Everyone struggles with increasing their productivity, but writers tend to struggle more than most. For one thing, writers either work full-time and have to fit writing into their “spare” time, or they write full-time, most likely from home, where the daily distractions are hard to overcome. How do you get more “butt-in-chair” time? And how do you make the most efficient use of that time?

Identify the things that distract and derail you.

For some this may be a dirty kitchen or a mountain of laundry. For others noise is a deal breaker. For still others the telephone is the biggest problem. Once you’ve identified these distractions, you can make moves to minimize them. Use an answering machine, close the door, and schedule a specific time to tackle the laundry. Learn to delegate and to say no, and do not feel guilty for devoting some time to your craft. Or pack up the laptop and head to the library.

For many people e-mail and Internet surfing can eat up valuable writing time. There are legitimate “writing” reasons to use the Internet, but, if possible, do research and writing-related e-mailing in a separate block of time. Give yourself specific times to check for incoming mail or catch up on your favorite blogs. Stick to a time limit. (The same goes for your favorite TV programs.)

Find your optimum time.

Some people write best in the wee hours of the morning, before the kids get up and the demands of the world begin. The muse hits others in the evening. If you find yourself nodding off at three in the afternoon, this is probably not your optimum writing time. Schedule your most productive hours on a calendar, and make this time your own. If you are only able to grab bits and pieces of time here and there, make the most of those episodes—give yourself one task to tackle, and do not deviate from it. If you are hit with inspiration throughout the day, night, or anytime in between, carry a notebook so you don’t lose those ideas.

Get organized.

It’s hard to be productive when you can’t find a new ink cartridge or lay hands on your favorite thesaurus. Gather your materials before you begin, and clear a space. Sometimes organizing your physical surroundings can help your thoughts organize themselves.

Consolidate your errands and set aside a specific time just for shopping, returning library books, and/or picking up the dry cleaning. If you are in charge of family meals, make a weekly menu and do your grocery shopping all at once. Those little jaunts add up and really cut into writing time.

Set goals. Take advantage of calendars and day planners. There are several electronic organizational tools for those with a techie bent, and most e-mail programs have a schedule function. Other people may prefer a legal pad and a desk calendar. Whatever helps you see the big picture.

The to-do list.

It works well to keep two lists. One list is the master list, and it contains big-picture tasks, like “Write book proposal” or “Find an agent.” The second list breaks down tasks into manageable chunks, like “Outline book proposal” or “Get latest copy of Writer’s Market.” You can keep a running list or create a new one each day. Sometimes filling out your to-do list for the next day keeps those nagging thoughts from disturbing your sleep, and you can wake up fresh, with your day outlined.

Be realistic about your list, or you may find yourself frustrated.

And, finally, make time to write every day. If you’re burned out, write just a few sentences or set a timer and write for five minutes. This will often lead to more enjoyable minutes spent honing your craft. And watching your writing improve is an added bonus.

The use of “only.”

Here is another bone of contention among writers. The correct placement of “only” in a sentence depends largely on what part of the sentence is to be stressed.

According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary:

“After 200 years of preachment the following observations may be made: the position of only in standard spoken English is not fixed, since ambiguity is avoided through sentence stress; in casual prose that keeps close to the rhythms of speech only is often placed where it would be in speech; and in edited and more formal prose, only tends to be placed immediately before the word or words it modifies.”

Examples:

Those kids respond to only one teacher; the rest seem to have little influence.
Only two kids responded to the invitation.

One Newsflash reader asked about a couple of other gray areas:

Is it bite-size or bite-sized? Farmer’s market, farmers market, or farmers’ market?

Again, according to Merriam-Webster, it is correct to use either “size.” The more common usage listed is “bite-size” or “king-size,” but under variant usage “bite-sized” and “king-sized” are listed.

The same goes for those farmers’/farmers/farmer’s markets. As our reader noted, “Sheesh! How many ways can you find this expressed on any given day?”

