Writing Tips for Productivity: Make More Time to Write
It’s not easy to find time to write. Even professional writers get caught up in paperwork and marketing and have to scramble to get the actual work of writing done.
But with careful planning and better time management, we can all learn how to carve out a little more time for writing.
Here are seven writing tips that will help you make or find more time to write, even if you have a packed schedule.
Writing Tips for Better Productivity
Try a few of these tried-and-true writing tips and productivity techniques and see which ones work for you:
- Make it a point to write first thing every morning. Most people feel refreshed after a good night’s rest (and a hot cup of coffee!) so there’s no better time to get creative than in the a.m. If you can get some writing done before you hop in the shower, you’ll already have made a great start for the day!
- Schedule writing sessions. If you have an over-packed, super busy schedule and your life is dictated by the notes on your calendar, then pen-in your writing time! Even if you can only squeeze in a half hour per day, you’ll see a dramatic increase in your output!
- Give yourself a break. Squeezing writing time into breaks and lunches at work can help you increase your daily word count. Even a ten-minute writing binge could mean a huge breakthrough in your plot or that perfect bit of dialogue you’ve been looking for. Because some of our best writing ideas come when we’re enmeshed in other activities, mini writing breaks scattered throughout the day can move your project along in small but significant steps.
- You can do it in the car. Don’t use pen and paper here, folks. Many cell phones are equipped with recording capabilities, and there are freestanding recording devices as well as gadgets that you can add on to your iPod, iPhone, or other mp3 player or smart phone. Use driving time to record your thoughts and you can transcribe them later. Bonus writing tip: Don’t have a recording device or add-on? Call yourself and leave a voice mail!
- Sacrifice. Sometimes in life we have to make choices. Give up one of your TV shows and instead use that time for a weekly writing session. Reconsider accepting every single party invitation, and ask yourself if extra-curricular activities like playing on a community softball league are more important than getting your writing done.
- Ask for help. If you have too much on your plate, and simply cannot find time to write, try delegating other tasks to friends, co-workers, and family members. This will free up time in your schedule that you can devote to writing.
- Turn off the internet. Need I say more?
Do you have any writing tips or tricks of your own that might help others find more time to write? Please share them in the comments.
Daily Writing Equals Better Writing
Recently, we talked about developing better writing habits and I shared five writing tips to help you improve your writing over time by developing beneficial habits.
Today, I want to talk about why the number one tip on that list was write every single day, and I’ll explain why it’s the best path to better writing.
Writing on a Whim
I started out writing poetry just before I hit my teens. Writing was a sacred outlet, and I poured my dreams, frustrations, and desires onto the pages of my notebook. During those years, I developed a very unhealthy attitude about writing, one that I believe many young or new writers cling to — that talent is all that matters. You had it or you didn’t, and it never occurred me that something that required talent would also benefit from hard work. So, I wrote, but only when I felt like it. Weeks would go by and I wouldn’t write a word, and then in just a few days, I’d half fill a notebook with my amateur poetry.
By the time high school was over, my belief in talent and the habit I’d developed for writing only on a whim or whenever the fancy struck me were embedded into my thinking and my behavior. Later, my whole perception of writing would be shaken.
Daily Writing
Eventually, I entered the creative writing program at university. For the first time in my life, writing was more than a casual fling; it started to become challenging. Surrounded by peers of equal or even greater talent, I started pushing myself. I suddenly realized that I wanted produce better writing — I wanted to be a talented writer, yes, but also a developed one. My coursework required that I write constantly. In one semester I would have anywhere from two to four writing classes, with lots of homework and plenty of projects, which kept me busy writing — every single day.
Immediately, I began to see a change in my own work, a shift. The poetry I wrote was consistently better than what I’d written the day before. My short stories, once flat and lifeless, started to take on some energy, and my essays, which had always been strong, reached new heights.
There were many reasons for this rapid growth. I learned the value of editing, of being a choosy reader, of using resources, like books that were packed with writing exercises designed to improve different aspects of my writing or help me discover new terrain in my work.
The feedback from peer reviews and critiques were invaluable. But these practices ebbed and flowed. One course would be laden with critiques, and other courses wouldn’t involve them at all. Some instructors liked to see the raw footage, the unedited stuff; others made you proofread and revise incessantly before turning anything in. One thing, however, was completely consistent: daily writing had become an ingrained habit for me.
Better Writing Happens When You Do it Every Day
It was making a habit out of writing daily, making it a priority in my life, that had the greatest impact on improving my writing.
There are thousands of tips out there for how to be a better writer. You’ve all read the books or at least heard of them. There are articles and lists, websites (yes, like this one), and short courses that say do this, do that, write sideways or upside down. Write in a park, or try a cafe, use a thesaurus, burn the thesaurus…
All of that advice does have value. Sometimes you’ll find a golden writing tip that works perfectly for you, but it’s rare for those tips to prove helpful for everyone. Only a very few bits of advice are truly applicable for every writer across the board, and writing daily is first and foremost among them.
