word count goals, writing sprints, and using twitter for good: an interview with Rachel Mans McKenny
Back to Writing week 3
Happy Monday! Today I’m really happy to share the first interview of the series. I talked with Rachel Mans McKenny about making time for writing, the power of word count goals and writing challenges, and writing technologies that have made her work easier. Rachel is the author of the warm and funny novel The Butterfly Effect, about Greta, an entomologist who’s forced to leave her research in the rainforest when her twin brother Danny has an aneurysm. She also writes essays and short fiction; I particularly love her Catapult essay Motherhood, Metamorphosis, about butterflies and metamorphosis and how parenting changes us, which includes the knockout line “I wouldn’t say my children dissolved me into a liquid form of myself, but I wouldn’t not say that.” You can find her on twitter @rmmckenny. She’s very funny.
Could you describe your overall writing practice?
I am not a “write every day writer,” mostly because, if you have a full-time job and young family, it’s impossible to hold that expectation for myself. The truth is that I’m a deeply grumpy person when I don’t make some time to write, however. I try to set aside some meaningful time every week. I go more for word count goals rather than time goals, since I can hit a word count goal and feel like I’ve achieved more than if I simply say I sat down for an hour.
The only other really essential part of my writing process is that I don’t edit first drafts: not of essays, not of stories, but most especially not of novels. I’ve completed seven novel projects in the past eight years. Not all of them will be polished in the near-term or sold in the long-term, but I got them down, and that’s an accomplishment. The only change in my life from eight years ago is that I started doing this (and became a parent, which made me value my writing life even more).
I believe you recently moved from a job with a pretty high teaching load to a new job. How has that shifted the way you make time for writing in your life?
Before August, I taught three courses a semester at my local university and had regular university breaks, which is when I would typically concentrate on beginning major projects. I find summers and winter breaks a nice place to plant a flag in the ground for a new novel project. The first 25% of something is always hard, so I try to write more regularly in that particular time. Now, however, I’m working full-time, all-year-round, which will be an adjustment. To be honest, though, my new job is more traditional in its hours since I don’t have grading to take home on weekends or evenings. But have I felt like writing most evenings? Nope. My energy is pretty dry by those points, so I try to write in the mornings before work (ugh for early rising, but it’s worth it).
For so many of us, Twitter is at best an enjoyable time suck--but it seems like you manage to use it as part of your writing practice in a really encouraging way. You'll check in when you're starting a "writing sprint" and encourage others to join you in logging off to focus on writing for an hour or so, then check back in when the "sprint" is up. How did you get started doing this?
I’m trying to remember who I first saw using Twitter like this and I cannot. I’m pretty sure it started during a writing challenge. A zillion years ago (or maybe eight), I got very into the monthly writing challenges (shout out to Kristy Acevedo and the crew). The premise was simple: write 500 words a day, and the support that I got in those groups helped me draft my first three novels.
I like to do writing sprints because I get intense Catholic guilt and public shaming is motivational-- I kid, mostly. I do writing sprints because, like the monthly writing challenges, it’s supremely essential for me to know that other people are working while I am working. I also took a class from Elissa Bassist at Catapult that, among other things, drove home the importance of pomodoro sessions to me-- brief spurts of work, with breaks in between. I find a sprint helps me focus and get into a flow state quicker than if I block off four straight hours to write.
Do you have any other tips about using social media in a way that supports your writing?
All I can say is that I’m someone who lives in a small town and I don’t have much of an in-person writing community. I wouldn’t have discovered half of my favorite writers without joining the lit-Twitter ecosystem. I say be on social media if it brings you joy, and do literally anything else if it doesn’t. Also, using browser lockers (like Freedom or Forest is essential to me actually logging off for those writing sprints. Highly recommended.
You're really smart about using different kinds of writing software. I've seen you share screenshots of the project statistics in Scrivener, and I learned about Pacemaker from you, which was really vital for me in getting to the finish line of a wild first draft of the nonfiction project I'm working on. Could you talk about how you use those programs, or any others that are helping you get your writing done now?
I used to use Scrivener more regularly, but now I’m a Google Docs person, since I like to have the freedom to work on any device. I am a super huge proponent of Pacemaker, though. It’s a free website where you can set writing goals and track your progress. I’ve completed my last six projects while using it, and it helps me stay motivated during rough patches. Having an end date in mind (even if I have to adjust it) also helps keep me motivated while working on my first drafts. Again, when you can’t write every day, it can feel like you’re stuck in free fall sometimes. Remembering that it’s okay to eke out 500 words here and there and still climb the mountain really helps me stay focused.
Anything you'd like to share about the book you're working on now?
I’ve got two finished projects in the hopper in various states of editing: one a contemporary fiction about two women in the 90s, the railroad, and Beanie Babies; and one that’s a romantic comedy that I wrote purely for the love of the genre. I hope both will find a home, and they’re both extremely nerdy (the written apple doesn’t fall far from the writer tree). As for what comes next? Hmm-- we'll see.
three tasks for today:
Set your intention for your writing for the week. This could be a milestone on an ongoing project, a deadline for a submission or an application, or a target for word count or time.
One smart thing Rachel talked about was switching technology (from Scrivener to Google Docs) to make it easier to write whenever she can steal a few moments. Is there something you could do to make it easier to pick up your writing when you have a spare moment—get a little notebook you can keep in your work bag, write in your notes app or email text to yourself, use the voice recorder on your phone?
Rachel also talked about the power of brief writing sessions to get into a flow state with her writing. Do a couple of sprints or pomodoros this week. (And you can post to twitter, as Rachel and lots of other folks do, or text a friend about it, if that kind of accountability helps you.) Even in 25 minutes, you can do more than you think.
How is your writing going? I’d love to hear from you. You can always reply to this email, comment below, or find me on twitter (@nancy_reddy) and instagram (@nancy.o.reddy).
I will investigate Pacemaker but think I might be gathering too many of these! I use Forest regularly on my phone and sometimes Freedom, but I got a timer at my parents' house this summer and like it (it's a little teapot timer). My mom used to stay up with me in elementary school so I could catch up on my diary, and so having her timer near me brings this all back. Love this interview--thank you!