Increasing My Productivity - The Timer Method

I would like to talk about productivity today. Or rather – my lack of it recently. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m approaching a certain age, the pandemic has screwed with my mind and motivation, or I’m at that stage of writing a book where everything is hard work. Who knows? But I am finding it much more difficult of late to focus on my writing and editing. I’m easily distracted, I lose the thread of what I’m doing and my output has declined. But with deadlines looming, something had to change...

So last week, I trialled something that I had actually investigated a long time ago but forgotten about – timed bursts. I set the timer on my phone for 25 minutes (although I have read the maximum concentration span for most adults is 20 minutes but this gives me fiddling time). When the alarm goes off – I STOP. I get up from my desk and do something else. Doesn’t matter what; make a coffee, hang out washing, eat cake, whatever. The break can be five minutes or fifty and the unexpected upside is that, because I have to find something to do in that break time, I’m seeking out smaller jobs that I’ve been letting pile up; pairing socks, weeding a border, tidying out a cupboard… Then I return to my desk, set the timer, and I’m off again.

The dreaded ODD SOCK BASKET...

I know that it’s important to take breaks from being in front of the laptop for various reasons. Firstly, sitting in a chair for a long period of time is not good for you physically. An ergonomic set-up is essential for your back, neck, wrists, etc. I know my eyeline should be level with the top of the screen, my forearms should be horizontal, and I have an ergonomic mouse that means my wrist is resting in a natural position. This is something I addressed when I got published and noticed early sign of of RSI and back issues. (Although, I do still grab the laptop and write slumped on the sofa from time to time, and even occasionally propped up in bed…)

Eye strain is another issue, and it’s important to focus on long-distance objects every 20-25 minutes, to give your eyes a rest from close work. So the timer method means I move away from the screen and do exactly this. Plus, it’s good for the soul to stare across the open fields from time to time. Working in bursts also battles the social media time suck, because I resit the temptation to look at my phone during my timed session, knowing I can so when the alarm goes off.

I even put the timer on when I'm working outside

There is a brain strain side to sitting at a computer for too long and this is where my lack of concentration comes in. I need to give my brain more rests. The problem is, I find it hard to step away from a scene or a chapter, and persuade myself to keep going, and then produce 50 words in the following hour. Yet I would have been more productive walking away, refreshing, and returning replenished. I may only do another 25 minutes of work, but if I write 300 words in that time, it’s time well spent.

There is also a work/life balance which is hard to achieve when you are largely self employed in any capacity. I do have part time jobs that take me from the house (thank goodness) but much of my time is spent writing. This means I continually feel guilty when I’m not at my desk, so piles of washing get stepped over, cups stack up next to the sink, and you could write a whole novel in the dust – never mind your name.

But guess what, folks? My timer method is working. (And so am I!) Not only has it solved the issue of too much time at the screen, but it has also made me leave the desk and move my butt. I have even worked a smidge of exercise into these breaks, with a 7 minute workout app that I try to do once a day. (We can all spare 7 minutes – right?) And last week, with a copy edit deadline, I found I was getting through more pages and focusing much better when I gave myself frequent breaks.

So if you are struggling with concentration and output, give it a try. Don’t just tell yourself you’ll stop frequently, because you won’t. SET A TIMER and stick to it. It’s a really simple change to my writing routine, and I’m determined to continue with it – because the biggest bonus of all is my tidier house and nicely paired socks!

Jenni x

The Secrets of Hawthorn Place is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook:

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The Legacy of Halesham Hall is out 15^th September. Cover reveal coming soon!

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How to Herd Cats (Or Attempts to Organise My Life)

I often feel that my life is a chaotic mess. I rarely get one activity finished, before another one pulls my attention away from it and I end up with a very long to-do list that I can’t actually tick any items off because, although I have accomplished many tasks, I haven’t actually completed any of them in full. After messaging Rae the other day and finding she was having similar issues, and, working on the principle that sometimes we understand a process better when we try to teach it to others, I decided to share my current attempts at organising my writing life with you.

Getting organised feels to me like I’m trying to herd cats — there are lots of things independently wandering about and none of them ever stays where they are put. Most of my ‘cats’ are justifiable activities: I have a novel to finish editing, another one to write, regular short stories with deadlines to submit, a teaching job, housework, an elderly father in a care home, two children at home, a third child living ‘independently,’ and a husband who spends much of the year at sea — where he gets to focus on his job with no other distractions… Hmm.