What are You Waiting For?
It almost seems obvious if you think about it. You want to be a writer, so uh — yeah — you should write. A lot. Yet many don’t.
Daily writing is by far the best way to become better. Writing regularly will even increase your creativity. Some people worry that if they write too often, they’ll run out of ideas. But the truth is that the more you create, the more creative you become. Writing daily will only give you more writing ideas than ever before.
Are there a few extra specially talented writers out there who can just produce mind-boggling work without practicing regularly? Of course, they’re prodigies. Should you let a day go by without writing a single word? Yes, occasionally, that’s probably a good thing to do. A little break now and then can give you some perspective.
If your goal is better writing, then commit to writing every single day. Whether you write for five minutes or an hour, doing it daily ingrains writing as a regular part of your life. Stick with it and eventually, you’ll master it.
So, keep on writing (every single day)!
Do you write every day? Occasionally? Only when you feel like it? How has your writing frequency improved or affected the quality of your writing? Do you have any tips to share that will help others produce better writing? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March, 2008. It has been updated and revised, and therefore republished.
How More Reading Leads to Better Writing
If you want to develop better writing habits, you’ll have to do more than just write.
There are lots of things you can do to improve your writing. You can join a writing community, work on your grammar skills, and you can collect writing resources and useful writing tips and ideas. Put all these things in your writer’s toolbox and you’ll be in good shape. But it will all be for naught if you don’t ever take the time to read.
Reading is the single most important activity that leads to better writing. In fact, it’s just as crucial as actually writing. So, let’s talk about why it’s essential for writers to read as much as possible.
More Good Reading
The glasses in the picture up there aren’t mine, but I do wear glasses when I’m reading or working at the computer. My eyes are shot and the reason for that is because I’ve worn them out on books. That’s right, I read so much that I actually damaged my eyes. As a child, I used to read by poor light if necessary. I was supposed to be sleeping, but as a lifelong insomniac, I opted to read by a dull night light instead of heading off to dreamland.
A friend of mine recently told me that she believes adult writers who were childhood readers have acquired a natural talent for word craft. She went on to explain that she didn’t read much as a kid; her love of writing drove her to read more as an adult and she feels she has to work harder at writing than her writer friends who grew up with their noses buried in books. Makes sense to me, but then again, I was one of those reading kids.
The human brain is like a sponge. We soak up everything that we observe and experience throughout our lives, and each thing we are exposed to becomes part of the very fiber of our beings. What we read is no exception. You may not be able to recite the Mother Goose nursery rhymes you read as a child, but they’re still somewhere in that head of yours. When a little voice whispers jack be nimble, jack be quick, there’s a good chance you’ll recall that jack jumped over a candlestick. It’s embedded in your brain.
Better Writing
By reading a lot, you will develop a familiarity with language. Your vocabulary will expand and turns of phrase will wedge themselves into your memory. Even grammar sinks in. Forget memorizing all the rules, just read writers who are grammatically adept. Eventually, it all will become part of your mental makeup.
If you know exactly what kind of writer you want to be, you’re in luck. Your best bet is to read a lot within your favorite genre. Find authors that resonate with your sensibility and read all their books. Notice that each writer has a very distinct voice, one that makes their work recognizable. If you read enough of one author’s work, you’ll probably be able to pick them out of a quotation lineup (I had to take that test in college).
At the same time, you don’t want to rope yourself off from experiencing a wide range of styles. You might like high literature and want to pen the next Pulitzer-Prize-winning work of fiction. You should read the classics, of course, but don’t completely avoid the bestsellers. There’s a mentality among some writers that you should only read that which you want to write. It’s hogwash. Reading outside your chosen area of specialty will diversify and expand your skills, and you’ll be equipped to bring new techniques and methods into your craft. If you so choose, you’ll even be able to walk, or perhaps cross, genre lines.
Read and Write, Read and Write, Repeat
I think all writers benefit from reading (and writing) poetry. It is one sure way to develop a killer vocabulary, the ability to formulate vivid imagery, and infuse other types of writing with creativity. I know, some writers don’t love poetry, but I have to pitch my passion, right?
Reading also makes for invigorating conversation. You can join a book club or visit Booking Through Thursday, a website where you share your reading adventures with other passionate readers.
Do you ever read for the sole purpose of improving your writing? I usually just poke around for reading material that interests me. I try to read a little bit of everything from fiction to nonfiction to poetry to journalistic pieces. I like to open my mind and let it all in.
What are you reading these days?
Do you have any writing tips that have helped you in your pursuit of better writing? Any stories to tell about how reading has improved your writing? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in April, 2008 but has been updated with new information and insights, and therefore republished for your reading pleasure. Keep on (reading and) writing!
