Most of you here are already seasoned writers who practice everything I will discuss in this post. However, sometimes it’s easy to forget our needs or simple things we can do to make the process easier. I’ve put together some tips for anyone who might need a refresher, or for anyone at the beginning their writing journey.
1. Surrender to your writing.
Don’t put pressure on yourself. I know, it’s hard not to, but ideas and words can only surface when you’re relaxed. Don’t force your writing to come out. Instead, surrender to it.
It’s easy to rush to your writing station and have very specific goals. My suggestion is to not fear a slow start, and to give yourself permission to stop when you’ve done something. Do not push yourself farther than you need to go for one writing session just because your main goal is word count. Focus on your creation. In the end, a story will be measured by the efficacy of your writing, so act on that. Do a puzzle on the side. Make yourself some tea. Have paints or colored pencils at your studio. Play a video game. Make it a fun activity. Writing can be more like play and less like work, especially if this is not your main source of income. Surrendering to the project at hand as your work unfolds is sustainable for both your health and your work.
2. Set realistic goals.
You are not a writing machine. You are an organic being trying to contend with several pressures on a daily basis. Set goals that you know you can reach every day, you will make more progress this way. Know how long it’s going to take you to complete your daily tasks, and your weakness to turn down plans (or something to that effect). Your success isn’t defined by your word count and the amount of things you checked off of your to-do list. I release you from this mental prison 🪄.
3. Keep many different kinds of journals for different things.
Have a notebook or a device you can jot stuff down in for later when you are writing. Have a notebook for your current WIP. Have a notebook for your blog or your newsletter. Have a notebook for special trips, or for your hobbies. Connections are made and you are kept in a state of both self expression and record-keeping. You can use this material later on for things you don’t know about yet.
4. Stay organized and have a system.
Organize your thoughts and musings into categories on your deceive or in your journals. Start out each writing session by organizing your thoughts in this way until you’ve developed a flow and can easily pick up where you left off. I like to use Scrivener because it allows me to have several buckets that contain their own sub-buckets. You can weave a complex web in there that would normally look like a shit storm anywhere else but it’s somehow kept tidy there.
5. Take a trip.
It has been my experience that surrendering to your writing is much easier in transit. Barreling through space and time zones, confined to a seat until it’s time to get off, leave yourself with only your word processor and your music library. Once settled, you’ll notice those thoughts surface as you will only have your writing to give you company and amusement.
6. Revisit.
If possible, take long breaks from what you’ve written before returning to it. Look at it with new eyes so that you’ll know what needs to happen. This can look like jumping around between writing projects/artistic modalities, or taking a break from life altogether. Whatever the case, don’t forget to walk away from your WIP.
7. Take care of yourself.
“Learn to rest, not quit.” -Banksy
If you deprive yourself of life experiences, your writing will suffer. If you go without rest, your writing will suffer. If you foster your light, your creativity, whatever it is your writing is birthed from, you’ll have more than enough to give away, which is why we’re here. This is the hardest tip as life often doesn’t allow for things like rest, variety, all the matters that give life nuance and purpose. But consider, for a moment, quality over quantity. As a reader I’ve always been an advocate for mindful writing. I’ve noticed that as more time passes, the less material I can find in a bookstore that wasn’t made to solely capitalize on a market or to satisfy a person’s need to publish. If you agree with this statement, you might like my post on The Marketplace Planet, or my serialized novel Metanoia.
I hope this contributed to your writing toolbox in some way. Hey, shouldn’t you be writing? 😉
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Some great advice here and I agree you should never have to "suffer" for art. I have journals and notebooks next to my writing area as well. You never know when inspiration may strike.
Great post!
Thank you and especially thank you to Jeremy the wizard cat.
All this advice, which I keep telling myself all the time, is the best reassurance that I'm not doing anything wrong. And that I'm not the only one.
You have indeed released me from my mental prison. Thank you!