Shorn’s Guide to Writing – 2

By Lewynn Shorn | March 15, 2018

Tips & Tricks

Ever since last night I’ve been wracking my brain to come up with other suggestions. Thought of a few additional tips that I wanted to share below. Enjoy:

1. Follow a schedule

Being well-organized is a critical part of being a writer. If you can’t keep yourself organized, it’ll show in your work. That starts with your routine. Consider the following questions:

Do you find yourself writing on particular days or at specific times?
Do you block off chunks of time to focus on nothing but writing?

If so, great! If not, try to come up with a schedule for your next writing session. Having a schedule or routine can help to structure your writing time. It’ll keep you focused on the task at hand, and if you set yourself an end-time for each session, it’ll give you a clear goal to work towards. Which brings me to my next idea…

2. Set goals

Humans are naturally competitive beings – we love having goals. Nothing feels better than checking off the box on your daily to-do list or accomplishing a particularly daunting task. You can gamify your writing in much the same way. Give yourself objectives that you’d like to accomplish with each writing session – what you’d like to get out of it every time you sit down. Whether it’s to finish a set number of pages, or to reach a certain scene in your novel, it’ll help propel you forward and give you something to strive for. You can even reward yourself for hitting your goals! Nothing is better than a nice treat to top off a great session where you can leave feeling accomplished and satisfied. Personally, I’m favorable to drumsticks (the ice cream kind).

3. Choose your surroundings carefully

Putting forward your best work takes a lot of concentration, and for that, you’ll need a place where you can focus. Whether it’s a nice nook in your house, or the local library, you should choose a place free from distractions. You can either stick to one place that you know well, or even try to mix it up to keep your writing fresh. Sometimes a change of scenery can have a profound impact! When it comes to me, I prefer my home office. It’s filled with a lot of personal items – things that give me a boost whenever I need a quick little push of inspiration. The structured environment also helps to keep me focused and motivated, much more than I’d be if I were say, sitting on a couch (what Ismer prefers). Do whatever works best for you!

4. Take a break!

Seriously, take a break. Even if it means getting up to walk around and stretch your limbs. Like your blood, your thoughts can pool inside you, stagnating. Ever find yourself stuck, staring at a blank page, no progress made even though it’s been an hour since you sat down? You might just need a break. Go outside. Fly a kite. Or whatever the kids are doing for fun these days.

May your path always be clear, and your step be swift. Travel well, friends.

Shorn

Shorn’s Guide to Writing

By Lewynn Shorn | March 14, 2018

Tips and Tricks

Let me start off by saying this: I don’t profess to know much about writing. Or anything about it, really. Anyone that does is most likely bullshitting you, as well as themselves. Writing isn’t something you can ever truly know. How can you know something so massively intangible, something so perilously complex? You can’t. But, there are definitely some tips and tricks that can help when it comes time to creating work you can be proud of.

Rather than try and uncover the “secrets of writing,” I’ve gone in a different direction. Instead of looking for the answers outside, I’ve turned within. It’s taken awhile, but I’ve come to learn a few things about myself; how I work best, what motivates me, what interests me. What I need to do to be a better writer. And because I know these things, I can use them to my benefit.

Below are the three main tips I try to follow. I struggle with them, every time I turn on my computer, but still, I try, because I know they work.

1. Don’t drop that pen

Or keyboard. Not that you should hold your keyboard, but you get the picture. Sometimes all you need to do is write. Get it out on the page. Once it’s there, you can go back and edit it. Make it flowery, whatever. But you can’t do anything if it’s not there. Normally they say that showing up is half the battle. When it comes to writing, showing up is the battle.

2. Listen to criticism

I’m not going to lie – I have a very hard time with this one. It can be difficult to listen, really listen to someone when they look at your work and give you feedback. We all hate having our masterpieces torn to shreds before our eyes. But we all must realize that nothing is ever written perfectly on the first try. Or the second, or the tenth, or thirtieth. Even though you think you might have written your best piece, the very pinnacle of your life’s work, it more than likely needs some tough love. Everyone needs it. Not being able to take it when freely offered is one of the worst mistakes you can make as a writer. But sometimes it can be a little too much. Which brings me to…

3. Ultimately, you’re the author

At the end of the day, you know when to trust your gut. You’re the captain of the ship, and even though the first mate might be yelling about stormclouds on the horizon, only you can know if you need to sail through them to get to your destination. No one else can write your story for you. No one else knows it, after all. So, if someone tells you to change something, and you disagree, listen to your instincts. You’ll come to learn that they can and should be trusted.