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[freshjuicywriterstuff]

Juicy Tips: Maintaining Focus

One of the biggest difficulties in the writer’s life is maintaining focus! For some writers this isn’t actually too difficult, but many of us also have the tendency to struggle with this. It can be much harder for writers who are neurodivergent, or it can simply be based on how big your workload is! Either way, here are some tips that might help you to improve your focus when writing.

Personally I’ve also found it difficult for the longest time. There are all kinds of ways you can trick your brain into working more efficiently while writing, though, and I’m just going to share some things I’ve picked up over the years. Some have arrived via my own discovery and others have been taught to me by mentors and tutors. The goal of this juicy tip piece is to help out writers who are struggling to focus on their work for any reason. It may or may not help you out! Here’s the basic rundown:

Setting The Mood

The brain is pretty easy to train, pavlov style, if you know how. The story goes, ring a bell every time you feed your pet and your pet will eventually become hungry whenever they hear the bell.

Try setting up a routine to get your brain into “writing mode” and stick to it, more or less. What I like to do is brew a hot drink, get myself a snack and then put on one of my playlists. Sometimes I might even go outside for a quick walk before sitting down to write. I find that some genres of music also help me write better than others. I also have two specific places in my apartment that I like to write, and I like to make sure that I’m fully comfortable so I can concentrate.

Setting up ‘rituals’ and specific environments to write in can gradually improve your ability to focus and produce more writing. It isn’t by any means a quick solution, but in the long run it can be the best decision. If you have a hard time remembering, maybe write something on a post-it note and place it near your work space to remind you of your rituals.

Fine-tune Your Surroundings

Make sure your surroundings are fully prepared for your writing session. Anything that can distract or disrupt your work flow should be dealt with. If you need to put your phone on silent, go ahead and do that. If you have books and comics on your desk it might be a good idea to move them out of arms reach so you don’t feel tempted to read instead. 

Make sure your work area is tidy, too. If you have a lot of clutter and chaos on your desk or table, and I mean more than usual, go ahead and move some stuff around. I know I’m guilty of leaving things out on my desk and it tends to make my space feel more cramped. A messy space can worsen messy thinking, and tidying it up can help you get into the right mindset. If you want to really focus and work at your best, tidying up can make a world of difference.

Anything that you might need should be close at hand! You should have a drink, a light snack and other essentials handy. I like to have a chapstick on my desk, for example, as well as a pen pot and all the notebooks and scraps of paper I might need to look at for notes I’ve made. If you have a corkboard, this is a great place to pin up notes for quick access. It’s important that your space is constructed to help you write and to keep you inspired.

If it helps, hang up things that inspire you - decorations, artworks or even photographs that spark some kind of creativity in you. I’ve got all sorts of things pinned up on the walls in my office area, from my own artwork to posters to decorative items I found in thrift stores. Surround yourself with inspiration and make sure you’re comfortable.

Break Down Your Tasks And Notes

A task can feel much more intimidating and harder to pull off, if it seems nebulous or unstructured. We all have different ways of compartmentalising our tasks, whether it be with a list or a table, or even just using sticky notes. If you don’t know what works best for you it may be a good idea to experiment.

Making some form of organised document to tell you what needs to be done can make the whole task of writing easier. This can be in regards to juggling multiple projects, or even just in the context of one thing you’re working on. If you’re struggling to plot your stories or plan your essays, maybe starting with a list of things that need to occur within the work will help. From there, you can create other lists to keep track of names, dates and even story beats. Before you know it, you should find that your ideas are a bit easier to process. Sometimes you might need a table or graph of some sort for your world building. You might find that other formats work better for you. No matter how you use these things, they can help you map things out and break them down. Making your information and notes easy to read will streamline your workflow.

You might find that planning too much is dangerous though - never over-do it with your lists and tables. You don’t need a list for everything or a sticky note for everything; sometimes you might find that mixing and matching these methods is best for you. Eventually you will find the sweet spot that most writers have, somewhere between neat organisation and improvisation.

