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Tag: writing tips

  • Strategies to Deal with Writer’s Block and Some Humor to Help You Feel Good

    Strategies to Deal with Writer’s Block and Some Humor to Help You Feel Good

    This is not just another blog post about writer’s block. Writer’s block is a common issue for writers and of course, there are lots of tips out there on how to deal with it. If you’re a writer, you’ve probably looked for every bit of advice under the sun to see if you can find the ideal solution to unblock that block, break through that creative barrier, and get the words flowing again. 

    Well, this post does have some strategies to help you when you can’t think of what to write, but the big bonus is it also has some relatable moments. (Because that’s what you’re really here for, right?)

    1. Freewriting

    Too often, we become our own freelance editor when we are trying to write. You write several sentences and then the censor police in your head kicks in and has the overwhelming urge to delete  improve what you just wrote. Instead of worrying about what to say, just start writing anything that comes to mind. Set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes and let your thoughts spill out onto the page without censoring them. This method is one way to get past the mental block. Often, freewriting leads to unexpected ideas or topics you can explore further. I’ve tried this method before, and it often results in me writing several paragraphs of garbage I remove with one click of the highlight and delete key, but I have ended up with some good ideas.

    2. Write What’s On Your Mind

    Regardless of whether you’re writing a memoir, a blog, or a work of fantasy, your own life can be a source of ideas. What’s going on in your life? What are you thinking about? Your reactions to current events, your thoughts about a moment in your personal life, or your take on how an overheard conversation should end could spark an idea.

    3. Change Your Environment

    If you’re stuck, sometimes a simple change to your environment can help. Many writers I know go to coffee shops and hang out with writing friends to exchange ideas and just talk about writing or reading. A change of scenery, such as moving to another room to write, or going for a walk to get some fresh air can sharpen your focus. Of course, be prepared if your new environment isn’t the perfect place. (Some writers bring headphones and listen to music when they find the noise levels at a cafe too loud and distracting.)

    4. Read, Watch, or Listen to Something New

    If you’re struggling with ideas, get inspiration from other content. Read a book from a favorite author, listen to a podcast, or watch a show that interests you. I’ve read books while analyzing the writing style to see what I can learn from it. I’ve listened to music to awaken my imagination. It’s also inspiring to watch a movie for ideas (what storylines to learn from if the movie is good, what storylines to avoid if the show is bad), or watch a documentary as part of your research into a topic). Just be mindful of your time – it’s incredibly easy to lose yourself in a movie or a novel for hours. (Because it’s easier to watch stuff than to write stuff.)

    Key Takeaways

    Writer’s block doesn’t have to be permanent. Simple strategies like writing something, anything to get yourself going can get you back into writing mode. Looking for inspiration from various sources or different places can also trigger more ideas. Writing is not a straightforward process from start to finish; sometimes, you just need a little break (or block) to start writing again.

  • Fun Facts About Writing

    Fun Facts About Writing

    How much do you love writing?  Whether you want to answer this question with a groan or heart emojis, writing is a necessary part of modern life.

    For some, writing is a lucrative career. For others, writing is necessary, everyday communication through work emails, or texts with family and friends. Writing is a skill we can’t do without.

    Over time, and with practice, you can improve on the skill to overcome writer’s block, awkward sentences, jumbled thoughts, or grammar issues. 

    Because writing is an important part of our lives, we are sharing some amazing and shocking insights on writing skills. It’s astonishing what you can achieve when you put together a series of words!

    • What is the fastest time for writing a book? According to Guinness World Records, the fastest time to produce a novel is 9 hours 5 minutes 8 seconds. A team of 53 professional authors and academics wrote Moş Crăciun & Co.
    • How quickly does the English language change? Every two hours, a new word is added to the dictionary! Leading style guides such as Chicago, APA, MLA, and AP regularly revise their rules for punctuation and words and phrases. Writers and editors must keep up with the latest changes to ensure their writing is up to standard. 
    • Is there a limit to original story ideas? J.R.R. Tolkien had the idea for the Cauldron of Story (Pot of Soup), the collective imagination. All writers dip into this hypothetical pot, meaning no new stories are ever created.
    • How old is the earliest writing? About 5,500 years ago, humans drew symbols and images during the Stone Age. Around 3500 BCE, the first writing appeared, called Sumerian cuneiform, from pictographs. This writing system was used for business transactions, recording complaints, and refunds. Much later, writing developed into literature.
    • What are the most in-demand writing jobs? The most in-demand writing jobs are in content writing. Content writers write blog posts or articles. 
    • What are the highest-paid writing jobs? Some of the highest-paid writing jobs are (in no particular order): technical writer, copywriter, medical writer, speechwriter, screenwriter, ghostwriter, grant writer, and proposal writer. 
    • How much do writers make? The average writer’s salary in the United States is $65,000 (according to ZipRecruiter). The average salary for a creative writer in the United States is $52,576 (salary.com). Copywriter jobs pay from $75,000 to $140,000 (ZipRecruiter).
    • How is creative writing similar to professional athletics? German researcher Martin Lotze discovered that brain activity during the writing process and during athletic competitions is similar. However, professional writers use the speech-processing center of the brain while amateur writers use the vision center to visualize their story.
    • Do all writers write their own stories? If you have dysgraphia (difficulty with handwriting, typing, and spelling), it can be challenging to write a story. Author Agatha Christie published investigative books with the help of a typist like Barbara Blackburn, who could type 150 words per minute.

