When I wrote corporate technical and user manuals, I never found myself staring at a blank page, waiting for inspiration. I wasn’t concerned about word count and never suffered writer’s block. After receiving the specs from programmers and engineers, I knew what I needed to write about. The beauty of compiling user and tech manuals is that the tech writer has clarity before they add words to a page – even when drafting a 500-page manual.
After I moved from working corporate contracts to writing fiction in my home office, I was elated. At long last, I was about to embark on the writing journey I’d wanted since high school.
Two years later, I hadn’t completed any of my fiction projects. Procrastination, writer’s block, and doubt plagued me. At times I’d stare at the proverbial blank page, wondering why I didn’t know what to write. I missed the clarity I used to enjoy. Without that project clarity, I lost much of my motivation to write. Had I made a big mistake in thinking I could do this?
As a freelance creative writer, I had no manager setting goals for my productivity, no project lead asking for progress reports, and no threating deadline. While sitting in my home office, no one knew whether I was penning something new or just re-editing the same story until I faced version 34 on my screen. Lately I’ve found myself going shopping when I don’t need anything, trying new recipes I’ll probably dislike, organizing closets, and watching a lot of TV. To be honest, I had a few story ideas when I started this venture, but lacked a clarifying or measurable schedule for finishing them.
After two years of freelance writing, I felt I had successfully unlearned all that I used to know about being productive. In search of the clarity and purpose I used to embrace as a tech writer, I found myself scanning the want ads on Indeed.com. I stopped just short of submitting an updated resume.
To make money as a freelance creative writer, I needed to develop some clear, detailed goals along with a workable strategy for achieving them. Alas, productivity was much easier with a manager looking over my shoulder or a progress check with the project lead. Those actions never failed to foster clarity and motivation for a tech writing project.
I’ve come to believe that clarity inspires productivity. For me, this means I need to find clarity in my freelance writing life. As a start, I’ve purchased these three books:
- Writing Habit Mastery: How to Write 2000 Words a Day, by S. J. Scott
- A Writer’s Time, by Kenneth Atchity
- Time Management: A Freelancer’s Survival Guide, by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
I’m sure I’ll find other inspirational books written by authors who don’t waste their time staring at a blank screen. I don’t plan on 2025 being another year without a completed manuscript!
Write on!
Ann
