Karen’s rules for book writing

22,653 words, thousands of steps and four and half days of retreating.

This week, I took myself away to the edge of the New Forest to write my next book. I know that I write at my best in big chunks of time and everything aligned for me, allowing time away to get a lot of writing done.

This is my sixth book, so I really should find it easy. But believe me, I go through the same angst as most people.

Going back to writing this week has reminded me of some of the things that work for me, so I thought you may benefit too.

Here are Karen’s rules for book writing!

1. Clear your diary first

When I left home for the New Forest on Monday morning, I wondered if going away to write my book was an indulgence. Although it’s just what I needed to get it done. But I had to clear my diary first. Upon arriving at my friend’s holiday home, I took a couple of hours to clear the decks before I started writing. If you don’t clear your diary first, you probably won’t get much writing done.

2. Writing is not just about words on paper

I’ll often say to clients that writing can’t always be measured by the number of words that have been written. One of the reasons for coming away to write was to have some space. I wrote this blog post in my head on a six mile walk on day one, and I needed that movement to form the concepts and thoughts.

It’s also important to retreat, which is one of the things we say to clients when they join us on our writing retreat in Spain. Sometimes you need peace and quiet, without distractions to allow the ideas to flow.

3. Self-care is important

You may suggest that I could have written my book at home. And yes I could have done. But it wouldn’t have been the same. Coming away here meant that I planned my meals (and cooked a couple in advance), and I didn’t have to worry about anyone else but me.

As well as writing, I finished reading a fiction book, I meditated, had a massage, took lots of walks (who wouldn’t be inspired by this view!), and had some time to recharge my mind and my body.

4. Discover how you write at your best

The main reason why I came away is because I know how I write at my best. I don’t get much done if I have odd hours scattered across multiple weeks. I also knew when I had my idea a couple of months ago, that I wanted to write it fast before anyone else got there first!

5. Have a plan for each day

As I mentioned earlier, I had a plan for my week. My VA was answering my emails and I checked in once a day. I set aside Wednesday for my massage and a couple of calls – one with two of my team and one with my business mentor – and the rest of the time was for writing and retreating. Every day I had a rough plan of what I wanted to achieve.

If you can’t afford the luxury of going away, another tip is to prepare the night before what you want to achieve the next day. Then you’ll achieve so much more when you settle down to write, rather than wasting time preparing.

6. Structure first, write later

One of my rules for book writing is to start with a plan. Before I came away, I had a clear structure for my book. I had mapped out the chapters so I wasn’t starting from scratch. Although my headings evolved slightly and I went from 16 to 15 chapters, the outline was ready for me to work on, and there were notes in each chapter as to what I wanted to include. This is why one of the first things I do with clients is sit down and focus on the structure. Without this, it’s easy to have lots of words but no book!

7. Set a timer

I was talking to a client last week about my tips for writing. If it’s time to write, I suggest you set a timer. This is for two reasons. If you’re struggling to find the words and you feel like giving up, it helps you to focus for a set time and you can see how you go. Then if the words still aren’t coming, at least you tried. And if you are in flow, you don’t forget the time or forget to move your body! Equally it’s important to set a timer during your ‘off’ time. Otherwise it won’t be long before five minutes of just checking Facebook turns into an hour without you realising!

8. Fill in the gaps later

When you’re writing, you may suddenly realise that you need to do some more research, but as you can imagine this can take some time. As I knew I was coming away, I did most of my research before arriving, but I did find some gaps that needed more work.

The thing that works for me is to make a note in red in my manuscript if something is incomplete or if I want to go and check something later. Then I turn it to black when I’m happy with it. I do the same when the words aren’t flowing in that section or I wish to complete something later.

9. Aim for a ‘shitty’ first draft

My goal for this week was a first draft – shitty or otherwise! So my best advice isn’t to edit as you go but to do so later. Although in saying this, once I had words in each chapter, it was time to go back and fill in the gaps.

The only downside of being away this week is only having myself to talk to, especially when I felt stuck. One of the things our clients value about our writing retreats in Spain, is the coaching and mentoring, and you can bounce your ideas around with us and your fellow authors.

10. Measure and celebrate your success

But it didn’t stop me from measuring and celebrating my success. My goal for this week was to write most of my book. As it’s a relatively small book compared to my others, my goal was 20,000 words written on top of the information I already had down on paper. Mission achieved!

Is a writing retreat right for you?

Every September we run a five night writing retreat in the Andalucian Mountains in Spain. If you’d like a peaceful and productive time away to focus on your book, this is your time to join us.

If you’re like me and work well in big chunks of time, this is for you. It’s so easy to have plans to write, but they never happen, so committing to you and your book now will help ensure it actually takes place. Plus there are plenty of bonuses to get you focused, including a Make It Happen day early June if you commit to joining us now.

When all you have to do is write, then lots of things happen. It’s easy to get stuck, you may want to discuss your ideas, and you may want feedback on what you’re writing, which is where the retreat will help you.

You can book now with a deposit and the balance is due 10 weeks before we go. Go here to get more information www.writingretreats.co.uk and if you have any questions, ping me an email and we can chat further.