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  • Self-Editing Resources for First-Time or New Writers

    Self-Editing Resources for First-Time or New Writers

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    Ask anyone who writes professionally or personally, and they’ll say that it’s hard – really hard – to find their own writing mistakes. When you are your own editor, it’s tough to remain objective and read your work with fresh eyes.

    Difficult is not the same as impossible, however. You can self-edit if you know what to look for, and you develop a process. If you’re a first-time author or new to writing professionally, you may have many questions about how to edit, what to edit, and when (what stages in your writing) to edit.

    We’ve got the answers you need with resources recommended by professional book editors.

    Here are some fabulous self-editing resources to invest your time in. If you want a break from the written word, this list includes podcasts to check out as well.

    Self-Editing: The Writing Process

    Self-editing for Self-publishers: Incorporating: A Style Guide for Fiction by Richard Bradburn

    Indie authors looking to self-publish will find this resource particularly useful. It describes a three-stage editing process similar to the traditionally published one, from structural to sentence level to proofreading.

    Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition by Renni Brown and Dave King

    Two professional editors have written this book which teaches you editing techniques on exposition, point of view, and dialogue. They provide many examples taken from manuscripts that they have edited.

    Understanding Show, Don’t Tell And Really Getting It by Janice Hardy  

    This award-winning author uses examples to demonstrate the difference between showing, not telling, when writing a story. She helps authors understand the balance between backstory, description, and narrative. 

    Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft: A Step-by-step Guide to Revising Your Novel by Janice Hardy  

    This book tackles the big-picture problems that can go wrong with a novel. It shows how to review character and point of view issues, plot structure problems, and setting problems. You will learn to write stronger prose and build better character arcs and compelling plots.

    Cover to Cover What First-Time Authors Need to Know about Editing by Sandra Wendel

    After writing your first book, read this book to learn what to do next, before you work with an editor and prepare the book for production and publication. This is an important resource if you know little to nothing about the publication process.

    Troubleshooting Your Novel Essential Techniques for Identifying and Solving Manuscript Problems by Steven James  

    This hands-on guide takes you through the steps that will increase your chances of selling your manuscript to a publisher or gathering an audience for your book. Topics covered include story progression, character development, narrative techniques, and troubleshooting common issues. 

    Write Great Fiction – Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell 

    If you struggle with creating a plot that engages your readers, this is a resource to add to your library. The book tackles common plot problems, developing story structure, and how to create strong beginnings, middles, and ends to your story.

    Keys to Great Writing Revised and Expanded Mastering the Elements of Composition and Revision by Stephen Wilbers and Faith Sullivan 

    The writing process can be daunting. This book provides helpful techniques for the entire writing process, from prewriting to proofreading. It also has exercises to strengthen your writing skills from the sentence to the paragraph level.

    The Magic of Fiction Crafting Words Into Story: The Writer’s Guide to Writing & Editing by Beth Hill 

    This handbook for the writing and editing process is a valuable resource on all aspects of writing and editing. It covers writing and self-editing your own stories, whether you are a first-time or experienced author. 

    Self-Editing at a Sentence Level

    The Best Punctuation Book, Period by June Casagrande 

    Whether you write for an online, print, academic, or business audience, this quick reference guide covers your questions about punctuation for all styles, including AP (Associated Press), MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), and Chicago Manual of Style.

    Editing Fiction at Sentence Level by Louise Harnby 

    This book teaches you how to self-edit your manuscript at the sentence level, from narrative to dialogue. Examples are also provided to demonstrate the lessons.

    Eats, Shoots & Leaves The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss 

    This resource covers grammar and punctuation insights using humor and history. It is clear from this book that a simple comma or apostrophe can completely alter the meaning of a sentence – sometimes in a hilarious way.  

