How To Inspire Yourself To Write

Because sometimes we all need to be inspired before writing.

Exercise.

Dance. Play baseball. Shoot some hoops. Whatever you like. Move your body, and maybe your mind will too.

Write.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is write, even when you’re slumping. If nothing else, start another project. Try to write when you aren’t inspired or motivated. Who knows what might happen.

Read.

If you don’t feel like reading, watch a movie or TV show. Perhaps other stories will inspire you to tell your own.

Game.

Play. Have fun. Video games are great. You have a new world to discover. You get to see a storyline unfold. You can study dialogue between different characters.

Blog.

Bloggers are some of the most inspiring people you’ll ever meet. Enough said.

Rest.

At times, you just need a break. That’s okay. Eat. Sleep. Take care of your body. Return to your story when you’re ready.

Explore.

Go outside. Take a walk. Travel somewhere you’ve never been before. That could get the creative juices flowing again.

Happy writing!

The Ultimate Guide To Writing A Novel

Whether it’s your first time or your tenth, here are some things to keep in mind as you write that novel.

This isn’t an ultimate guide by any means. Just some bad advice from an aspiring writer.

• Take it word by word. Don’t worry about the 10,000th word or the 100,000th word. Think about the next one.
• Edit later. Writing is hard enough as it is. Stop making the creative process harder for yourself. Besides, you can always fix your mistakes later.
• Use good tools. If you prefer pen and paper, pick something that writes well. If you prefer typing, choose the word processor you like best. You don’t have to break the bank, but your tool needs to do its job.
• Write the scene you want. Feel free to jump around from the beginning to the ending to the middle.
• Enjoy yourself. Play your favourite songs. Have a drink nearby. Grab a snack or ten.
• Live a little. Actually, live a lot. Go outside. Experience the world so you’re able to tell rich stories. You can’t shut yourself inside all day and night.
• Have good posture. Your future self will thank you.
• Keep your mind open. Don’t shoot down your ideas right away. Sometimes the craziest idea turns out better than you could ever imagine.
• Challenge yourself. You’re capable of accomplishing far more than you give yourself credit for.

Tell The Story You’re Afraid To Tell

As a human being who is terrified of many things, I often use writing to deal with some of my fears. Obviously, that’s not the same as confronting them, but it’s a start.

That being said, I’ve been too scared to write about things I should. Or I’ll beat around the bush and skirt around the issue.

I don’t always write how I really feel.

So hopefully, I’ll listen to my own advice about telling the story I’m afraid to tell. I need to share it, if not with the world then at least with myself.

Perhaps I should do the same on this blog. There are many posts I haven’t written or published because of fear.

Then again, the posts I do manage to write turn out to be some of the best.

I can’t make any specific promises because I break everything, but I can make an effort to overcome my fear. Both on the page and in real life. I encourage all of you to do the same.

It won’t be easy. In fact, that’s hard work. But I like to believe the story you’re scared to death of sharing needs to be told.

I don’t want to live in fear, and I especially don’t want to write in fear.

To be honest, I’ve been holding back. I know I can do better. So what if I fail? So what if I make mistakes? I can learn. I will grow.

I censor, I filter. Sometimes I avoid writing what I think because I worry about what others will think.

But I don’t write for others. I write for myself. I have an audience of one. That girl is hard enough to please on a good day.

I don’t want to make my life even harder because I’m afraid to write. I won’t let fear get the best of me.

How To Silence Your Inner Editor

There are times you need to write, which means you somehow have to silence your inner editor. Unfortunately, that’s a lot easier said than done.

Below is all my bad advice on how to silence him or her.

Tell your editor to shut up. Put your foot down.

Ask nicely. If being mean doesn’t work, try being polite?

Don’t do anything. Sometimes not forcing the issue is the best thing you can do.

Embrace the obnoxious editor. Befriend him or her.

Ignore. Hopefully they can take a hint. Or at least learn to.

Blast music. Turn the volume up. Careful you don’t shatter your ear drums in the process.

Listen. Maybe your head is trying to tell you something. After you hear yourself out, maybe your inner editor will finally stop bothering you. One can hope.

Lock them in a cage and throw the key away. Or just imagine doing so.

Practice. Just keep writing.

Never write another word in your life. Non-writers don’t have to deal with annoying inner editors, right? It doesn’t seem like such a bad life.

How To Write Every Day

Because I know all about writing every day…

Invest in expensive stationery. So you’re excited to use new pens. Then again, maybe it’s better to invest in nice but not too nice writing utensils. That way you won’t go broke replacing them. At the very least, write with something that isn’t frustrating to use.

