Writing Advice

[al55]

Hey everyone,

I get the majority of my writing done at the weekends as I am off from work.

However, I get about 2K words done and then I get tired.

Does anyone have any advice how to keep powering through or get my focus back, please? Coffee is great but it doesn't always work for me and sometimes I can write even more than 2K easily.

Thanks in advance!

Regards,
Al

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Take a break. Go do something else for a little while.
Let your brain have some time to relax.
I usually write in the evenings, I'll hit a block and go for a run. Come home, take a shower and more ideas will be floating around.

 

[JGittes]

Do what the pros do, cocaine.

But seriously, 2k words is a good chunk of writing that would be properly tiring. I've had two three-day stretches where I clocked 5k a day. They were extraordinary (which is why I remember them), and then I didn't write anything for six months.

The muse comes when your butt is in the chair and your fingers are on the keyboard, but forcing too much can be counterproductive.

 

[Bazzle]

Stop and edit.

No point pushing yourself. A rest is as good as pushing on.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Taking a break to edit what you have already written is an excellent way to recharge your writing spirit.

You can also switch up your input method by recording yourself as you think of new parts for your story. The recordings can then be used to populate the written parts once you get back to it.

 

[PennyThompson]

Adderall definitely helps me get words down on a document

But also, writing is a hobby not a job for me. When I'm feeling motivated and inspired, it doesn't feel like work. When it feels like work, I take a break and do something else, housework or a walk or the gym or something.

I'm sure I'd be more prolific if I grinded harder, but I don't like to grind hobbies

 

[redgarters]

Stand up, take a 15-20 minute walk and think about what you've written, how your characters might feel or react in a situation, think up a new scene, a silly one even that you will never use, give that writer's brain some air. Then come back, sit down again and try writing some of what you thought about.

 

[Bamagan]

I'm sure I'd be more prolific if I grinded harder, but I don't like to grind hobbies

I initially read that as hobbits. No one wants hobbit sausage.



Okay, no one but Smeagol wants hobbit sausage.



Okay, no one but Smeagol and the Orcs want hobbit sausage. And maybe some trolls. And dragons.

Look, let's all just agree not to grind up any hobbitses.

 

[Voboy]

I never lose sight of the fact that this is a HOBBY. When I'm feeling intense pressure to write, such that it stresses me out? It's a sign that I'm doing it wrong. If a story is fighting me, it's not worth writing; I let it go and move on to the next.

A thing to remember is that you're writing even when you're not writing. Sitting down and typing, for me, is just an extension of the things I've been thinking about already. Like others, I think well when I'm running, or at the gym; I also think well when I'm driving.

So the trick is to think of things that are as compelling for you as they'll be to your readers. When that happens, I can't wait to get home and write them down. Then those ideas lead to other ideas, and before you know it I've got a really good writing session going.

If my WiP compels me, I'll have no trouble writing it. If my WiP doesn't compel me, I move on. Sometimes that means taking a break, if I think the story has good bones, but more often it means I just abandon ship. Another idea WILL come along.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I never lose sight of the fact that this is a HOBBY. When I'm feeling intense pressure to write, such that it stresses me out? It's a sign that I'm doing it wrong. If a story is fighting me, it's not worth writing; I let it go and move on to the next.

A thing to remember is that you're writing even when you're not writing. Sitting down and typing, for me, is just an extension of the things I've been thinking about already. Like others, I think well when I'm running, or at the gym; I also think well when I'm driving.

So the trick is to think of things that are as compelling for you as they'll be to your readers. When that happens, I can't wait to get home and write them down. Then those ideas lead to other ideas, and before you know it I've got a really good writing session going.

If my WiP compels me, I'll have no trouble writing it. If my WiP doesn't compel me, I move on. Sometimes that means taking a break, if I think the story has good bones, but more often it means I just abandon ship. Another idea WILL come along.

Great point.
Don't forget, this is supposed to be fun. If your process is sucking the fun out of it, you need a new process.

 

[PennyThompson]

I initially read that as hobbits. No one wants hobbit sausage.

View attachment 2672734

Okay, no one but Smeagol wants hobbit sausage.

View attachment 2672735

Okay, no one but Smeagol and the Orcs want hobbit sausage. And maybe some trolls. And dragons.

Look, let's all just agree not to grind up any hobbitses.

I would grind the fuck out of some hobbits on the dance floor, get over here little guy and show me what those furry feet can do

(naw that's just a joke, I am a terrible dancer)

 

[Voboy]

Suddenly, we're sucking the fun out of things and grinding on hobbits...

These threads lately, I swear...

