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There are A LOT of habits that make a good writer: discipline, organization, the willingness to learn, et cetera.
5 years into professional writing though, I’ve come to realize that there’s nothing a writer needs more than being patient with themselves.
Patience as you tread through the ugly first draft. Patience when looking for the lede. Patience with rewriting.
Most of all, patience when the words won’t flow *sigh*
It’s an all too familiar feeling, isn’t it? But you’ve got a publishing schedule to stick with.
So what can you do to get your writing gears shifting again? Here are 3 ways to clear the fog:
Author Anne Lamott says write a letter
Lamott’s book, Bird by Bird, is a writer’s bible. But I admit there are more gems for fiction writers than for non-fiction writers. And, some ridiculously good quotable content such as this:
“Writing is about hypnotizing yourself into believing in yourself, getting some work done, then unhypnotizing yourself and going over the material coldly.”
Anyway, Lamott recommends writing letters to get unstuck. This could be a letter to your niece/nephew, a friend, your partner, or even your kid.
“Write that person’s name at the top of the page, and then in your first line, explain that you are going to tell them part of your story, entrust it to them.”
Lamott says the letter’s informality helps kick perfectionism, eventually landing you into the flow.
Freelance copywriter, Bizzy Coy, suggests writing about the piece
This is similar to the letter-writing tactic but you don’t have to address it to anyone:
If I were you though, I’d talk to myself, explaining what the piece will cover — maybe create a concept map to walk myself through what I’ve to write until I eventually start writing and chipping away at the first draft. 🎉
I recommend fooling your brain
Often, you’re stuck because you’re either trying to chase perfection in the first draft itself or you’re overwhelmed.
So here’s what to do: pull up a fresh document and title it “rough draft to delete.” This title is key to signaling your brain that you aren’t dealing with anything serious.
Next, give yourself a pep talk — tell yourself you wouldn’t use anything from the draft, won’t even revisit it.
Finally, free write. Write whatever comes to mind. Think you have a good grip on a particular section? Write it first. Then work on another section. And then another.
Eventually, your writing will pick pace. And, when you revisit the rough version, you’ll see it wasn’t all too bad — you might even end up using a few lines or a section in your next draft.
That’s all for the 3 tips I promised. Have an unstick-myself-tactic that works wonders? Share it with me :)
Best,
Masooma
P.S. Next week, we have an expert on how to share useful writing feedback with writers. So watch out for it!
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