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.