It would make more sense to use “farmers’ market,” as it indicates a market where there is usually more than one farmer selling their wares, but a Google search yields no consistent usage or hard-and-fast rule.

Oh, and one more thing:

Use “bated” breath, not “baited” breath. The word “bated” is the abbreviated form of “abated,” which means to subside or put an end to.

Our great-grandparents might not understand, but many of us now wake up to our Yahoo! or MSN home page to get our daily news and celebrity gossip fix. While daily newspapers will continue to be an important part of our lives, there’s no denying the impact of having such an array of online reading material. According to many surveys, more and more people than ever before are using the Internet to read the news, access blogs, articles. Studies also show that people tend to access online journals more frequently than print journals. Again, print magazines and journals aren’t in danger of disappearing anytime soon, but the Internet offers an alternate source of reading material—material that is usually up-to-date, easily accessible, often free, and conveniently waiting for us in our own homes or on our laptops. And as we ease into the world of cyberspace, online magazines and literary journals are quickly earning prestige and increased readership.

Online Magazines and Journals

There is a proliferation of literary magazines popping up on the Internet, and this is changing the way literature reaches readers. Suddenly, literature is more accessible to the entire world, and E-zines are offering more selections to their readers. These online magazines are finding better ways to meet the needs of writers and their readers, becoming a defining force in literature.

Literary journals and E-zines usually publish poetry, short fiction, and essays and offer information about authors and book reviews. Much of the work is written by new writers, so beginning writers take note: The Internet offers greater opportunities than ever before to get your work published. It hosts a variety of smaller-niche publications that offer new writers a forum for their work, as well as a worldwide audience. This translates to more people seeing a writer’s work than ever before. And, as it should be, the goal of these E-zines is to feature the work of deserving writers, both experienced and inexperienced.

Suppose you’ve placed a short story in a respectable print journal. Your story will be in active circulation for a certain number of weeks, and then it will be moved to the archives. If your story appears in an online literary journal, it may be viewed by thousands, and when it is archived, a mere click of the mouse will bring it back to life. No trips to the back rooms of libraries. Plus, your story will be viewed by people all over the world who may not have access to work you’ve published in print. This long-term exposure is a definite advantage for the author. This may explain why many mid-list literary magazines are switching to both online AND print editions.

New writers who are looking to be published in a print magazine would do well to target the mid-list (or second-tier) literary magazines. Obviously, the very best placement for an author’s short fiction would be in first-tier magazines; but if this goal is unattainable, online publications are a great way for new writers to get those first credits.

The Internet also offers writers newsletters, chat rooms, and forums where they can network with fellow writers from all over the world. This is a great way to stay current and glean information about particular editors and agents or hear about new E-zines and what they are looking for.

Blogs (short for Web log) have been on the Internet since the early ’90s. Originally, blogs started as personal diaries online, but that has since evolved and expanded. Not only are blogs for personal use, but blogs are often vehicles for sharing and discussing specific subjects, such as travel, politics, entertainment, and, of course, creative writing. Some of these blogs for creative writers can serve as an online journal, publishing a new poem or short story on a daily basis. Other writer-friendly blogs, such as http://www.writersreliefblog.com, offer information and advice for improving one’s writing skills.

Editors/agents will consider your work published if it’s posted publicly on your blog. Avoid sharing your work until it’s already been published elsewhere, giving credit to where it was first printed. In addition to sharing already-published work, if you’re promoting a book you’ve written, you can have friends and loved ones comment with reviews, announce book readings/signings, etc. Start sharing your blog link—that is, the URL, the WWW to get to your blog—in your e-mails and other communications. The more people you have visiting your blog, the more likely people will spread the word. An added bonus is that your rankings in Internet searches will increase.

Ever wish you could escape to your own deserted island? Where would it be? What would you name it? What would it look like? Would anyone else know its secret location? What conveniences would you bring from home? Write about your own personal paradise, and be creative with it. Make it snow on your island, or create a tree that grows your favorite food. It’s your island—make it the perfect place for you, no matter how crazy it may seem!

