Sustaining A Writing Practice Over the Long Haul
Sustaining A Writing Practice Over the Long Haul
Tips and tricks to help you
Tips and tricks to help you
Your successful writing career is not based on a one-and-done effort. Far from it. The kind of career that most writers want — say, bestselling novels, or critically acclaimed memoirs, or successful short story or essay collections — comes from sustained effort at the desk day after day after day. And so the burning question for writers becomes: how do I sustain a writing practice over the long haul?
“When the passion goes away, it’s the practice that sustains us.” Jeff Goins
Well, first of all you write. Obviously. Writing is the ultimate goal, of course. And most of us get pretty good at doing it day in and day out. But there comes a time in every writer’s life when suddenly it is difficult to get to the page. For whatever reason, the motivation just isn’t there.
When that happens you can approach your problem in several ways:
Do something writing-related.
Do something that will lead you back to your writing. Or…
Do something that will support your writing.
Below you will find suggestions, tips and techniques for each of the above categories that will help to keep you writing. Do realize that though I’ve listed them in categories, they are for the most part quite interchangeable.
Writing
“Quitting means not starting again — and art is all about starting again.” Bayles & Orland, Art and Fear
Start. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is just get started. And remember, the process of writing is starting and then starting again, over and over. Helpful ways to begin:
Prompts. The power of a prompt is never to be disdained. They can get you writing again in a jiffy.
Freewriting. Set the timer, choose a prompt, move your hand across the paper WITHOUT STOPPING.
Journal. Because, remember, any kind of writing counts. It is useful to remember that the more you master something, the more confidence you will have in it. Which is why any kind of writing counts, because it will give you an ease and facility with laying words on paper.
Lower your expectations. This is not the time to be a perfectionist. (No time is.) Remember that the purpose of a first draft is not to be perfect. It is to get the story down.
Write horrible crap. Tell yourself it is required. Then throw words at the page. Any words.
Write for only a few minutes. Five, or ten, or fifteen. Or write one sentence to start.
Write every day. Or as often as you possibly can, because getting into the habit creates a practice that will sustain you through rough times. And it also creates momentum and makes it easier to start over and over again.
Preparation Prevents Paralysis
Nip writer’s block in the bud by tracking your storymedium.com
Something Writing Related
Mind-mapping. Always a fun activity that can free up your brain when you are stuck. Mind-mapping is a way of outlining and/or taking notes that is more visual in nature. To me, it also more naturally apes the way my brain thinks. You’ll find many resources on the web, including this one.
Journal. But not about your project. Write about your day, or what you’re pissed off about, or anything at all. Get yourself back into writing mode.
Napping. Supposedly it is good for your creativity. And who doesn’t enjoy a nap in the afternoon?
Something That Will Lead You Back
Write about your project. There’s writing on your project and then there’s writing about it. If I get blocked, I often write about it or my project in general.
Character Dossiers. Sometimes going back to your character can solve a host of problems. Maybe you don’t know enough about them.
Settings. Ditto above.
General notes. Always useful. I keep a notepad (generally one dedicated to the project at hand) next to my computer on which to scribble ideas and thoughts.
Keep a project journal. John Steinbeck kept a notebook while he wrote his novels (you can actually buy them). I find this helpful as well. It is a place to note ideas, or write about what might have you stumped or blocked, as above.
Keep a word count tally. It’s fun to look back on your word count tracking and it can inspire and convince you that you are not as much of a slacker as you think. Make a spreadsheet, or write it in your journal or planner or on your phone.
The Pros and Cons of Counting Words
Is tracking your writing a good idea?writingcooperative.com
Something That Will Support Your Writing
Meditation. Not only does it give you enormous clarity and compassion and an enhanced ability to stand in your truth, it teaches you how to start and start again.
Read. Words in, words out. I swear to God, when I’m writing a lot regularly I feel like I have to read a lot, too, as if I need to get more words inside me to use.
Refill the Well. Julia Cameron has popularized the idea of the artist’s date, wherein you take yourself out to do something you enjoy — visit and art gallery, swing on the swings at the park, go for a drive. You need to replenish your creative innards when working on a long creative project.
Create a Routine. We writers hate the words “routine” and “discipline” because we want to be wild, creative, and free. But honestly? Routine is your friend.
Make it a Habit. Some considerations:
— Focus on the habit, not the results.
— Make the habit small, easy and repeatable.
— Go for small and consistent over big and once in awhile. The latter is the image we have of creativity, but it really isn’t sustainable over the long haul.
Evoke Your Best Self. Ask yourself what word would evoke your best self? These words can also be aspirational. Set an alarm on the phone for several times a day and name the alarm your three words. Every time the alarm goes off, you’re reminded of what you want to accomplish.
Power Stance. It has been proven that standing like Wonder Woman for a certain amount of time each day increases your confidence and strength. See the Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy, or read her book, Presence. (The power stance is hands on hips, feet wide apart, shoulders back, gazing confidently forward.)
Sustaining a regular writing practice might involve any or all of these at various times throughout your career. If you practice them regularly, you may just hit that sweet spot where getting to the page every day becomes something you do with grace and ease.
You just read another exciting post from the Book Mechanic: the writer’s source for creating books that work and selling those books once they’re written.
If you’d like to read more stories just like this one tap here to visit