This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
1. Write as much as you can, even if it’s little and often. Top athletes have to train every day, right? Even if you can’t face your work in progress, do you have a blog post in you? Could you write a review for something you read recently? Even if it’s just a long catch-up letter or email to your friend telling them what’s new, it all helps keep the juices flowing.
2. Write the book you’d want to read, not the one you think others will want to read. Write that vampire/high fantasy/BDSM epic because you really want to tell that particular story, not because you think you’re more likely to get readers off the Twilight/Game of Thrones/Fifty Shades bandwagon.
3. Don’t give up when you get writer’s block. It happens to everyone. But equally, don’t push it – you don’t want to end up hating your work in progress. Maybe do some editing? Take the time to do a few of those blog posts you keep meaning to do. Or take a break and read a novel that’s completely and utterly unlike the one you’re trying to write – you’ll find it strangely invigorating. Remember this quote: “A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” True that!
4. Read the story aloud to yourself, or – even better – get someone to read it aloud to you. You’ll immediately hear where dialogue is stilted and false-sounding, and you’ll also notice repetition and issues with pacing better.5. Read; all the time and anything you can get your hands on. Like the writing little and often, reading is exercise for a writer. If you’re the type of writer who won’t read when writing for fear of being influenced, then just read something so totally dissimilar that there’s no fear of that. Reading keeps your imagination active, your mind tuned to storytelling – and, of course, is just one of the greatest pleasures in life!
The Best Thing I Never Had by Erin Lawless is out now.