Invest in locks. You can lock all the doors and windows. Anything to stop family members from barging in and invading your personal space. Just lock yourself away. Don’t be accessible to anybody until you emerge from you den.

Invest in noise cancelling headphones. For all those times you can’t control your environment. Perfect if you work at a coffee shop or write on the train but still prefer some silence. Listening to a baby’s cries piercing your eardrums is not conducive to productivity.

Invest in mugs. There’s nothing more annoying than having to get up and refill when you’re in the middle of a scene.

Invest in drinks. Choose whatever you prefer. Water. Coffee. Tears. Avoid beverages you despise to make your writing experience more enjoyable.

Invest in snacks. Snacking and writing go hand in hand. Besides, working while hungry isn’t a good idea in theory or in practice.

Invest in PJs. Are you going to do most of your writing in a suit or skirt? At the minimum, comfortable clothes are a must.

Invest in a bed. Ideally, buy a big one that practically calls your name at night.

Invest in books. When you’re not writing, you’re reading. Stories inspire stories.

Invest in yourself. You could take a class in writing or attend a conference on editing. Be the best writer you can be.

Invest in your future. Take care of yourself today so you can do better tomorrow. Eat. Exercise. Sleep. Live like a normal human being. You’re not some superhuman who can skip out on basic survival needs.

Writing every day is easy, said no one ever.

How To Write Under Time Pressure

Writing is hard enough as it is without the added pressure of having a limited amount of time.

Budgeting time takes on a greater significance when you only have a few hours to write too many essays.

I’ve extracted tips from my tired brain about writing under pressure:

• Write fast but not too fast. This goes for both handwriting and typing.
• Production not perfection. Don’t strive to be perfect. Do strive to be done.
• Be concise, clear. Try to know what you’re writing about to avoid beating around the bush.
• Prepare accordingly. There’s nothing like a simulation of the real thing. Studying and reviewing is good. Replicating the test conditions as closely as possible is great.
• Don’t forget to breathe. Like the protagonist in many YA novels, let out that breath you didn’t know you were holding.
• Try not to overthink. Most teachers aren’t trying to trick you.
• Just write something. Part marks are better than no marks at all. Get an idea down. It may lead to other ideas.
• Make connections. Concepts often interconnect. Draw out similarities and differences. Compare or contrast. Brainstorm with a mind map. Outline in a way that work for you.
• Write until you have nothing else to say. Stick with what you know when possible. Talking about what you don’t know makes your life harder.
• Use the time given. There’s no reason to stop writing thirty minutes into a three hour exam.
• Take care of any business beforehand. That way, you’re in a good place physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.
• Eat and drink beforehand. A hydrated body beats a hungry one.
• Move on. Especially when you’re stumped. Tackle the next question. You can always come back to a problem later.
• Play to your strengths. Downplay your weaknesses.
• Answer what’s asked. Ideally, you do this right off the bat.

If nothing else, remember writing under time pressure is a skill you can cultivate.

10 Tips For Surviving Camp NaNoWriMo

It’s upon us. That time of the year where the most ambitious of writers try to write a lot of words in a short amount of time.

Here’s to your survival during Camp NaNoWriMo. May you come out of July with a terrible first draft.

1. Do not research. You could have researched before. You can always do so after. It doesn’t matter. Your priority during Camp should be writing as many words as you can. Not researching how to bury a body. 
2. Do save your work everywhere. Make multiple copies and drafts of your novel, so you can sleep easier at night.
3. Do not procrastinate. Easier said than done. It helps a lot. Writing 1,667 words in 24 hours is much easier than writing 50,000 words in 1 day. 
4. Do sit in your chair and pound keys. Try to stay seated until you hit a goal you’ve set for yourself.
5. Do not read everything in sight. You can pick up that awesome book once you’ve hit your word count for each day.
6. Do tell people you’re busy writing a bestseller. They’ll hold you accountable. They might even ask to read it.
7. Do not edit. Don’t do it.
8. Do reward yourself handsomely. Exercise. Sleep well. Eat good food. But treat myself. 
9. Do not waste your precious writing time. It’s precious. Cherish it. 
10. Do have fun. Make writing fun again.

See you in August. Feel free to wave your manuscript in the air and scream your victory at the top of a mountain.

Write More This Summer

Allow me to quote myself:

Happy writing an atrocious amount of words even though you don’t have people to see or places to be.

Rectify that this summer by trying these tips? Or just rest and get rusty. Like me. That works too. It all depends on your priorities. 

• Take writing seriously. 
• Establish a routine. 
• Enjoy your experience. 
• Have many breaks. 
• Live a lot. 
• Love a lot. 
• Laugh a lot. 
• Reward yourself. 

Happy writing and stay cool!