LEARNING HOW YOU WRITE
Last week I touched a little on writing routines (found here), and this week I thought I would go into learning how you personally write. I am someone who mostly pants through my drafts. I have a minimal outline, but it's really me telling myself the story as I write it. Now I know that a lot of people will outline a lot more extensively, and if that works for you, great, but it's never been something I find helps.
When I talk about learning how you personally write, I'm not talking about what software or method you use, but more about finding that routine that works for you. I know that I'm a morning writer in that I wake up naturally between 1-3am and will sit down and do my work then. It's not for everyone, and over the years I've also been an afternoon writer, a night writer, and an evening writer. It can chop and change as your life chops and changes, and that's completely normal and valid.
So what can you do to find out the best way for you to approach writing? Here are some of my tips.
#1 TRY AND OUTLINE
I say this because most of the time, it actually turns out that putting some goal posts on where you want to be with each chapter can make sure that the story is completed. You don't have to go into massive detail, even if it's just a couple of words, if you feel like that will help you bring about a completed story, then do it. If it doesn't work, you don't have to follow it to the letter.
#2 WORK OUT TIME
For this I simply mean try and work out when you'll have a decent chunk of time to work, and then attempt to write during that time for at least a week. I say more than a day because sometimes it takes us a while to know whether something is actually working for us. If you, after that week, find you got next to nothing done, or would like to try other times, then do that, and follow through with keeping it that way for the week. When you have enough data to be sure, that's when you'll know what works best for you as a writer.
#3 DISTRACTIONS MIGHT WORK
I am someone who can't write with music. I've tried, I don't have playlists or the like for my books because I just can't concentrate on writing while I'm hearing other noise. That might be down to me, but I do know other writers who have the same issue. That doesn't mean it won't work for you. If you have a playlist to write to and it helps you, then by all means add it to the routine and you're golden. But if you find that it means you don't actually get into the writing because of the distraction, then don't be afraid to go without it.
#4 CHANGE THINGS UP WHERE POSSIBLE
I write, mostly, at my desk. I have also written in bed, and written in coffee shops and the like. I find the first is the best one for me to feel like I'm really honed in on what I need to do. So if you have a desk and that works, great, but don't be afraid to try new things, to try different areas, and to work out what actually works for you. You might find something or somewhere that increases the ease with which you write.
So there we go, those are my tips when it comes to learning how you write. As I said, sometimes it can take a whole lot of trial and error and that's completely normal. Just keep moving forward, keep trying new things, and when you find a routine, you're golden.
Good luck!
Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!
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