Morning Writing
10 Simple Ways To Get Productive & Creative
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This entire website has been created through some very early morning writing. Whether you're writing a book, a blog or just for fun I strongly recommend you to do the same. Even Ernest Hemingway (as seen on the photo here) was up with the sun to write. So here comes the whys and then the practical tips. |
Why You Should Write In The Morning
1. Avoid Procrastination... to produce amazing results fast
As soon as you start to plan things for later in the day, there's always a risk that something else "more important" will come in the way between you and your writing. It might be your job, your family or just that you feel too tired after a long day.
So take back control of your life and start your day doing what is most important to you - write. If you set aside 1 hour every morning for writing, you'll be amazed with the results you can create within a very short period of time.
2. Be Focused... by using the early morning peace
And when you actually take the time for morning writing, you'll probably notice how it's possible to be extremely focused and productive. Your mind is clear, you're relaxed and nothing will disturb you.
3. Be Creative... through your own voice
Along with being more productive, I've also felt like I'm being more creative when I write in the early morning. It's like my writing becomes more clear but also more interesting and entertaining.
No one wants to feel like Wikipedia, so it's critical you manage to really express your own voice through your writing.
Those are the why's. But what's even more important are of course the how's. So many times have I spoiled a great morning writing session simply because of a few common mistakes. So I decided to take charge and actually list what the most important tips are, for me, in order to produce great writing in the morning.
That was almost a year ago now. And these tips have been a cornerstone in being able to create Early-Riser.com. So below is my complete list, now with explanations for everyone :-)
10 Tips For Awesome Early Morning Writing
1. Make It Easy To Start Writing
Your mind might not be 100% clear the moment you wake up and it's not uncommon to experience thoughts of skipping the whole thing; "Just 5 more minutes of sleep...".
To avoid this small problem, make sure you have as much prepared as possible so you can just get out of bed and start writing. So...
- Place your laptop in the right place the evening before
- Have the editor open on your computer already once you start it
- Lay out the clothes you'll be wearing in the morning
- If you need a pre-breakfast (I usually eat breakfast after writing for an hour) make it easy as possible by e.g. preparing a sandwich the night before and having a water bottle ready to drink.
Just learn as time goes by what you can improve to shorten the time and burden from bed to writing.
2. Prepare Your Topic
Not only can you make it easy to get from bed to writing, but you can also make sure you actually start typing straight away. Have the topic prepared from the night before so you can avoid the time-consuming task of having to find a suitable topic to write about.
3. Research Another Time
If you're writing a website article, you might have to do some research (reading books, websites, talking to people, etc.) before you sit down to do the actual writing. I recommend doing all of these tasks at other times, not in the morning.
These are usually tasks that don't require your mind to be extremely focused or creative, so do them at other times. I'll say it again - not in the morning. Save this precious time for writing high-quality material.
4. Have Your Outline Ready
In the case of morning blogging, it's usually good to make an outline of the article you plan to write before actually getting down to business. I absolutely love when I even have the outline ready from the day before so I can just start typing away when I wake up the next morning.
If you've set the framework for the post and you now feel that you can just start typing freely, then you definitely have the chance to create some fantastic and inspiring material. If not, you might experience problems such as writer's block or that you're moving forward very slowly.
5. Start In The Middle
The hardest part when it comes to early morning writing, or writing in general for that matter, is usually to get started. You're sitting there thinking "What should my first words be? I want to make a great start..."
To completely eliminate this problem, a very helpful tip is to always stop your writing in the middle of something. If you're writing a book, this is precisely what often happens. You'll have to pause your typing somewhere in the middle of your story, thereby making it much easier to pick it up again later.
You've probably experienced this yourself - how easy it can be to get going with something you already have in your mind. As soon as you sit down to write again, it will all come back to you and you can just continue writing what you planned last time.
So in the case of writing blog articles, just try to not stop writing after you've finished an article. Instead, start a new one and get a few lines down. That will make it much easier to get going the next time...
It might sound strange to you, but trust me, it works :-)
6. Remove Distractions
Your mind and everything around you is very peaceful when you wake up in the morning. So why not do all you can to keep it that way, at least for a little while?
With this I mean things like:
- Don't check your email
- Don't turn on the TV in the background
- Don't check Facebook on your phone
- Etc. etc.
By following these guidelines, I always get at least one hour of peaceful and focused writing before I immerse myself into the normal world.
7. Don't Edit, Just Write
This is probably the best advice I've ever been given when it comes to improving my writing skills. It's from Joe Vitale's and Jim Edwards's amazingly popular book on writing. Basically what they say is this:
To be really productive and produce a lot of good, natural content you have to stop editing as you write. So first you write, then you edit. Don't look back at your text when you first write. And don't read through each sentence to see if it makes sense or not. Do all that later. Or even better, let your friends do that... :-)
Instead just get in a natural flow of writing and in the words of the 7dayebook:
"When you begin writing you must disconnect the little voice that will criticize, question, and slow you down."
8. Set A Goal
Even though I just told you to simply write, it always helps to do your morning writing with a goal in mind. Whether it is a specific number of words or spending at least 1 hour writing intensely doesn't matter. Just set a short-term goal for what you want in to achieve. This will help you stay focused.
And remember, unless you have a goal you won't know when it's time to...
9. Celebrate!
That's right! :-) After a great morning writing session I always make sure I reward myself. In essence, I want my brain to attach the "prize" with the habit of writing.
So what do I usually give myself?
Well, it's been everything from making an awesome smoothie from fresh berries to allowing myself to just go out and sit in the sun for an extra 10 minutes before starting my day. Just be creative and I'm sure you'll find a way.
10. Form A Habit
Nowadays I have established a very powerful habit of writing in the early morning. It's basically a way for me to use my creativity and express myself. I almost wake up and start writing on autopilot these days.
No more struggling to get out of bed and no more just surfing the web for 20 minutes before actually starting to write.
By keeping this up for at least 21 days, I bet that you also will be able form this powerful habit that will make you able to produce tons of high-quality writing every single day. That's right, every day.
Those were all my tips. They are indeed very useful and helpful so try to incorporate them into your writing and morning routine as soon as you can. I wish you the absolute best of luck with your early morning writing and I hope that you're able to improve your writing even more.
Now, let me know if you have any additional tips of your own that you think should be included here. I am always interested in learning more!
Early Riser > Morning Routine > Morning Writing
Thanks for reading! By Matthew M. McEwan