    Artful Sentences Syntax as Style by Virginia Tufte  

    This book breaks down standard sentence patterns and forms to show how they convey meaning. New writers and those who love language will find this book fascinating.

    The Elements of Style by William Strunk and Elwyn Brooks White 

    Among writing manuals, this book is considered a classic. It even has its own Wikipedia entry! This guide covers good writing and composition principles, lists commonly misused words and expressions, and lists often misspelled words.

    Self-Editing Resources: Podcasts

    The Midnight Quill Podcast hosted by writers T. C. Emerys, M. J. Glenn and Maisy Osbon

    Listen to discussions about writing techniques, worldbuilding and self-publishing, with new episodes every week.

    The Editing Podcast hosted by Louise Harnby and Denise Cowle

    Explore practical tips and insights for editors and proofreaders. This podcast is available in 60 countries. 

    Key Takeaways 

    New writers published authors will find value in self-editing resources. These books cover important topics in the editing and writing process. 

    Experienced writers will benefit from the review and the checklists, and new writers finishing their first manuscript will benefit from the insight and tips. 

    For some of the latest advice on editing, writers and editors can stream podcasts from multiple sources, such as YouTube and apps.

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  • 5 Reasons to Join a Writing Group

    5 Reasons to Join a Writing Group

    Do you feel like you’re the only one in the world striving hard to achieve your writing goal? If you do, you’ve found one excellent reason to join a group. Writers often work on their masterpieces by themselves, stopping now and then to recall the spelling of a word or ponder whether to make the paragraph longer or shorter. But why ask yourself those questions when you could ask a bunch of like-minded individuals? Here are five reasons to join a writing group. 

    Social conversation with like-minded people

    Some writing groups like to get together to talk over a beer or a coffee. Now you might wonder how that’s different from socializing with friends. The difference is a group of writers talking about life, video games, jobs, or movies will eventually start talking about stories.

    They’ll compare movie plots with plots in novels. They’ll talk about historical events and how those events can become plots in stories.

    Life conversations revolve around writing. How does one find time to write if one has a full-time job? How do writers get inspiration for their writing? When is the best time of day to write?

    Just being around like-minded people can get you in the mood to either start writing or keep writing, knowing that other people face the same struggles.

    Discussions about writing

    Writing groups are a safe space to hold discussions in-person or online about writing. Unlike casually chatting with your friend (who doesn’t write outside of work) about a novel you are working on, your writing group is not only interested in what you’re doing, but they can provide you with support. They empathize with your struggles when you have writer’s block. 

    They know the pain when you forgot to save 1000 words because you shut off your computer by mistake at 3 a.m. Most importantly, they might have suggestions on books and other resources to help you write better or get over the hurdle of developing your protagonist.

    You have a group of people who have been where you are and know what you’re going through.

    Ideas, resources, and industry information 

    A writing group that meets in person and has an online discussion platform can keep the discussion going after an in-person meeting. For example, if the group sets up channels on a platform such as Discord, they can share thoughts under specific topics, such as conversations for future get togethers, self promos for books, writing topics, publishing topics, and critiques of each other’s work. 

    They can also share resources, such as writing books they recommend, and thoughts on industry trends for best ways to promote books, and what types of literature is most popular.

    Accountability for writing goals

    You can find people in the group who are looking for accountability partners. Some people find it difficult to find motivation to write or stick to their writing goals if they are easily distracted or overwhelmed by life’s challenges and distractions (good and bad).

    If you have an accountability partner, you know you will report to someone at the end of a designated time period to tell them about your writing progress. Between the two of you, you don’t want to be the one who didn’t achieve your writing goals!

    An audience

    The most important reason for joining a writing group is you already have an audience. This is especially important if you are a first-time writer and you don’t have an audience for your work. Your writing group is there to support you on your journey to finish (or just work on) your writing project. You have an audience who will give you feedback and comments and encourage you to keep writing.

    Key Takeaways

    Joining a writing group has a lot of perks. You’ll be in an environment of supportive, like-minded people who face some of the same writing struggles that you do. They can help you with resources and advice and hold you accountable to your writing goals. Also, if you’ve lost the motivation to write, your writing group can inspire you to start thinking about writing again.

  • Quick Tips to Improve Your Writing Skills

    Quick Tips to Improve Your Writing Skills

    Writing isn’t a skill you can perfect overnight (although it would be nice to meet a genie who can grant a wish to make this happen). The next best way to improve your writing skills quickly is by making small changes that will one day result in tremendous improvements in your writing skills.

    For some tips on how to improve your writing skills fast, check out this previous blog post which includes resources and useful links.