Creative writing - From think to ink - Lindstrom Simeon 2015

Writing strategies that work

Maintaining focus while writing

·  If you don’t already, start supplementing with Omega 3 fatty acids from fish oil or similar. Make sure you’re getting adequate sleep at night and make sure you’re doing what you need to keep any medical issues manageable. A diet rich in fiber, low GI grains and high quality fats (coconut, olive and macadamia nut oils, for example) will keep your energy levels stable and help you keep focused while writing. Stay hydrated and avoid too much caffeine, alcohol or sugar spikes — they’ll give you a temporary boost but you’ll pay later.

·  Write for 20 minutes or half an hour and then get up to stretch, walk around, drink some tea or gaze out the window. Think of it as a periodic refresh to stop things from getting stale.

·  Mix things up a bit — write in different locations or with slightly varying stimuli around you to keep your brain active and engaged. Write outside when the weather’s good or occasionally write with a friend (if they’re not chatty!) I like burning incense as I work as I find it pulls me back into the moment and gives my writing sessions a sense of ceremony. Try what works for you and enjoy it.

·  Take up an auxiliary meditation practice — the skill of opening up still, aware moments within your day will benefit your writing enormously.

·  Make sure you’re exercising often. Disengage your brain completely at times and flood it with oxygen and endorphins — you’ll feel fresh and strengthened when you return to the page.

Boosting productivity

·  Of course, the golden rule is quality and not quantity, but if you’re starting out you will need to ramp up your output gradually until you reach a good momentum. Give yourself small, incremental goals every day — increase your writing quota every day by 100 words until you find a comfortable pace.

·  Be firm with friends and family who think nothing of interrupting you or don’t respect the time and space you’ve carved out to do your writing. If you need to, have a serious chat in which you explain just how important it is that you are left 100% alone during writing time. Get a sign for your door, work when the kids are at school or work away from home entirely — do whatever you can to minimize disruptions to your flow.

·  Write when you have nothing to say. Write when you don’t feel like it. Be OK with putting pen to paper in the morning when things are dry and it looks like nothing’s coming out. Trust that once you’ve warmed up a bit, things will flow again. Some people do “morning pages” as a ritual. Start out the day with putting down some “word vomit” first thing in the morning. It doesn’t matter, just start writing and don’t stop. Write anything. Anything. Do this for 10 minutes and then stop. Think of this as stretching your writing muscles for the writing jog ahead of you.

·  If you’re frequently distracted by Facebook or the Internet in general, get an app that cuts your access to certain sites during certain periods, or which will block access after a specified amount of time. Some writing apps allow you to write with nothing on the desktop except a blank page that cannot be closed until your writing session is over. Explore some of these to see if one of them can work for you.

Fine tuning your time management

·  You are never too busy. Don’t self sabotage by scheduling your writing time when you know you’ll be busy. Choose your freshest, most optimal time in the day and schedule your writing for then. Writing when everyone else is sleeping (early in the morning or late at night) is a good and time-honoured trick, but do what works for you.

·  Don’t rely on the goodness of your own heart to motivate you to write. Have a schedule, and don’t deviate from it. Plan it and respect the dates as though they were as important as your wedding date or an important job interview. In other words, something pretty serious has to happen to stop you from going.

·  What’s that, something serious happened? That’s OK, life is tricky, I know. But make a plan. Work something out. Carry your notebook around with you and scratch a few lines even if you’re stuck on a bus in traffic. Do a thought exercise while driving on your way to an impromptu meeting. Remember, writers are still writers even when they’re not writing. Keep going, even if conditions temporarily become difficult.

·  It’s more important in the beginning to be regular than to be prolific. It’s better to earn yourself a daily 20-minute writing habit that lasts for 2 years than to go big with 4 hours a day that lasts for a month and then never happens again.

Dealing with a lull in motivation

·  Writing can feel like a long endless slog with no light at the end of the tunnel. When you’re feeling spunky and motivated, write your future tired self a letter reminding them why you’re doing what you’re doing, and why they should keep going. Whip this out when you’re low on energy and thinking of giving up.

·  Try to tap into your Big Why any time you feel your enthusiasm waning. A drop in energy can hint at a place where you need to ramp things up or inject more feeling into your writing. If you’re bored, write until you’re interested again. Use your boredom as a rudder or a compass and adjust continuously. What would it take to get your interest again? Write towards that.

·  Reach out to others. Often, a drop in motivation happens because we feel like we’re trekking alone on our journey. Connect with other writers for some support, positive feedback or even some commiserating. You won’t feel so alone and you may even learn a few new strategies for getting the stamina to keep going.

·  Think back to some happy writing moments — moments where you were praised or recognized, moments where you were in the “zone” and writing effortlessly. Try to recapture what exactly was special about those moments — there are more in future if you keep going.