When talking about writing, we conjure up an image of a person hunched on an old antique wooden desk with a fountain pen and an assortment of paraphernalia around her/him. The room is smelling of old books and there’s a candle light or a dim bulb glowing in the table lamp to complete the writing effect.
Truth be told – this image is truly straight out of an English manor setting that was made so strongly visual in the imaginative narration by authors of the Victorian era. Today, authors are busy communicating with their readers, ambling their way to literary meets and plonking a few paragraphs in their Mac books in between.
Why am I talking about writers and desks? They need their own world to write about worlds. Every writer need her/his space and ease of writing. If you are a writer already or want to write, the following tips can help you get started:
- Find your space. It could be your bedroom or a spacious room especially for writing. It could be a cafe nook or a friend’s place. Wherever you feel the most comfortable – you should write. The atmosphere of writing is very important
- Write everyday. Even if it is a single sentence or a paragraph. Maybe you might indulge in a bit of poetry or even get doodling – take that pen and paper and WRITE!
- Keep something to motivate you on your desk. This could be a strong motivator to help you write everyday. Could be your family photo frame or a motivational quote stuck on the cork board. It could be a favorite mug of coffee or a soothing plant.
- Make your mind calm before you write. Meditate. Be with nature. Read a few pages of the book or listen to music. Do what makes your mind calm and quite. Your writing after that would be the best – even if it could be a single line – it would be worth it.
- Keep your favorite productivity tools with you handy. Every writer has a different productivity tool that’s most suited to them. Some like sticky notes, some go in for planners/organizers and some like to have a productivity sheet online that helps them keep track of their thoughts and ideas. Keep one close by to ensure that you are able to jot your ideas/thoughts down before you forget.
- Fuel your words. Read everyday – or most days if you aren’t able to keep up. Reading fuels your writing. It helps see what others see or imagine. It opens up new worlds for you as a reader and possibly understand too as a writer.
- Be Organized. To be organized is a trait that one has to cultivate if one isn’t particularly so. It is difficult but one must do it so that one can keep a track of a lot of things that are swirling around. Your pens, highlighters, notes and other stationary items must be within your reach all the time. Searching for things leads to frustrations.
- Identify your best time to write. Many people find early mornings most conducive to writing, while some prefer late nights. Whatever suits you best, write at that time. Make time out to write a bit everyday despite busy schedule. This habit can lead to better writing skills and timed writing goals later.
- Research. You must research your writing be it novel, short story, article or even a poem. With plagiarism on rise, you might also want to ensure that your content remains yours. Ensure that if you are sharing your work, your name is mentioned. Research on your favorite genre(s). Seek new thoughts instead of copying. Nudge your brain to have new ideas with research.
- By all means write! Excuses are made so often. I do that too. On the other hand, I also know that I have to write despite my writer’s block. So I sometimes indulge in writing anything that might not even make sense. Who cares? It is a good feeling to write it out without bothering to share sometimes… so by all means …. WRITE!
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