The list goes on, as I’m sure it does for all of us. And while I am the sort of person who can easily leave the housework undone with few regrets, I also see other people managing to accomplish more than I do despite having just as many cats (if not more) in need of herding.

Earlier this year, I bought a book called The Organised Writer by Anthony Johnston and read it cover to cover. Anyone familiar with my reading habits (apologies to Carol MacLean for reading Jeannie’s War entirely out of order) knows that this is, in itself, a rarity. While it contained many helpful suggestions, and I would recommend it, I’m well aware that my brain simply doesn’t function the way Johnston’s brain does and while I’m currently working on untangling the mess that constitutes my thought patterns until I do, I will have to compromise with some of his guidance. 

So, what I am doing? Well, I have developed a four-pronged approach. I thought of a rather sweary title for it but then decided to call it the Fork Handles Approach. This will hopefully light my way to a more organised writing life. (Note: this joke doesn’t work as well in written form.)

The Fork Handles Approach

The To Do List: Write every task that needs done on this. Every task. (And yes, I have been known to write a task I’ve already completed down just so that I can tick something off — but I think this is okay — the more ticks I see, the more likely I am to believe finishing things is possible.)

The Week to View Diary: Every item on the To Do list then needs to find a place in the Diary. This sits beside me at all times so that I can regularly check what I’m supposed to be doing. I then force myself to do that thing first. Before I do any thing else. (This may sound obvious but believe me, it is the most difficult stage in the process for me!) I then get the satisfaction of ticking it off, both on my To Do list and in my Diary, thereby making me feel twice as productive! 

The Project Planner: While the To Do list/Diary combo works for most things, there were some troublesome items on my to do list, that just never seemed to leave — those bigger items that take more time, or that are actually the result of a series/combination of tasks. In order to deal with those I’ve started to use a Project Planner. I couldn’t find one that did exactly what I wanted it to do, so I used what I’ve learned from Canva and KDP and designed my own. (Some of you may recognise this as a procrastination technique, but it was fun and necessary and that’s the story I am sticking to!) I have actually sold a few copies of this and the new author name I picked for this project makes me smile. (This is also a bit sweary, so don’t click on the link in the comments if you’re easily offended.) Each bigger project gets its own page and can then be further broken down into smaller pieces. What I call Tiny Achievable Targets. I then still feel like I’ve accomplished something when I tick one of those off!

The Habit Tracker: I use this for all the never-ending items on my To Do list. Things like learn ten new vocabulary words every day, or exercise daily, or even — dare I say it — housework. How do you ever manage to tick those items off a To Do list successfully? I now have a wipe clean Habit Tracker right in front of me as I’m working each day. (I’m clearly still a work in progress when it comes to developing habits, but I am definitely improving.) 

Between all of these, I appear to be making some progress (my editor, if she’s reading this, will be rolling her eyes!) On the positive side, however, I have submitted competition entries more regularly this year, my writing is more consistent, and one day… someday… hopefully soon, I will finish The Viking's Princess Bride and publish it! 

Now, to learn how to focus on one writing project at a time. Wish me luck!

The Organised Writer

My Project Planner

Jeannie’s War

When it's time for Time Out

Writers find it difficult to switch off from their latest novel sometimes. They are either thinking up new stories, thinking about how to write them, thinking about their first/second/ gazillion(th) draft, thinking about edits, thinking about manuscript submissions, thinking about their failings, thinking about their successes, thinking about promotion, thinking about the next story.... well you get the picture. So it is always a good idea to cleanse the brain and do something completely different.

I joined InTune Choir just before lockdown and, despite covid restrictions, I am still a member! Research shows that singing can relieve stress, boost the immune system and may improve snoring and lung function. It is also believed to improve memory, mental health and develop social connection. All these benefits help make it the perfect hobby to not think about writing. The video below is the InTune Choir at the Minack Theatre in 2016. I am delighted to say that we will be appearing at the Minack Theatre again on 7th May, 2022. Money raised will go to the Cornwall Air Ambulance.

