How To Make Your Writing Life Easier

Let’s face it, sometimes writing can be hard. We might do everything right; make sure we’ve done our research, create a realistic but motivating timetable, read everything we can get our hands on and do lots of writing exercises to keep those creative cogs turning. But sometimes, no matter what we do, it just seems like we are struggling up a never-ending hill - the words won’t come out the way we want them to, we get stuck at certain points in our story and can’t figure out where to go next, or our writing just seems flat, unoriginal and disinteresting.

All writers go through these tough patches where things don’t go the way we want them to. But wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to make everything just flow? To reduce these instances or know exactly what to do to shake ourselves out of them when they occur?

Well, while there might be no miracle answer, there are certainly some things we can try to help make our writing lives easier

Never give up on your routine

You made that writing timetable for a reason, so make sure you stick to it! We know how horrible it can be to force yourself to write when you are not in the mood, but the more you stick to your writing routine, the easier it will be.

Give yourself regular breaks

Writing is a job and it’s hard work. Just like any other job you need regular breaks where you get up, move away from your desk and do something else. If you don’t it is easy to lose focus, get distracted or start to feel tired. Giving yourself a break may feel as though you are wasting your time, but you’ll actually be doing yourself and your writing a huge favour.

Stop when you’ve still got more to say

Always end a writing session on a high. Don’t write until you are completely out of steam. If you end when you’ve still got more to say just write down a few brief notes of what you want to happen next, and then when you come back to your writing you’ll be able to easily pick up where you left off.

Start by free writing

If you are feeling stuck why not dust off the cobwebs by free writing for 10 minutes before you continue to work on your writing project? This way you can loosen your mind and get rid of all the random cluttered thoughts before you begin.

Plan as much as you can

Being organised is half the battle for any writer. If you make a plan and do your research thoroughly you are so much more likely to feel confident that your story will work and less likely to get stuck halfway through.

Use creative writing tools

There is a wealth of creative writing apps and programmes available to writers nowadays and making the most of them can really help keep us motivated, easily pick up where we left off, note places we need to come back to or do more research on, and generally improve our writing overall.

Don’t write when you are tired, preoccupied or likely to be distracted

Be sensible and realistic about when you choose to write. If you know you’ll have kids and partners barging in on you every five minutes demanding your attention or you can barely keep your eyes open, try moving your writing sessions to a time where you can have some peace and quiet!

If you try to follow the above as much as possible you’ll soon find that the instances where writing feels sluggish and difficult happen less frequently. You might still have moments where you feel like this - all writers do, but you’ll be equipped with the tools and knowledge to start back up again and not let this hold you back for too long!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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