This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
1. Get comfortable. Choose your preferred writing position, some authors like to curl up on a sofa at home, some like to frequent their local coffee shop and blend into the background for a few hours, others sit bolt upright at a desk. Experiment until you find your favourite spot, because the more at ease you are, the more productive you will be.
2. Turn off social media! As tempting as it is to ‘quickly check’ Facebook, Twitter, email or whatever other social media you use, don’t do it! If you really want a productive writing session you need to keep ALL interruptions to a minimum.
3. Write first, edit later. Of course this approach doesn’t work for all writers, but I find that if I can get the ideas out of my head and onto paper before I start correcting spelling, grammar and errors my stories end up more complete. Pausing every other word to adjust a typo is incredibly distracting to your thought processes and creativity.
4. Don’t give up. If you’ve already sent off numerous manuscripts only to receive the dreaded rejection slips or emails then you can reassure yourself with the knowledge that you are not on your own. Ask most authors and they will tell you the same story. When it comes to writing and submitting manuscripts, perseverance is key.
5. Enjoy it! If you are dreading turning your laptop on, or forcing yourself to try and churn out a few more words then perhaps writing isn’t for you.
Although granted we all have a bad day here and there! Most writers I’ve spoken to are similar to me; we write because quite simply, we have to. It’s like a compulsion. I have to get these ideas out of my head, regardless of if anyone reads them or not. If I didn’t write I think my brain would explode from all the stories swirling around in there.Now, go forth, enjoy and create!
Into the Light (Untwisted series Book 3) is out now.