So let's see what hobbies or guilty pleasures other writers have to take their minds off story telling. First up is award winning short story and flash fiction writer, Rae Cowie.

"Remember when most folks bought an actual daily newspaper, with pages that rustle? Then 24-hour rolling news stations popped up and articles became available for free online – and newspaper sales slumped. But, for me, nothing beats sitting with a cup of tea, flicking through the daily news.

Here in north-east Scotland, we have the Press and Journal (also known as the P & J), which is full of local and human-interest stories, perfect when I’m stuck for inspiration. I rip out articles and headlines that grab my attention and stick them in a ring binder, waiting for the day when I’ll riffle through them and invariably notice themes – protection of wildcats, plastic in the ocean, foodie stories etc.

But I’m not the only fan of the P & J, it is also enjoyed by royalty, delivered to Balmoral Castle when the Queen arrives for her summer break."

Press and Journal logo

Mairibeth MacMillan, author of the Brothers of Thunder, an historical Viking romance series, prefers her 'time out' to be outdoors.

"During the last few years, I’ve taken up wild-swimming. Now that I have the basic gear, it’s essentially free as I live near a sea-loch and can simply wander down to the beach. The water is baltic (as we say here on the west coast of Scotland), I rarely swim unless covered neck-to-toe in black neoprene and the sun rarely shines, but swimming outdoors with no restrictions is both a physical and spiritual experience. For a while, all my cares and worries wash away and I feel that if I could just swim far enough, I’d reach another world!

Mairibeth at her local sea-loch

Jenni Keer, who has several successful commercial fiction novels under her belt, prefers to burn extra calories with friends to music.

"I’ve been attending a dance class for the last twelve years, which not only combats the writer’s bottom but is also is an invaluable headspace for me. (Sometimes it’s hard to switch off from your WIP when you’re an author.) We have a gold level formation disco team and I’ve achieved bronze in my freestyle solo. The ladies I dance with are some of my closest friends and biggest supporters."

Our dance class was 
recently visited by a Morris dancer!

John Jackson, author of historical romances based on his ancestors, prefers indulging in something that embraces all the senses.

"For me, its food! That includes, of course, the activities that go WITH food; i.e. cooking, eating and drinking!

I do almost all the cooking at home now, and I cook a lot of food from all over Asia. Friday night is Thali night in our house. The objects on the thali could be anywhere from the Pacific through South East Asia to the Indian subcontinent and beyond. So many recipes, so little time!

Or, as Lionel Bart put it in Oliver! “Food, Glorious Food! There’s nothing quite like it!”"

It's been great fun learning about how my writing friends take their minds off writing. I hope it inspires you to take some time out to recharge your batteries and 'cleanse the mind'!  If you already have a method, do let us know in the comments, we would love to hear about it!

Murder Your Darlings Dreckly!

As writers, we all know the agony of editing and erasing some of your favourite prose.



The phrase "Murder your darlings!" was coined by Sir Arthur Quiller Couch (“Q”), compiler of the Oxford Book of English Verse and a host of novels about his native Cornwall.

  A quick check on Wikipedia gives a list of 45 books associated with Cornwall. Lots of familiar names, too.



The list is dominated by Winston Graham, and the Poldark series, (the man solely responsible for the recent surge of interest in scything!) and by Daphne du Maurier, surely the doyen of Cornish authors. There are many others though. Enid Blyton set her “Mallory Towers” series of school novels in Cornwall.

Back in Victorian times, RM Ballantyne gave us “Deep Down! A tale of the Cornish mines.” A very readable story and the result of three months he spent at the Botallack in St Just. Coincidently, and a nice example of "what goes around, comes around," Deep Down is the title of a recent Jack Reacher story.

Rosamunde Pilcher hit a literary gold mine with The Shell Seekers; Victoria Holt, Mary Wesley and Susan Howatch too have fallen under the “Kernow Spell”

So why? What is it that brings these amazing authors to write of Cornwall?

For me, it’s the atmosphere. I find that the land and sea, the mines and manor houses, cast a spell. Its as if a parallel world exists when you cross the Tamar.

Many modern authors have set their stories there and use the land or its history as a foundation for their stories, including Victoria Cornwall, one of the Novel Point of View bloggers. I read her first novel – The Thief’s Daughter and loved it. An excellent historical romance adventure, and packed with bona fide detail! .

