Though some people have knocked out an entire short story in a single sitting, it’s more realistic to see writing a story not as an inspiration-fueled creative binge but as a multiweek project. Here’s a one-month plan for completing your first short story. Step 1: Look at your calendar and decide in advance which day(s) and time(s) you’ll write. Different writers set different daily goals for themselves, shooting for 500 words (or 250 or 1,000) or writing for a set length of time, including using something known as the Pomodoro Technique that breaks your workday into 25-minute chunks. Also to do in advance: Decide where you’ll write and what has to happen so that when your first writing session arrives, you’re ready.

Source: New York Times July 18, 2020 13:52 UTC