Writing Tips For Staying on Your Game
There are a few writing tips that we writers can pick up from athletes, like how to stay on top of our game.
Athletes work hard even when they’re off the field. They spend hours practicing with their teams. They run miles around the track when nobody else is around. They swim the laps, dunk the balls, and sweep their rackets. And they do all this so that when it’s time to play, they’ll steal the show and take home the trophy.
We all went to elementary school, where we learned our ABC’s and how to diagram a sentence. In high school, we read the classics and wrote the essays. Now we’ve been let loose on the field. We pen articles, publish blogs, peck away at novels, and compose poetry.
So, how do we stay in shape when we’re not dribbling all over the court?
Writing Tips for Fitness
Most writing tips address creativity and productivity – but this one is all about staying fit.
Fitness isn’t just for athletes. Every professional needs to keep those muscles toned and eyes on the ball. For us writers, that means we need to give our language center a good workout every now and then. We need to Read more
Writing on the Go
Today’s guest post contains great writing tips for writers on the go. This post is courtesy of WereBear, who blogs at The Way of Cats.
Legend has it that when Elmore Leonard was a copywriter for a Detroit ad agency, he would go to a local park, eat his lunch, and smooth out the brown paper bag. Then he would use it to work out the latest part of his novel. Many novels and screenplays later, we can conclude it worked for Mr. Leonard.
Can we take our odds and ends of time and use them to improve our writing? When we finally get to sit down for that anticipated writing session, do we find ourselves frustrated by the white space? Do we not know where to start or what to do?
We can prepare for our session even as we go through our busy day. Whether we use a notebook of paper or of pixels, we can take advantage of waiting for our coffee, our lunch, or our turn in line to write: something.
It can be a bit of dialogue that expresses the essence of one of our characters. We can try describing a scene we know is coming up in the plot. We can come up with wild ways to get our hero or heroine out of the mess we put them into.
We don’t have time to second guess ourselves. That’s the beauty of writing on the go. We don’t care if that word might be misspelled, or this character might be too much like the one we saw in last night’s movie. These concerns are what we wrestle with once we have something written. We are not there yet.
The short time span, the lack of the complete work to fiddle with, the simple tools we are using; these can free our minds to work without pressure. It is when we are playing that our minds are at their most creative.
Once we have taken this slice of time for our work, we have given our writing mind a treat to savor. The back of our head will be busy chewing on it until the next time we can pull out our notebook. Has this idea developed any wings of its own? Can we build on it, or have we discovered it doesn’t really work?
Either way, we have progressed with our writing project while we were busy doing other things. We have taken something for a test flight without devoting pages or hours to it.
The next time we sit down at our desk for some serious work, we at least have something to add to that blank page. We are already in second gear. We don’t waste any time figuring out what to write about or what avenue we want to explore. We’ve already done that; while we were getting everything else in our lives taken care of.
A work in progress is now always progressing, no matter what else is going on in our lives.
That is the power of seizing these thoughts. By keeping the tool of our choice always handy, we will never have a wasted moment again. We’ll find more time to write. Anywhere. Everywhere.
Don’t waste another minute. Go. Write.
Writing Tips for Tools:
If we love paper, make that notebook a good-looking one. Spring for a fountain pen. The lack of drag will keep writer’s cramp away. Keep it for future reference, or tear off and copy each scrap into the computer to savor the shrinking size.
If we go electronic, we have the advantage of bringing the text right into our word processor and starting off that much ahead. There’s two ways to go here. The Blackberry-type has a little keyboard that develops our thumbs into mighty weapons of creativity.
It could seem that touch screen-types would be at a disadvantage here. However, having recently acquired an iPod touch, I can reassure Mac fans that not only can we get pretty good at the virtual keyboard, there’s a marvelous program called Shapewriter that lets me type the fastest ever on any handheld. How good is it? I wrote the first draft of this article on it!
Special thanks to WereBear for this guest post. Do you have any writing tips to share? Please leave a comment!
Creative Cross Pollination
Today’s post is a special treat – a guest post from Jennie Nash, author of The Only True Genius in the Family
Creative Cross Pollination, or How Knitting, Painting and Gardening Can Help You Become a Better Writer
by Jennie Nash, author of The Only True Genius in the Family
Writing is a thing that you necessarily do by yourself. Even if you’re sitting in a crowded Starbucks or the reading room of a fantastic library, you are the only one who is going to decide which word to put down next, which scene to write next and which project to see through to completion. In a great essay entitled, “The Talent of the Room,” Michael Ventura put it best: “Writing is something you do alone in a room. Copy that sentence and put it on your wall because there’s no way to exaggerate or overemphasize this fact. It’s the most important thing to remember if you want to be a writer. Writing is something you do alone in a room.”
