Things I've learned about writing

1. Make a list the night before of the writing I'll be doing the next day.
2. Create a timeline of my writing projects for the next month to keep me focused, inspired and on track.
3. Set aside time to write. Schedule it. Write it down.
4. Write in the morning. If I start writing in the morning, I may continue in the afternoon. If I don't, I may not write that day.
5. Use qualitative data software to manage and move my data around, rather than working with hard copies of interviews. Others will not agree, but I realized from a recent project how much easier it is to have quotes from interviews sorted by the software: I can find and copy exact quotes, can pull together all similar quotes in a few strokes, and can count up occurrences of particular themes. Trying to do this on paper is needlessly time-consuming.
6. Remember how much fun writing is! And how satisfying completing writing is!
7. Have a writing group, writing partners and even a writing coach. They will motivate you and provide accountability.
8. Create a clear, uncluttered workspace.
9. Share your writing with others. Send out drafts to others and review each others' work.
10. Have deadlines and fun get-aways before which you must complete certain projects. This invariably gets me writing much faster than I do otherwise.

Some reminders to myself of what helps me get my writing done. Now, back to my list for the day!