DON’T:

Be a stalker. It’s not okay to lurk around corners and “accidentally” run into the agent you’ve been trying to contact for a year. It’s not okay to follow them to their hotel room and pretend you’re delivering room service. Barging into their restroom stall might get you arrested, and kidnaping is illegal if you’re considering that route.                  

Wear dumb costumes. That bear suit probably won’t get you any attention—positive attention anyway. A bunny suit might if you can pull it off. It’s even possible that wearing a pirate getup and running around, saying “Aaargh” to promote your manuscript about the high seas will get you noticed, and clown costumes are always a hit. Everyone loves clowns…

Pass out huge tomes. Agents don’t get much exercise and can’t really lift heavy things, so don’t hand them your 300-page manuscript and expect them to lug it around all day. Have copies of your synopsis and sample chapters available, and leave the suitcase of paper at home.

Pass out. Drinking heavily may liven things up for a while, but you probably don’t want to be remembered as that guy or gal who took a little nap in the hallway—covered in vomit and clutching a bottle of whiskey.

Interrupt lectures. Turn off the cell phone, put out the cigarette, and refrain from telling jokes to the woman sitting next to you until after the lecture. It’s weird, but speakers don’t usually enjoy the sounds of your awesome new ringtone or your raucous laughter while they’re trying to make a serious point.

Be a suck-up. It’s good to be polite and even fake interest. It’s bad to fawn all over an editor or give him your firstborn son. (Passing out money might work.)

Be a rude slob. Take a shower, wear deodorant, and don’t drink coffee if you can’t manage to keep it in the cup. You probably shouldn’t make fun of other writers’ clothes, ideas, or genres. Or their religion. No, it’s not a popularity contest, but that great agent might remember the writer who ran around pointing fingers at people and saying, “Children’s lit isn’t REAL writing!”

Steal. Whoee! All those great freebies are definitely a bonus, but somebody might notice if you stuff your briefcase full of them. You’ve gotta save room for the sugar packets, napkins, and cute little soaps from the bathroom.

Dress inappropriately. Tuck in your shirt, zip up your fly, and leave the tube top/miniskirt combo at home.

Be overly aggressive. Don’t get us wrong—editors love aggressive, in-your-face writers looking for an “in.” Really, they do. But physically elbowing someone else aside so that they fall into the potted plant might get you kicked out of the conference. Save that kind of behavior for church.

Animal Husbandry, a poetry chapbook written by Susan Lewis, is available for pre-order. More information at www.finishinglinepress.com.

Rosary O'Neill's play Beckett at Greystones Bay will be read at the Morton Memorial Library in Rhinecliff, NY, on October 3rd and at The National Arts Club (http://www.nationalartsclub.org/index.htm) on November 12th.

The Orange Juice is Over, a poetry chapbook written by Hilary Sideris, is available now for pre-order. More information at www.finishinglinepress.com.

Call for submissions: The Kartika Review is an online journal seeking writing by Asian Americans. Visit http://www.kartikareview.com for more information.

Check out the new children's book Day's End Lullaby at http://www.childrensbooksbykarenandrobyn.com/.

On October 25, 2008 at 7:00 p.m., Alice Pero will be a featured reader at Barnes and Noble, 16461 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91436.

According to Wikipedia and other Internet sources, fonts were originally created in the 1450s with lead alloys or sometimes wood for larger fonts. Technology advances have allowed many designers to create other fonts, for both the print and digital worlds. Here at Writer’s Relief we take our fonts pretty seriously. Here’s a list of our personal faves. (Please note: some browsers may not support all of these fonts, so you may not be able to see them all.)

We realize that Arial and Times New Roman are the accepted fonts for manuscripts, but feel free to comment with YOUR favorite font(s) below. Have fun with it! 

Dan: (Wingdings) Wingdings: amusing, arbitrary, utterly incomprehensible.

Frank: Calisto.

Hermine: Times New Roman (or Verdana, because the big print is easier on the eyes).