This is a county where history and legend can be found around every corner, and in every glade in the woods and every cove and bay along the coast. It’s a coast that has seen every phase of history from Phoenician traders coming for tin to make bronze, through raids by African pirates seeking slaves, the mining of tin, copper, arsenic and china clay, the rise and fall of a massive coastal fishing industry based on pilchards, flowers, farms and American soldiers and sailors for the invasion of France in WWII, and now a massive and growing tourist industry.

Some authors make the county their own. Liz Fenwick, American by birth, is now, according to the Guardian, “An award-winning author of eight novels, dubbed 'the queen of the contemporary Cornish novel' “ Her latest novel, The River Between Us, has just been awarded the Popular Romantic Fiction Award by the Romantic Novelists Association..

And so to come right up to date with the myriad of modern authors, across all genres and tropes who succumb to the mystic charms of this multifaceted corner of the country. Check out Melanie Hudson, Jane Johnson, Phillipa Ashley, Mandy James, Kate Ryder, Kitty Wilson! They and others ALL weave their tales using Cornwall’s magic to set their scenes, and very well done, too.

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley Cornwall again,” and we are off there on holiday in a couple of weeks!

DISCOVERING EKPHRASTIC FLASH FICTION...

Over the past year, I have been drawn to ekphrastic writing, creating flash fiction inspired by visual art. Poets have long enjoyed finding inspiration in other artforms, whilst novelists create ekphrastic work too; amongst the most famous are The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (original artist – Carel Fabritius) and Girl with The Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (original artist - Johannes Vermeer). 

Canada's famous Group of Seven...

CANADA’S FAMOUS GROUP OF SEVEN 

But my interest in ekphrastic writing was sparked when I stumbled across a beautiful coffee-table sized book of flash fiction created by Canadian writers, entitled The Group of Seven Reimagined. 

So, who were the original Group of Seven? 

A century ago, seven artists formed what was to become Canada’s most famous art group. They travelled the rugged landscape, on foot, on horseback, by canoe, capturing the country's wild beauty in a way that had never been done before. Find more information about the artists and their work here... The Group of Seven. 

But back to writing and The Group of Seven Reimagined, which is a vibrant flash fiction anthology, created by contemporary writers, each story inspired by one of the original paintings... I wanted to try something similar. 

A beautiful anthology inspired by Canadian artwork...

EKPHRASTIC WORKSHOP OFFERED ONLINE 

That’s when I spotted an online ekphrastic flash fiction workshop, focusing on animals, being run by top flash fiction writer, Meg Pokrass, as well as the founding editor of the Ekphrastic Review, Lorette C Luzajic. 

During the workshop we were given seven thought-provoking paintings from around the globe (a mix of classical and modern), along with interesting information about the artists and the inspiration behind their work. I produced four new flash pieces in four days, and received helpful feedback from Meg and Lorette, as well as the other participants. It felt great to try something new and learn more about art. Meg and Lorette’s next ekphrastic writing workshop begins on the 22nd April 2022... The Write of Spring. 

The Write of Spring - an ekphrastic flash workshop
(available online)

ART HISTORY 

With my interest in artists and artwork awakened, I signed up for a series of online art history workshops, taught by Kristine T G Hardeberg, focusing on Impressionism. 

Why the Impressionist period? 

Well, it was a time when many artists (authors, designers, painters, musicians) spent time in the cafés of Paris, as well as exploring the French countryside, and I feel that impressionism shares much with flash fiction. Both provide a slightly blurred snapshot in time which relies heavily on implication, requiring the reader/viewer to bring their experience to the artform. 

I’ve loved discovering more about artists such as Manet, Monet and Cassatt. About their lives, their loves, their muses, their struggles, their friendships. But, perhaps more importantly, I’m being introduced to new artwork that is planting seeds of story ideas for me to nurture and grow. 

For a flavour of Kristine’s workshops, head over to You Tube where she introduces art pioneer, Berthe Morisot and her moving piece, The Cradle. 

So, do you have a favourite artist or piece of artwork to share? Or has artwork inspired your creative life in some way? 

Until next time, happy reading (and writing)!

Rae x