The strangest thing has happened to me, however, during the writing of my last two books. Around about page 100, I start to obsess about getting up and going out, and the places I always fantasize about going are places where I could make some other kind of art. I’d think about going to the art store and buying giant tubes of paint, going to the yarn store and buying bags of merino wool, or taking a class in how to throw a clay pot. I became mesmerized by the idea of starting a new project – something with color, something with texture, something that’s just more tangible than words on a page.
I used to fight the impulse. I thought that a “real” writer would just stay in the room and finish the story. What I found, however, is that if I allow myself the freedom to wander, creatively speaking, it always helps my work. Spend a little time in a bead shop stringing chunks of turquoise on a wire and you’ll understand something about rhythm. Run your hands over some bright red baby alpaca yarn, and you’ll learn something about texture. And if you need a reminder that failure is an inherent part of creativity and that throwing out a few hundred words (or pages) isn’t the end of the world? Try turning a chunk of clay into a bowl.
I know that writers have to work alone in a room, but I also know this: the more experiences of life we can take in there with us, the richer our work will be. I no longer shy away from the urge to create something besides stories – to play with color, texture, pattern, rhythm, and taste. My fifth book is coming out this month, and I’m in the middle of my sixth…and I also have some horribly misshapen clay bowls on a shelf, some painfully thin scarves in a drawer, and a few paintings on my bathroom wall that feature a rather hideous shade of olive green that I mixed right on the canvas just because I thought it would be fun.
Jennie Nash lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband and two daughters. She is an instructor at the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. Visit her website, www.jennienash.com, to read first chapter of her new novel, The Only True Genius in the Family
Other books by Jennie Nash:
The Last Beach Bungalow
The Victoria’s Secret Catalog Never Stops Coming: And Other Lessons I Learned From Breast Cancer
Creative Writing Tips from Around the Blogosphere
In the spirit of celebrating the writing community, I thought it would be fun to collect creative writing tips from some of the most talented, inspiring, and skillful writers in the blogosphere.
I wasn’t surprised that almost everyone I invited to participate in this collective post agreed – many people sent two or more tips so that I had some wiggle room in choosing which creative writing tips to include.
Each writer brought his or her unique voice to the project and generously gave their most writerly advice. I hope you enjoy these insights and find use for them in your own writing efforts. If you have any writing tips to add, please feel free to post them in the comments.
18 Creative Writing Tips from 18 Excellent Writers
Bill Womack of Words for Writers
I practice descriptions constantly. On walks around the neighborhood, I’ll make up sentences to describe what I see–the bark on a tree, or the way car tires sound as they crunch over icy slush. It’s all about keeping the writing muscles toned.
BJ Keltz from Enriched by Words
Try all the writing exercises you can find. You will learn a lot about your voice and your process, and find a few that suit you well enough to work them into your daily writing routine. Feel free to discard those that don’t work.
My most useful writing tip has nothing to do with writing at all. To retain and perpetuate inspiration, you must rid yourself of all ego. When you overly look up to writing luminaries you admire, compare yourself to other writers or see yourself as better or more talented than someone else–you cripple your own ability to be honest, open and creative. Your own ego is your worst enemy as a writer.
Brad Vertrees of Brad’s Reader
My writing really began to mature once I learned that creativity is more about perspiration than inspiration. This means that even when I’m not feeling particularly inspired, I still sit down to write. Once the words are on paper (or computer screen), then the editing process is where the magic (and work) begins – when a rough draft turns into a beautifully written short story. My point is that if you want to be a writer, then sit down and write, whether or not you feel inspired. Hard work is the name of the game!
Brett Legree of 6 Weeks
When you write, write from your gut, your heart, your soul. Don’t worry too much about polishing it, because like a good conversation, if it is too polished, it will sound rehearsed. It will not sound like “you”, it will not be “your voice”. If you write from your very core, you will share the best you have to offer with the world. And isn’t that what it is all about?
Deb Adams at G’s Cottage
Personalize the piece. My most memorable comments have come when the reader has not only gotten a glimpse of me as a full-spectrum individual but senses that I see them as a full-spectrum individual. To accomplish this requires a blend of honesty, openness and transparency. However, it is different from wearing one’s heart on the sleeve. Instead it makes room for imperfection and second-chances; and everybody has wished for a second chance at least once in their life.
Deb Boyken from Punctuality Rules
Be yourself. No matter how new you are to writing, nobody else can see things, or say things exactly as you can. By being yourself and letting that show through your writing, you will offer a totally unique product. But if you try to write like you think you’re supposed to write–instead of like YOU? Then you’re not offering anything special, so why bother? Only by being yourself are you truly unique, so … be yourself!
Forget the fancy grammar and spelling, and just write like you’re talking to your buddy over a few beers at the local pub. If you want your audience to open up and relate to you, it’s important to just be yourself. Don’t try to be someone you’re not, because people can sense when you’re not being genuine.