 

[SmilingLez]

Do something completely different (not stagnant) to trick your brain. A brisk walk, a bike ride, exercising/weight training. Went on a bike ride this morning (love my Townie 3 speed) and an erotic haiku danced in my head. Always works for me. YMMV

 

[StillStunned]

Hey everyone,

I get the majority of my writing done at the weekends as I am off from work.

However, I get about 2K words done and then I get tired.

Does anyone have any advice how to keep powering through or get my focus back, please? Coffee is great but it doesn't always work for me and sometimes I can write even more than 2K easily.

Thanks in advance!

Regards,
Al

Writing takes an emotional and mental toll. Physical too, often, as we sit hunched over the keyboard and the shoulders tense up.

Sometimes there's no help for it. Some scenes will just take it out of you, and leave you drained after only a few hundred words.

But often it's a question of planning. Write a few hundred words, then take a break. Go for a walk, or do something else to clear your head. Start thinking ahead to what you're going to write next. Come up with a nice phrase or description that you can hang the next scene on. But decide beforehand what you're going to write: that's generally a big thing. Even for pantsers, it can help to look ahead a little bit.

Don't rely on the words to come just because you're sitting at the keyboard. When you sit down to write, make sure that you have something to write. Keeping the mental and physical parts of writing separate will make both of them so much easier.

 

[deathlynx]

First, I'll agree that 2K is nothing to scoff at. I certainly understand wanting to get more, but don't be too hard on yourself no matter how little finds its way to the page.

What works? That's a tough question as it's different for everyone, and knowing yourself is a very important part of that. There's plenty of good advice above (if you weed through a bit ). Something I didn't see was time of day? I was on a fan forum for a published author many ago, with quite a few other well recognized authors chiming in. Each one of them had a different routine for writing and some were mutually exclusive. Some did their best work first thing in the morning, while others it was afternoon or evening.

For that matter, I need music when I write. Doesn't even need to match what I'm working on, just something a bit more than white noise for my ADD to bounce off of. Silence is a distraction for me. But some people need to lock themselves into a closet, or have a pristine office.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

Hey everyone,

I get the majority of my writing done at the weekends as I am off from work.

However, I get about 2K words done and then I get tired.

Does anyone have any advice how to keep powering through or get my focus back, please? Coffee is great but it doesn't always work for me and sometimes I can write even more than 2K easily.

Thanks in advance!

Regards,
Al

What does your normal output looks like? How many words can you write in 10 minutes? How long are your writing sessions? How often are your sessions? More importantly, why are you writing? Amusing yourself? Money? Winning a bet? Getting an orgasm for five stars?

 

[TheLobster]

People here who say to often switch between writing and editing ain't Hemmingway, that's for sure.

 

[Andreas_Kreuz]

Ask yourself why you stall after 2000 words. My guess is that it is one of 3 reasons:

1. Your body needs attention, Food, drink, oxygen, sleep, pee, exercise.
2. Your focus stalls (Dopamine is drained)
3. Your plot stall, you simply have written to the point where everything you had in mind has been said and the plot pot must first refill.

 

[deathlynx]

People here who say to often switch between writing and editing ain't Hemmingway, that's for sure.

Never actually read him. And I found a lot of the stuff they fed me in English over the years overly pretentious.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

Never actually read him. And I found a lot of the stuff they fed me in English over the years overly pretentious.

Don't worry, Mickey Spillane also doesn't know who Hemingway was.

 

[deathlynx]

Don't worry, Mickey Spillane also doesn't know who Hemingway was.

And now I have to admit I had to look him up.

 

[Writer61]

Switch to something else. For me, that often means working on a different story, writing or planning.

 

[Demiurging]

I've found some success with the Pomodoro method. 25 minutes working, 5 minute breaks for water, bathroom, etc, and a longer break after a few cycles. There's apps all over the place on the phone stores, plenty of free (with nagging for unnecessary upgrades) options, but the original guy used an egg timer.

 

[FrancesScott]

However, I get about 2K words done and then I get tired.

Then stop and do something else. It’s your mind saying it needs a rest. Listen to it.

Does anyone have any advice how to keep powering through or get my focus back, please? Coffee is great but it doesn't always work for me and sometimes I can write even more than 2K easily.

Don’t power through. The quality of your work will suffer by trying to write when your body is saying no. There is no Medal of Honor for how much you write per day.

 

[JohnBJohn]

I often find it hard to write on weeknights as well. By the time we do dinner, watch a show with the Missus and then sit down in front of my computer, I'll sometimes browse Lit and before I know it, it's time to make my lunch and prep for the next day. On weeknights I'm lucky to get a few hundred words in.

Plus I'm behind on editing Blackwell_Link's story...