One Way to Improve Your Writing

And it’s easy, too

And it’s easy, too

Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash

I’m a lifelong walker. Or at least I was. I endured a few years of pain in my legs before finally getting a hip replacement last year. Since then, I’m pretty much pain-free. But I’m still not walking miles a day like I used to. And I think I’ve finally figured out why.

I’m bored.

I’ve lived in this neighborhood for years. It’s beautiful and cozy and highly walkable. But I’ve walked every block in the near and not-so near vicinity and I’m bored with the same old same old sights. That’s not a problem when I’m in France, where I visit every year to teach. The sights and sounds and smells are different enough that I never know what to expect — and thus am always happy to take a walk.

The lesson? Boring is not motivating.

The brain loves novelty

But novelty is. Our brains are actually hard-wired to seek out novelty. And not only that, novelty is associated with learning, increased memory, and motivation.

Now our (okay, maybe it’s just my) habits of incessant social media scrolling and inbox checking starts to make sense. Facebook posts and email provide the brain with a constant stream of the new. And that’s what it craves: novelty.

I could regale you with all kinds of facts about the center of the brain that is activated with novelty (it’s called the substantia nigra/ventral segmental area, or SN/VTA) but if you’re like me, you’ll probably just skip right over to get to the juicy stuff. Which is coming, I promise. (You can also Google SN/VTA if you’re interested in learning more).

Because what I’m interested in, always, is how to improve my writing. And also how to increase the efficiency of my writing habits.

Enter novelty.

Build novelty into your writing routine

How great is the idea that doing things a little differently each day can boost your writing quality? Simplest thing ever. But since we humans tend to easily get stuck in ruts, when you’re trying to think of how to change up your writing routine, you might get stumped. So I have some suggestions.

Change where you write

If you usually sit at home alone, head out to the coffee shop. If you usually write at the coffee shop, try writing at home. Or choose somewhere completely different — like the neighborhood bar. Or a park. Or your car. Recently, I read (maybe even on Medium) about a writer who rose early every morning, drove to the same spot in a parking lot under a street light, and wrote for an hour. Hey — whatever works, right?

You can also try different places at home. Take your laptop to the living room, or the backyard, or prop yourself up in bed. Sit in the kitchen, or on the front porch. Just get yourself out of your rut of sitting at your desk, the same spot, day in, day out.

Use different tools

This can be as simple as multi-colored pens. Or a spiral notebook when you usually use a binder. Or hand writing instead of working at the computer. I’ve heard of several novelists who write their entire novels by hand. I’m not going quite that far, but in planning my next novel, I’m requiring myself to take all notes and do all planning by hand in one giant notebook. So far the results are fantastic. I feel freer about putting together plot and characters than I have in a long time.

Experiment with different writing times

I’m an early riser by nature. My eyes pop open at 5 AM without benefit of an alarm. This is a huge boon for a writer. Some days by 8 AM I feel like I’ve done a full day’s work. But it also means by evening I’m done. Finito. The old brain simply doesn’t have anything left. After dinner, I’m ready for a good book by the fire or a movie on TV.

But once in a while circumstance dictates that I need to return to my computer at night, tired as I am. And, amazingly, I actually manage to get some writing done. The novelty drives the brain to gear up again.

Travel

This is a bit more complicated, granted, but if you have the chance to travel, do it! There’s nothing more energizing than being in a different place, where everything is new. Whether you travel internationally or to the next town, you’ll find your mind brimming with new ideas and thoughts.

Build novelty into your non-writing activities

Wherever you can find the new, it will benefit the brain — and help keep your writing fresh. Drive a different way to work. Shop at a different grocery store. Try a new restaurant. Watch a movie far outside the realm of what you usually like. Read non-fiction instead of fiction, or vice-versa. Pick up a magazine on a topic you know nothing about.

I’m sure you can think of a million new and different ways to get novelty into your life. But the most important thing is to do it. Choose something different to do every day!

And now excuse me, I’m off to find a new walking route.

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