Jaden at Screenwriting for Hollywood
Continue to educate yourself throughout your career, be an expert in your field, and never give up.
James Chartrand from Men with Pens
There’s an analogy in everything, and drawing analogies between concepts can unlock the box to your creativity. If I said, “Write about writing,” for example, you’d rack your brains. But say I suggest, “Write about the similarities between water and writing…” Well, the words just begin to flow.
Karen Swim from Words for Hire
My inner critic loves to hover over my shoulder pointing out that I am a hack. She incessantly questions every word, comma and semicolon on the page. Unable to drown her out with music, or ignore her and press on I came up with a sure fire solution. I banish her from my presence by physically kicking her out of the room and locking the door. I have found that acknowledging her presence and ordering her to leave is as effective as it would be on a “real” person. She is only allowed back in when I have written the first draft, and then and only then she gets to have her say.
Kate at Live Out of the Box
Hop on a bus or train.
Whenever I’m stuck in a storyline or would just like to do a whole lotta brainstorming, I take a bus or a train and could sit next to the window for hours in absolute silence. At that moment, it’s just me and my world that’s taking shape before my eyes. The fast moving scenery is enough to open the floodgates of words and images and I’m often amazed at the ideas that jump out, smacking me in the face. Just be sure you get off at the right stop and not find yourself in a whole different country.
Marelisa Fabrega of Abundance Blog at Marelisa Online
My best advice for creative writing is to create a swipe file—filled with images, quotes, poems, passages from books, possible names for characters, and anything else that catches your fancy. Your swipe file can act as a creativity trigger, or as a playground in which you mix-and-match ideas until you’ve created something fantastic you can call your own.
Every word you publish must have a pulse behind it. You must write with conviction. It doesn’t matter if you treat your pen like a razor and bleed words across the page, if your words don’t pump your passion through the veins of your readers, then you will not hear back.
Milena from The Leaping Thought
Let something you have written age. You’d be surprised how different your words can look and sound with a couple of hours worth of distance. Often, I let whatever I write sit overnight before hitting the publish button on my blog posts. This practice has helped me to notice mistakes in spelling, syntax as well as effect improvements in the melody of whatever I write.
Sean Platt, aka Writer Dad
Always be yourself. If you’re not sure who that is, then just start writing. No one can answer the deepest questions of who you are than you, and there’s no quicker route than the pen. What keeps people from writing is the fear that they have nothing to say. Yet that is an impossible thought. We all have something to say, we just don’t all take the time to say it. Just write. Do it with the door closed if you need to, but write past the awkward and the truth will be waiting.
t. sterling watson of indoob, ’tis the workforce
Don’t tell me, show me. You say there’s a dog across the street. So what? You show me it’s a snarling 5 foot beast with too many razor sharp teeth that always barks and never sleeps with way too long of a leash, and then I’ll believe why you never leave.
Zoë Westhof of Essential Prose
Make your readers feel what you are writing by using corporeal language. Words that are tangible, especially ones related to our bodies, evoke strong images and physical response.
Ex: “The howl sliced through her flesh, thrusting a wave of hot blood into her chest” is more gripping than “The piercing howl fueled intense fear as she imagined what was coming.”
Be Yourself
Of all the creative writing tips people shared only one seemed to repeat itself, and I think it’s so appropriate that it bears repeating: be yourself. You can say it a million different ways – be true to yourself, do you, listen to your heart – and this is true not just in writing, but in life. The most successful, wealthy, and happy people on the planet are those that follow their own path, that march to the ticking of their own hearts, and who dare to believe in their own dreams. If you do nothing else in life, do that, and you (and your writing) will be fine.
Thanks to all the writers who so generously shared their creative writing tips, and for being part of the writing community that has come to mean so much to me. This was a fun project and I’m grateful that you all decided to participate.
Update: John Roach over at Pro Writing Tips published a post around the same time this one went live, and his is called 17 No. 1 Writing Tips for the New Year. If you’re collecting writing tips, be sure to check it out!
10 Tips to Improve Your Fiction Writing Skills
This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of distance learning universities. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com.
Writing fiction, whether short or long, can be a very trying experience indeed. So many writers of fiction have different processes for achieving their writing goals that it’s hard to sift through what works and what doesn’t.
Writing is a process that requires skill, determination, adaptability, and plenty of time. Here are some suggestions for improving your fiction writing skills, gleaned from trial and error over time.
- Start With a Seed
- Let the Story Tell Itself
- Use Realistic Characters and Dialogue
- Write What You Know
- Close the Door
- Keep Pushing Forward
- Put it Away When You’re Finished
- Start a New Project
- Return to Your Finished Product
- Revise and Edit
Some great fiction books are simply a product of asking the question, “What if…?” Starting a new work of fiction requires just a small seed to get you going. Beginning without too much baggage can really help get the ball rolling.
