Every writer seems to have advice for us wannabe authors on how to finish writing a novel. And no wonder we seek it! Nowadays, if you want to be published the traditional way, submitting to agents and publishers requires a completed and polished manuscript before even sending a ‘hello’.
That’s a lot of work. While we have to earn enough money to live, address our other responsibilities, and remember how to rest, reaching a final draft can be pretty tough. It took me five years to finish my manuscript – and that’s whilst having a heck of a lot of privilege. But being someone with undiagnosed inattentive ADHD, following the advice I saw all over the internet on how to finish it didn’t work.
Here’s what did.
How the heck to be productive
Write like a machine? Get up at 5.00 am every morning to write for two hours before the commute? Aim for 200 words minimum every day? Mate, that just ain’t how my brain works. My version of being productive required these solid basics:
- enough sleep (or coffee)
- a good diet (and coffee)
- alone time
- …time
- a notepad
- WiFi
- A library/bookshop/cafe/other place of inspiration where you can physically write
- deadlines designed for your brain
- rewilding my creativity
- enough money to afford all of the above
For me the penultimate bullet point was the real learning curve. By ‘creativity’, I don’t mean that common, Romantic idea of ‘being a writer’ (spending long nights at a typewriter while necking a bottle of red and lamenting in worldly disillusionment), I mean finding the love for what you’re writing. Over and over (and over) again. The practice of finishing something so dang long and complex demands a healthy perseverance (not always the same thing as hyperfocus!)
One symptom of ADHD is a depleted supply of dopamine which affects mood, focus and impulsivity. Regular and repetitive administrative or organisational tasks can feel more challenging. Sometimes, when I had writer’s block or couldn’t solve a plot hole, my writing slid into the realm of a chore. To get myself back into a space of creative excitement I had to rewild my creativity.
Rewilding my creativity
(Affordable) ways I reconnected to my story when dopamine was nowhere to be seen included:
- Getting out of town. And I don’t mean paying for one of those crazy expensive writing retreats in the Cotswolds. Affordable Youth Hostel Association (YHA) hostels offered a great reprieve when I had some Annual Leave to use up. Rocking up to a rickety old building in the middle of nowhere, where I could hear birds and smell air and take walks and live without WiFi before nabbing the library room, did wonders for my writing. Booking outside of school holidays for even just a couple of days was cheap and productive.
- Taking walks/getting outside. This one’s free if you have access to outdoor spaces. Walking helped me rewild my imagination by reconnecting me with my body and the world. Getting out of my head and not forcing it made all the difference. My characters, stories and ideas grew when I was half-looking away.
- Turning my phone off (but keeping reminders on). Connecting to myself and my story instead of doomscrolling helped me dive into my novel’s world, while the reminders and notifications dug me out of hyperfocusing.
- Creating deadlines. Creating deadlines isn’t exactly ‘wild’, but it certainly helps people with ADHD to focus. Being accountable to others – a writing group, for example – was useful for times I struggled to be accountable to myself.
Sustaining practice
These techniques really helped me sustain my practice. Sure, my writing progress was slow (five years!) but I learned the craft during that time; managed to stay healthy; saw my friends once in a while, and earned enough money to live. I call that a win.
Do you work on long-term creative projects with ADHD? What techniques have you found useful? Hit me up in the comments if you have any.