The “Write” Headspace: Tips for Writing

So, I am working on a writing project and-wow-it’s a bigger project than I imagined when I first began.  I just try to tackle a little bit everyday, and everyday it seems just a little bigger than I thought it was before!  I find my best writing time is in the morning, so I try to wake up very early when all is quiet so I can really slip into the right (or “write”) headspace.  

What I have learned so far:

1) Outlines are the best possible things ever.  Writing without an outline is like flesh and muscles with no bone: just a blob with no motion.  I’m sticking to my outline, revising it and keeping it organized and on track.  It is like using a map to keep thought tied in to the rest and making sense. Otherwise, I’ll find my writing half-way to Timbuktu before I know what happened.  

2) The library is still a great place to do research, but not so great for writing.  Cafés were good in the beginning-being in a new atmosphere helped me get in the groove of a new project.  Public places can be too noisy and distracting to get good writing done-you really need a space where you can just think about the world of words that are on your page.  Carving out a comfortable spot at home has made all the difference in the world.  Sometimes even home can have its own set of unique distractions and I have heard from writer friends that to really find the peace they needed to concentrate, they rented a hotel room for the weekend.  Maybe somewhere with a nice place to take a walk.

3) Walking or exercise gets thoughts in motion and quiets the mind.  

4) Only one cup of coffee.  Fresh juice is great too.  I’m not using up a whole lot of energy doing this, so I don’t need lots of food.  What I do consume needs to keep me steady and grounded.

Those are just a couple of things that I’m discovering….let’s look online and see if there are helpful tips out there!

From WRITER’S HELPER:

Writing Tip #1: Put off editing

Writing Tip #2: Write what you know

Writing Tip #3: Research

Writing Tip #4: Use a structure

Writing Tip #5: Use strong verbs and nouns

Writing Tip #6: Be wary of adverbs and adjectives

Writing Tip #7: Use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar

Writing Tip #8: Work the details

Writing Tip #9: Cut, cut, cut

Writing Tip #10: Use active voice

Writing Tip #11: Use parallel structur

Writing Tip #12: Show, don’t tell

Writing Tip #13: Use humor when you can

Writing Tip #14: Build to the end

Writing Tip #15: Choose a beckoning title

Writing Tip #16: Print out a hard copy

Writing Tip #17: Read your work aloud

Writing Tip #18: Find an editor

Other links:

How to concentrate on your writing

50 Tools to improve your writing