Think of yourself as a medium, or a vehicle, for a story that wants to be told. You may have some idea about where things are going, but don’t create too many constraints for yourself. The story will unfold if you are ready to work hard on keeping up with what it has to say.
This is accomplished through many different approaches. As a writer, you must learn to hone your powers of observation and watch people and how they interact. Research can come in a variety of forms, from reading other authors to watching movies as well. Keen observation skills and personal experience will help guide you through this aspect of fiction writing.
This is a well-known mantra for fiction writers, yet many fail to adhere to this simple principle of fiction writing. When you write about things you know and experiences you’ve had, the writing is easier to read and comes across as more authentic.
When you’re ready to get down to business, find a place where you can go to tune the rest of the world out. If you are planning on writing a long work of fiction, you will essentially be “living in the story.” Be prepared to shut yourself in as you work on bringing your tale to life.
Don’t get caught up in the past; keep writing each day without taking time to go back and reread. The time for reading what you have written will come, and that’s when you can fix any inconsistencies. Keep writing and worry about the minute details during the revision process. Dedicating specific amounts of time regularly will help you to get the project finished sooner rather than later.
When you feel your story has come to a close, put it away. Get it out of your sight and try your best not to revisit the work while the story is fresh in your mind. Putting some distance between writing and editing will do you and your story some good.
Get started right away on something new to increase the distance between you and your previous work. This will help you to come back with a new perspective and keep your productivity level high in the process.
After some time has passed, pull out your manuscript and read the piece with a pair of fresh eyes. Chances are you will find ways to improve upon and revise the story to make it flow more smoothly.
Cuts will have to be made and the revision process can be time consuming, but will help out when you’re ready to share your work with another reader for their opinion. Make sure that you polish your work as much as possible before giving it out to others for their opinions. Eliminating clutter and proofreading errors will help to get honest feedback without trivial details getting in the way.
If you have any fiction writing tips to share, feel free to post them in the comments or send them in as a guest post.
Five Writing Tips for Kicking Writer’s Block and Getting Inspired
Every writer has been there: staring at a blank screen, waiting for the words to arrive. But they don’t. The words just won’t come. They will, soon. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Time’s passing and the words still don’t come. Maybe they never will. You sit there feeling frustrated and uninspired. What’s a writer to do? Well for starters, you can use the writing tips below. Fighting writer’s block is easier than it seems. But sitting there staring at the blank page will only build tension, and continue to hinder your creativity by reinforcing the blockage that you’re experiencing. The trick to combating writer’s block is to remove yourself from your writing for a short time and get that creative energy flowing again. Fifteen to thirty ought to do it.
Writing Tips for Blocking Writer’s Block
In some ways, these aren’t writing tips at all, because the most important way to fight writer’s block is to move your body, which will bring on relaxation and relieve tension. Or do something that gets your mind completely off whatever you’re working on by mentally diving into something different for awhile. Close your notebook and put it away, or stand up and walk away from your computer. Here are five writing tips for non-writing activities that you can do:
- Exercise. Take your dog for a short walk, or run through some simple stretches or yoga poses. Moving the body gets blood flowing and when blood flows to the brain, you become more productive and more receptive to your inner muse.
- Chores. This is a great time to do the dishes. Fold that load of laundry that’s been sitting on the couch for a couple of days. It’s not spring cleaning, just a little daily maintenance that will get your body moving and your mind focused.
- People. We all have phone calls to make, emails to send, and letters to open. Okay, maybe there aren’t many letters to open, just bills and junk mail. But you can take this time to get in touch with friends and family. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you hang up the phone or click send and suddenly you know exactly what you want to write. Bonus Tip: get in touch with people who are writers and start sharing writing tips with each other!
- Animals. Take some time to play fetch with your dog or toss around the mouse toy for your cat. How long has it been since you gave them a good brushing? Spending quality time with pets has been scientifically proven to have health and relaxation benefits for both you and them, and you’ll find that it does wonders for your writing as well!
- Meditate. Meditation serves many purposes. It puts us in touch with our higher power, our inner being, and does wonders for clearing and cleansing the mind. Even a brief ten or fifteen minute meditation will ease the burden of writer’s block and inspiration will come to you in no time!
Good luck and let me know if any of these writing tips help you ward off writer’s block by leaving a comment!
Writing Tips for Organizing Writing Projects
I’m a pretty organized person. Over the years, I have spent countless hours re-organizing everything from the kitchen cupboards to my clothes-packed closet. Now, I’m turning all that organizing into a set of writing tips that you can use to get organized too.
It’s actually a process I enjoy and people look at me strangely whenever I offer to help them reorganize their garage. Who knows how much time I’ve spent organizing all the pieces of writing I’ve generated?
