My Number One Writing Productivity Tool

You want to be a writer. But there never seems like there's enough time. Especially if you have a spouse, family, job, pet monkey, etc.

I've managed to write 5 novels since 2004, hold down a full time job, and help raise two kids, one of them a special needs child. My time - like everyone else's -  is limited. I'm shooting to write at least two novels this year, hopefully three. I've been averaging 1500-1700 words a day.

The main factor in being able to maintain a consistent output is having something portable to write on. Whether it's a laptop, netbook, or spiral notebook, I can be sitting in the living room with the family and writing. Writers as a group tend to feel guilty about what they do. I know I would feel guilty if I holed myself up in our home office to write.

Your portable writing device should be just that. Take it with you whenever you might have to wait somewhere. It might take a little while before you can write in public and not feel self-conscious, but once you realize that people aren't paying attention, you can drop in and write with ease. I've found when writing in public that the world tends to dissolve around me.

I'd also recommend having whatever files you need to write (outlines, notes) handy, whether on paper or electronic file.

You can write a novel in increments, without feeling like you have to disappear into a sacred writing space. If you want to write, grab a laptop and go to it. No one's going to hand you writing time. You have to hunt it down and wrestle it to the ground.