Getting the Words Down

Anyone who has even attempted to write knows how frustrating it can be at times. Sometimes the words simply will not flow and other times they are there, just all jumbled up and not making any sense. Then there is that magic moment when it all just clicks into place and you are frantically getting it all on paper/computer screen. I’ve learnt a few tips and ticks to get the words down so I thought I’d share them with you.

1. Set the timer and write. You can write absolutely anything and there is no word count. I set it for ten minutes and it is amazing how it unfreezes me from a writing block that just won’t melt. It has never failed me, even when I start by writing, I have nothing to write, the simple act of writing gets me into the mind frame of my story.
2. Setting aside time for my writing. I have set days during the week where I have minimal things happening in my life, allowing me to focus on my writing. I have worked hard to make this happen and I am protective of that time, simply because if I’m not no one else will be. No one else cares about my writing as much as I do, so if I’m not willing to set aside the time for it, no one else is going to give me that time.
3. Deadlines. I’m one of those people who will procrastinate forever if I don’t have a deadline. I’ll continually put it off for ‘later.’ Well later never really happens. At the moment I’m using the school term as a deadline for the first draft of Rosie and The Richell Prize as a deadline for the editing of Balance. Give yourself a deadline, make it realistic and stick to it. No excuses.
4. Don’t get caught up in research. Research is important, there is nothing more annoying than reading an excellent story and having one jarring little detail ruin it. However, don’t use it as an excuse not to write. I do minimal research before hand, enough to make sure my story idea is feasible and then I research as I go. That way I don’t get bogged down in details that, although interesting, are not needed.
5. Don’t edit as you go. This one was a habit that took me a little bit to break. The trouble I was having was that I would write a section and then edit it before moving on to the next. News flash: I was never happy with the section I was editing. This then stopped me from really progressing with my story. I eventually stopped doing it, mainly because the frustration of an incomplete story got to me. There is a reason it’s called a first draft after all.

So that’s it, the tips and tricks I use to get the words down, even if they don’t particularly want to be written. I hope they help and if you have any different ones let me now, I’m always on the look out for ways to help me write.

Happy creating everyone!