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Writing Tips
Writers Block So much of the difficulty in writing resides in our own resistance, our own negative self-perceptions or the stories we tell ourselves about why we can’t write: I just can’t find the time I’ve got nothing new to say I’d like to write but I’m just not sure I have the talent When I sit down to write, nothing comes Who am I to think I can be a writer, anyway? The act of writing requires courage, even for experienced and published writers. Often, writers feel overwhelmed—by their own critical voices and by the seeming impossibility of the task at hand. One way to combat this resistance is to “trick” yourself into writing—a little at a time. Don’t sit down and say, “Now I’m going to write a great short story,” or “Here begins the first chapter of my new novel.” Most writers, if they take themselves this seriously, instantly freeze. Every sentence feels like it has to be a ‘good’ sentence—maybe even the perfect sentence; two hours later, you might find that you’ve only written two of these sentences, and chances are, they will feel stiff and awkward. Instead, try approaching your writing in a more playful, or arbitrary way. Give yourself 20 minutes to write about a certain topic or character or scene, with the only rule being that you must keep your pen moving or your fingers typing the entire time. Or tell yourself that you only have to show up and write 500 words today—even if those 500 words are the worst ones you’ve ever written. Tomorrow, you might find that there’s a gem buried in those terrible 500 words—the very image that leads you toward your next 500 words, and so on. Allow yourself the flexibility to write a less than perfect first draft. Allow yourself to let go of perfectionism. This is one of the biggest challenges that writers face! Allow yourself to play. Every published writer knows that they will have to revise regardless (and revise and revise), so you might as well have fun in the process. |
