It wasn’t too long ago that finding me sat at my desk was a rare sight. My desk was more of a dumping ground than a workspace.
Fast forward 18 months and it’s a rare sight to see me not sat at my desk, even rarer still to not finding me writing.
So what changed?
First of all, I made the active decision that I didn’t want to waste my life. I’d spent my life wanting to write books but always let the fear stop me. After a series of unfortunate events in 2015, I decided there was never going to be a ‘right time’ to get the book finished, so why wait?.
You never know what’s around the corner, so why wait to achieve your dreams?
How to write more
Make notes
Make lots of notes. Whenever you have an idea, jot it down. Said idea doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but you.
This is especially useful if you have an idea when you’re out and can’t get to your laptop/notebook to write it down.
Plan ahead
What do you want the plot of your story to be? What do you want the angle of your blog post to be? Use your notes to formulate a plan.
Take breaks
Breaks are important. Keep hydrated, eat properly, and don’t forget toilet trips.
Beware of distractions
The more things you do at once, the harder it is to concentrate. If you’re a glutton for distractions, put some headphones in. If noise distracts you, wear noise-cancelling ones but don’t play anything through it. If music helps, listen to music (this is what I do). There are even websites on the internet where you can listen to white noise to cut everything out around you.
Get a change of scenery
You’d be surprised the difference a change of scenery can make. It could be as small as a different room in the house or office, or going to a new cafe or park to write in. Try different locations and see which you like the best. My favourites are coffee shops inside bookstores. There’s nothing better than the smell of coffee and books!
Distractions are what get me the most! – Twitter, Facebook, etc. – The best way I’ve found to stay motivated is to dedicated a two hour block of time every night right after I put my boys to bed. When I stay consistent, the love for my project keeps me going! Thanks for your post!
That’s a really great idea! Glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
Inspiring post! Back in school creative writing was my safe haven, and my English teacher once told me if I ever stopped writing he’d hunt me down. Fast forward seven years, my creative juices have run dry and I’ve barely picked up a pen for anything non-uni based. I want creative writing to be my hobby again. Can you give me any tips on where to begin? I’ve got a pretty bad habit of giving up on things I’m not immediately good at – I just hope I haven’t lost everything I worked so hard on as a teenager.
Hey Maddie, it’s really difficult to get back into creative writing after all the pressures of academics. I’d suggest trying to stop yourself from overthinking your writing, and reminding yourself that academic writing and creative writing are two VERY different disciplines that require different mindsets. Also, do you read for fun? Reading (particularly fiction, if that’s what you’re writing) is one of the best ways to inspire new ideas. I’d start with a genre you used to read a lot of when you were younger (for me it was fantasy), and go from there. Hope that helps!