Writing is sacred to a writer. The hours you spend writing is a time of contemplation and a journey of self discovery. As a writer you may be intimidated by innumerable fears. From a blank document to the seeping fear of inadequacy, your mind is in a state of turmoil more often than not. Writing, like any other craft needs practice and discipline. Here are a couple of things that could aid you in the process.
A Time and Space for Writing
Writing is personal and doing it in solitude yields better results. In your daily allowance of 24 hours, dedicate a fixed portion of it wholly to writing. Either at the crack of dawn in the company of chirping birds or in the stillness of the moonlit night. At what hour do your creative juices flow ? Set up a space to write, declutter it and place all the things that inspire and comfort you. Tick marking these two things on your to-do list will help in setting your daily writing routine in place.
A Way to Focus
Another challenge to overcome while writing is taming your brain. The human brain scampers in all directions disrupting ordinary trails of thought. Popular writer Robin Sharma suggests a simple technique to ensure razor sharp focus while writing. He suggests to keep a blank sheet of paper, and each time you lose focus make a check-mark. A heightened awareness will rid you of this problem and increase concentration.
It pays to be Social
Are you bitten by the social media bug ? Twitter & Instagram are the best platforms, along with a personal blog ( we recommend WordPress) than can be used to your advantage. Writing groups, tips by famous writers and opportunities are bounced around for writers on all these platforms. Pinterest is extremely useful for research. You can also use it as a storehouse by creating boards and stacking together all the material you find useful.
A Journal is your Best Friend
As a writer you are mostly on alert mode. Anything may strike a chord and inspire you to string in a line or weave a new story. All these snippets may fade away from your mind, hence it is advisable to carry a journal and record everything. Or if you are of the ‘networked’ kind, make use of the notepad options on your smartphone to record those scribbles and thought fragments. Who knows? That tiny bit of information recorded can be instrumental in making your story a bestseller.
Become a Grammar Nazi
You may have won several laurels in this literary journey, but stick to the basics. Grammatical errors, scrappy sentences and unnecessary descriptions take away the finesse from a write-up. So write, edit and re-edit to make sure that your write up is crisp and conveys what it’s meant to.
Reading is as important as Writing
So clock in a minimum of 20 minutes of reading everyday to better your writing and enhance your vocabulary. So read the books you envision writing one day.
Writer’s block is a state of mind you can work around, rise above these words and conquer. There is always professional assistance (that is even customised and personal that is available) for creative writing for those who are willing to go that extra mile to hone their craft.
What are you waiting for? Give these tips a shot and get your name etched on the paperbacks and leave an imprint in your reader’s life.