Basically, all of my writing exists in two formats: print and digital. Years ago, I kept hard copies of everything, and tried many methods from file folders to binders.
As I tried each organizational method, I would figure out what worked well and what didn’t work at all. Now, most of my work is stored digitally, but I do still keep some old hard copies handy.
Since I put so much thought into how I organized my own projects, I thoughts I’d share my organizational writing tips so you can learn from all my hard work.
Writing Tips for Organizing Printed Material
After trying many different strategies for organizing hard copies, I realized that binders are the way to go. Why?
- You can purchase thick 3-5″ binders and cram in as much as possible.
- Organizing is easy with tabbed dividers.
- The pages go in and out easily by opening the rings.
- Clear-cover binders can be customized with fancy spine and cover inserts.
- There are a host of binder accessories available from bags that hold pens and pencils to folders that you can clip in to hold pages that aren’t hole-punched.
Eventually, more and more of what I’d written was in the digital format. The material in my binders became dated and being environmentally conscious, I started opting to do regular electronic backups over the antiquated print method.
Writing Tips for Organizing Electronic Files
I’ve struggled with how to organize my electronic writing folder. For some reason, printed materials are easier to group and label. But using subfolders, I’ve been able to create sensible directories that make it easy to find anything and everything I’ve written.
Here’s what I’ve got so far:
- Notes and Ideas – a collection of notes that I’ve typed from my college days, story ideas, brainstorming sessions, and writing tips I’ve saved.
- Completed Works – ready to be sent out or posted.
- In Progress – anything that is not polished, with subfolders:
- Fiction
- Poetry
- Non-fiction
- Scripts
- Journals and Freewrites – pretty self-explanatory and very password protected
- Blogs and Internet – copies of my blog posts and related notes.
- Feedback – feedback and critiques that I have given and received.
- Publish and Submission – copies of work that I’ve submitted along with a spreadsheet for tracking submissions.
- Research for Writing Projects – information that I’ve found online, and have copied and pasted into Word because I think it might come in handy someday for one of my projects.
I reorganize this whole mess about once a year. I just went through it a couple weeks ago and did a little fall cleaning, and I found that this system works well for keeping files where I can find them quickly and easily.
Tell me, how do you keep your writing files organized? Share your organizational writing tips in the comments!
The Only Two Writing Tips You’ll Ever Need
I love collecting writing tips. You never know when you’re going to stumble across a golden nugget of wisdom that will make your writing richer and more vibrant. One of the reasons I started this website was so that I could share the many valuable tips that I’ve acquired over the years. I figure that if some bit of advice helped my writing, it’ll probably help other people’s as well.
But writing tips are funny things. What works for me might not work for you. Maybe you are naturally inclined to show rather than tell whereas I need someone to say “show, don’t tell.” Or maybe you only write nonfiction and have no use for tips on creating believable characters or riveting plots. Maybe you only write far out, abstract poetry and could care less about good grammar.
Writers and Naysayers
We writers are a varied bunch. If you look closely, you’ll see that the world of writing is comprised of many different types of writers, each with different needs and goals. But we do all have one thing in common: we write.
And because we all write, there are certainly a couple of writing tips that apply to each and every one of us. In fact, I’d argue that there are just two things that every writer absolutely must do in order to succeed: read and write.
I can hear the naysayers now — but I only write when I’m feeling inspired; that’s what makes it REAL! I don’t have time to read. If I spend my time reading, how will I find time to write?
These thoughts will mostly get you into trouble. Firstly, if you don’t read and write regularly, your work will be sub-par (at best). Secondly, people will think you’re just plain lazy. And they’ll be right.
The Value Sheer Necessity of Reading
You should know that if you’re not well read, it will show in your writing. More than once, I’ve reviewed written work and asked the author, “Read much?” Almost always, the answer is exactly what I guessed. If the writing flows effortlessly, the writer reads a lot. If the writing is jagged, confusing, and amateurish, then the writer is not a big reader.
What I don’t understand is why anyone who doesn’t love to read would want to be a writer in the first place. Can you imagine a musician who never listens to music? A film director who doesn’t watch movies? These are the arts, people. You’re in it because you love it, with fierce passion. You’re going to need that passion if you want to get anywhere, and you’re going to have to be immersed in the art to which you aspire. For writers, that means reading. Lots and lots of reading.
If you listen to the masters of any art, you will notice they often mention names of those who inspired them. Writing, like any art, comes with a certain heritage. We absorb the works of those who have gone before us, let them teach us the craft, and then we go forth and create.
Besides, if you read voraciously, you’ll reap the benefits:
- You’ll naturally grow your vocabulary and pick up better language skills.
- You’ll learn new information or be entertained by books, articles, and stories.
- You will be able to speak intelligibly about literature and writing.
