How to Help Your Writing
Some simple steps to help you write and work out time for writing.
I’ve gotten questions over the years about the writing process. A lot of people are curious about issues like how to organize their story, what program to use, or how to create an outline. Sometimes, though, I hear a very common statement: “I would write a book, but I don’t have time.”
I learned a phrase a long time that I have been using for many years in my life, and it’s honestly given me courage, inspiration, and the motivation to buckle down and get the job done.
We have time. Especially in today’s day and age with all the technology in our world to ease our burdens. Time is actually our friend because we have the freedom to create schedules and give ourselves space to We just have to understand how to use time.
Below I’ve come up with some basic steps to help you both in preparing to write and in carving out time to write. It might not be obvious, but you don’t have to follow these steps to the letter. These are simply things that both I have done and I have learned others have done to help them focus and make sure they give time to their work, and give the best time they possibly can.
How to Help Your Writing: Preparation
1. Sit down with a calendar and make a plan. This is where we can start scheduling our time. Sit down with a calendar, either physical paper or a calendar app on your phone, and plan each week. If you have a regular job and/or children, organize your time around your work and their schedule. When you focus, you will learn you can find at least an hour each day to dedicate to whatever you need to work on: typing, outlines, research, taking a writing workshop.
2. Create a writing space that is yours and yours only. A writing space can be as simple as a comfy chair with a side table, preferably near natural light. Or buy a small desk and chair and place them under a window. If you don’t have a window, get a lamp that gives you natural lighting, nothing florescent. Keep your space free of clutter and only have your writing tools there, such as notepads, pens, a lamp, a dictionary, and your laptop. Your space should be where it’s quiet or where you can play calming music. Most importantly, explain to your family and friends that they are not to invade your space whether you are there or not. If you have them, gently ask your children to find somewhere else to play, and ask your partner to also respect your area. This is your space, so take it seriously and protect it.
3. Stay off social media. We’re already seeing studies coming out showing the negative effects of social media, especially to our emotions. At the very least, it’s a time-waster and does not bring much positivity to our lives. So do not use your writing time to be on social media. Completely logout and delete your shortcuts if you have to avoid temptation. Your writing time is only for writing and anything pertaining to writing.
4. Put your phone on silent or airplane mode. Our phones are mini-computers, and the same studies about social media have proven our phones can also be a serious distraction. Don’t let your phone be a tether. Ignore any calls or texts that are not anyone you know. Use vibrate if you are waiting for an important call, or if you need your phone close by in case of an emergency. Challenge yourself not to touch your phone for your entire writing time.
5. Read. I cannot recommend reading enough as part of your preparation for writing. Ray Bradbury’s advice was to always write every day and to “read intensely.” When you regularly read, you learn more about how words are used, how stories are built, and how to create emotions in your readers. Find at least ten minutes every day for a book, a magazine, a comic book; even an audiobook counts. Ebooks are also perfectly acceptable, but use your ereader and forego reading on your phone so you’re not easily distracted. Right before you go to bed, while you eat breakfast; any time is the right time to read.
How to Help Your Writing: Study & Tips
1. Study Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey. In the 1940s, Professor Joseph Campbell discovered a universal narrative structure that all stories follow. This structure is known as the Hero’s Journey, and it is present in all aspects of storytelling, from the first drawings on cave walls to mythology to today’s modern tales. The Hero’s Journey is universal, existing in all walks of life and types of cultures. Click here for my posts about the Hero’s Journey for more information.
2. Understand the seven basic story types. There are seven basic story types that exist in all forms of storytelling: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Much like the Hero’s Journey, the seven story types can be seen across all cultures and all parts of society. If you understand how these story types work, you will have more tools in your writing toolbox to help with the important aspects of storytelling. I will go over these types in a future post, but you are welcome to seek them out yourself.
3. Write what you know. It’s always important to write from your own personal experiences and realities. You can find examples of character traits in your friends and acquaintances, experience emotions in your daily routines and surprise moments. You can also incorporate your own life, like if you’re a retail worker or barista or you’ve spent time in a hospital. Using what you know will help your reader be engrossed in your story, for the more experience we write from, the more your story will feel believable and authentic.
4. If you don’t know, learn. Do your best to not just go with the first information that pops up in an Internet search. Make contact with people, visit locations, ask questions about the subject you’ve chosen. Avoid stereotypes and cliches. Even when writing genre fiction, don’t make assumptions as to how characters will feel or react if you’re not feeling a natural character trait coming through; find real-life instances to learn from. This will also keep your reader engaged with your story.
1. Find peer reviewers and hire and editor. Peer reviewers and beta readers are going to give you invaluable advice. You can find them online and at writing workshops. Be ready to understand that they are there to help you, so be open-minded. And always, always hire an editor. Set aside money for one if you must. Online grammar programs can help, but you need human eyes on your work to find both content and copy mistakes. And of course, a computer cannot replace a human when it comes to emotional attachment to a story. Whether you send a completed manuscript to a publisher or you self-publish, you will know you’ve done all you can to present your story in a clean, concise, and well-written book.
I hope these tips help you physically get started on your writing journey. Sometimes it’s just not easy to find that starting point, but let these tips get you there. Then you’ll really be ready to power up the laptop, get your notes ready, and really start on your writing journey.