It’s easy to write when the words are flowing, when ideas just seem to leap from your mind into your fingers. It’s not so easy when you sit facing the empty page, second-guessing every word and feeling like deleting the entire work. Here are five tricks to help get your writing back “on a roll.”
- Write every day. You’ve heard it over and over – and it’s true. If you write something daily, whether you feel like it or not, it gets to be a habit, and your brain expects it. That’s when it starts coming up with the good stuff on a regular basis, not just “when the muse strikes.”
- Write anything. Sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself when you expect to finish a work without stopping. When you get stuck, switch to some other project and work on that. So long as you’re writing, it doesn’t matter so much what that writing is, at least until you get into the habit of writing on a roll.
- Free-write. Set a time limit – say, ten minutes to start out – and write whatever comes into your mind. If you think “this is stupid,” then write that down. Don’t try to make a coherent story. The idea is just to learn how to write without stopping.
- Exercise. No, not physically, though that does keep you healthy and help the overall writing process. Writing exercises are short assignments, and they can help you get into the habit of writing. If you have trouble thinking of topics, writing exercises and prompts can give you a needed boost.
- Stop editing. Many writers fall into the trap of editing as they write, which delays the work and gets very frustrating because you never seem to reach the end. Just get everything down first, then you can go back and edit after you’ve finished.
Remember that writing is like any other craft: you must practice in order to improve. If you wait for some mystical muse to light a fire within you, you’re going to be waiting a long time. Learn to depend on yourself for inspiration, and your writing will benefit.
What are some tips you’ve learned that keep you writing?