6 (More) Habits of Highly Effective Fundraising Writers
4. Write every day, at the same time
Henry James's brother William, a father of modern psychology, said that when the ordinary routines of daily life become habitual and automatic, we "free our minds to advance to really interesting fields of action." As Currey says, don't waste time each morning deciding to spend 45 minutes working on your novel. If that decision is already hardwired into your life, you'll be a lot more productive.
5. Try better living through chemistry (er, just one, actually)
Substance abuse and the creative arts have always had a dangerous relationship. Graham Greene and Ayn Rand used Benzedrine to keep them pumping out the work. And of course, alcohol has been the drug of choice for way too many great writers. In fact, though, only one drug has ever been proved to really enhance the creative process: caffeine. Just check out these "Coffee Achievers" and see for yourself.
6. Learn to work anywhere
Establishing a working routine is a good thing. But growing overly dependent on it is not. Thinking we need the perfect writing environment to be creative is really just self-defeating procrastination. "During Jane Austen's most productive years," says Currey, "... she wrote mainly in the family sitting-room, often with her mother sewing nearby. Continually interrupted by visitors, she wrote on scraps of paper that could easily be hidden away." Or consider that Agatha Christie wrote 66 novels and 16 short-story collections and never had a proper desk. She worked any place she could set her typewriter.
Of course, none of these strategies will guarantee writing success. Like everything else in life there are only two attributes that all successful writers share: 1) a little talent and 2) a lot of hard work. And the talent is really just a bonus. As my friend the Shakespeare scholar says, all successful writers do the same thing: "They write."
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Willis Turner believes great writing has the power to change minds, save lives, and make people want to dance and sing. Willis is the creative director at Huntsinger & Jeffer. He worked as a lead writer and creative director in the traditional advertising world for more than 15 years before making the switch to fundraising 20 years ago. In his work with nonprofit organizations and associations, he has written thousands of appeals, renewals and acquisition communications for every medium. He creates direct-response campaigns, and collateral communications materials that get attention, tell powerful stories and persuade people to take action or make a donation.
