’t want to write, don’t feel like writing and need a day for rest. I tend to take Sundays off and use that time to go to church, spend time with my family and read but when Monday rolls around, I’m back at the keyboard.
2. Stick to a schedule: A writing schedule that works for your life will do wonders for productivity. Whether it be a morning slot, afternoon or even nighttime, a dedicated time for writing will help you do what every writer must do—WRITE. I tend to write better in the mornings and early afternoons. My brain is fresher and more creative. When I first started writing I only had the evenings to write due to working a job. Find the time that works for you and your family.
3. Prioritize tasks: Identify the most important writing tasks and place them in the order from easiest to hardest. Tackling smaller projects first will shorten the list, provide a sense of accomplishment and kickstart the juices for larger tasks.
4. Take a walk: Sometimes our brains need refreshing to come up with new ideas or figure out a sticky plot point. This is the time for a thirty-minute break. Maybe do some mindless housework, eat a healthy snack or take a walk. I’m always surprised how things become more clear while I’m scrubbing my shower.
5. Minimize distractions: Whether it be social media, other people in our writing spaces or furry friends needing our cuddles, every time something or someone pulls us out of the story, our writing takes a hit. Put your phone in another room and find an isolated space that has less traffic to keep the distractions at a minimum.

If we don’t put in the time and effort to block our schedules and write, then we will never finish our works-in-progress. I know many people who want to publish a book but then choose life’s many activities over writing. Stories never get completed when we don’t guard our work time. It’s easy to say I want to be a published author but to accomplish that task, we have to work every day. Just like everyone else.

Shannon is a Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author and her greatest hope is for her stories to immerse readers into a world of suspense and escape while encouraging faith, hope, and love in Christ.  She has three books published by Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line–Cave of Secrets, Secrets Left Behind and Mistaken Mountain Abduction. She is also one of the Managing Editors of Acquisitions for Spark Flash Fiction Magazine, where she received her first official published byline. Shannon is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube
Agency.