- You will observe a cacophony of styles and your own voice will emerge.
- Your grammar, spelling, and punctuation will improve drastically, especially if you have high reading standards.
There are many more writerly perks that come from reading. Can you think of any to add?
Writers Write
It pretty much goes without saying, yet it has to be said again and again: If you want to be a writer, you must write. But how much must you write?
In an article titled “Outliers – 10,000 Hours for Success,” Marelisa Fábrega cites research conducted by neurologists and psychologists who collectively found that to become a true master at anything, one must put in 10,000 hours:
“In study after study, of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice-skaters, concert pianists, chess players, master criminals, this number comes up again and again. Ten thousand hours is equivalent to roughly three hours a day, or 20 hours a week, of practice over 10 years… No one has yet found a case in which true world-class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems that it takes the brain this long to assimilate all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery.“ – Daniel Levitin
Allow me to repeat the time it takes: 10,000 hours — three hours per day (or 20 hours per week) for ten years. That’s to become a master writer. Maybe you just want to be a published writer. In either case, you’re going to have to do a whole lot of writing. Take a few minutes today to think about how many hours you’ve spent writing (or reading, or both). A few hundred? A few thousand? Maybe you’re halfway there. Maybe you’ve passed the finish line and just need to start putting your work out there.
There’s no point sitting around daydreaming about becoming a writer, thinking someday I’ll write that novel. Someday is here. Someday was yesterday. It’s today. And it’s tomorrow. Someday is right now. So start writing — today and every day.
Learn from the Masters
Stephen King is an accomplished writer. He has sold an estimated 300-350 million copies of his novels and short stories. Many of his works have been adapted for film and television, including Carrie, Cujo, The Green Mile, and The Body, (which was made into the popular film Stand By Me). Mr. King has won numerous awards and received much critical acclaim. The sheer volume of his output is astounding. His success is vast, perhaps unparalleled. In fact, he’s one of the most successful writers of all time — if not the most successful.
Stephen King is exactly the kind of writer from whom the rest of us need to learn. Not just because he’s published (and published a lot), but also because his fans adore him, Hollywood loves him (writers make big bucks when they sell their film rights), and of course, there are all those awards and all that acclaim. But most importantly, Stephen King succeeded in doing what the rest of us writers strive to do — make a living as a writer.
Guess what writing tips Stephen King offers the rest of us? (Hint: watch the video below to find out).
Other Writing Tips
Like I said, I collect writing tips. I have a whole bunch of them clanking around inside my head. Some have been vital; others I could have done without. I will keep collecting these tips and sharing them with you, but none of them will be as powerful as read and write.
So keep taking notes. Look for new ways to get inspired, fresh approaches to language and story. Jot down all your favorite writing tips and poetry tricks in your journal. Use the ones that feel right and make your writing better.
But if you don’t do anything else, keep on reading and writing.
Do you read? How often do you write? What other writing tips have been useful to you? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.
Environmentally Friendly Writing Tips
Writing tips that help the environment!
My post today is part of a community action called Blog Action Day. This year, the focus in on the environment, and over fifteen thousand blogs are participating. For my contribution, I’d like to share writing tips that will help writers to contribute to conservation and the environment by saving paper.
Why is it important to conserve paper? Many people believe that by saving paper, they are also saving trees, forests, and other woodlands. While there is some truth to this, the main reason that it’s important to save paper is to lessen the amount of waste we are dumping into our landfills. According to Paper University:
“Helping to reduce the amount of paper in landfills is an important task. Since each of us uses an average of 700 pounds of paper products per year, paper makes up almost a third of the material which goes into landfills.”
That’s a lot of paper resulting in far too much waste. So, without further ado, I bring you…
10 Writing Tips for Saving Paper, Trees, and Landfill Space
- Recycle all used paper products.
- Purchase and use recycled paper products.
- When writing in a notebook or journal, write on both sides of every page.
- When printing documents or manuscripts, use double-sided printing.
- Get into the habit of doing as much writing as possible on your computer or laptop. Even if you’re more comfortable writing longhand, give it a try and make a genuine effort to switch to electronic writing.
- Don’t print unless absolutely necessary. Practice working through your first draft edits and revisions on the screen.
- Purchase a PDA, such as a Blackberry phone, which you can use for storing ideas and notes instead of jotting them down on a pocket notebook or other paper scraps.
- Conversely, when you do need to jot down an idea, use those paper scraps! Keep them in a basket or box on your desk so you can always find them.
- Be part of the e-mail revolution. Use e-mail whenever possible for written communications and submissions.
- Encourage others to do the same! Whenever possible, let people know that you practice paper conservation. Tell them why and how, and encourage them to conserve, recycle, and write consciously too!
Do you have any environmentally friendly writing tips that writers can use to help conserve paper products and preserve our planet? Please share in the comments.