Enlist Assistance Where Needed

Know when to tackle something head on, and when to admit that you’re not able to do it alone. It’s best to have friends that are also interested in writing so that you can assist each other whenever needed or even just show them your ideas so that you can enthuse about them together. The added enthusiasm of others can be a strong motivator to continue, and they could even offer input to help develop your work.

Even if you don’t have writer friends, you can always bring in friends who have enthusiasm for fiction in general - a friend who is an avid reader, or who has interest in the genre or format you’re writing in. They could always offer input as well, in a pinch. Don’t be afraid to ask, even if they’re not able to help. It’s always worth trying to reach out. Other writers and enthusiasts can be found online as well, if real-life friends aren’t able to assist you.

For more informative posts, inspiration and ideas to help you improve as a writer, follow this blog! I post often and also take requests for specific advice. FJWS is funded by your donations.

[freshjuicywriterstuff]

If you’re not writing so well at the moment:

Remember you are not a bad writer!

Many writers go through slumps of motivation due to health issues, or other factors they just can’t control. You can’t expect to always be working at your best!

If you need to take a break from your writing to do something else and get your brain working again, go ahead and do whatever you need to! Try doing something else creative like drawing, crafting or music! Try doing some normal household tasks or just spending time with somebody you like. Get your creative juices flowing by finding your inspiration!

You can always try new prompts, methods or genres to get interested again, too! If you normally write romance, try writing an action scene or something comedic. You never know what new ideas might come to you. If it doesn’t work out, at least you will have learned things from it.

Everything you write has some kind of value! If you write something and later think it isn’t very good, you can always redraft and edit it until you find it satisfactory. To get extra value out of works you’re not so fond of, maybe take some notes on what you want to improve and what you’re not satisfied with so you can do some research on how to combat the problems you face!

Writing, like all forms of creativity, requires growth and improvement. You can’t grow and improve if everything you make is perfect. Everything you write is going to be better than something you have written in the past.

Sometimes you just need to be okay with something not being your best work. As long as you’re writing and enjoying it, and your writing is positive for you and others, you are writing in a healthy and productive way!

You are not a bad writer! Every writer has bad drafts.

[freshjuicywriterstuff]

Making Character Profiles - A Juicy Guide

Sometimes it’s best to keep a fact file about your characters so that you are always working on-model. This is a good idea if you’re going to be drawing your characters or having others draw them for you, but also as a writer. Nothing is more frustrating than realising you got something wrong about your own character in your prose or script piece! It’s especially important for those who work in visual mediums like film, comics or other sequential arts.

I’ve been making character fact files and profiles since I was old enough to write wish-fulfilling Ben 10 fan-fiction on scraps of lined paper. I’ve learned a lot over the years about how to put together the most cohesive files for long-term use, and I’m simply going to share a few tips and basics on how to improve and streamline your fact files! I hope this can be helpful for someone, in the very least - whether you’re creating a fan character purely as a creative exercise, or a major character for your latest project.

Under the cut is a fairly detailed explanation on a few vital things to keep in mind while recording information about your characters.

Firstly, tailor your profile to its purpose.

Are you making something visual or will it just be a text? If you’r going to be drawing or live-action casting your character it may be a good idea to include drawings. You’ll need to make sure you’ve got a thorough understanding of their visual look. This is important to include as reference - character profiles are most useful to yourself, so it makes sense to keep written and visual reference together just to streamline your work process.

Will your character be appearing a lot? You might not want to include a whole lot of information on a character who will only play a minor role. Of course, your main cast will need much more information recorded. It’s a good idea to keep the amount of recorded information in parallel with how much they will appear in your work. This can obviously be adjusted or changed according to the story but as a starting point it may help.

What is the nature of your fiction? If your fictional setting is particularly unique you will need to make sure all universe-related info is included. If you’re working with sci-fi or fantasy for example, there may be a particular faction they belong to or they may belong to a fictional race. Of course, if all your characters are human and from earth these are details that won’t be needed, but the nature of your fiction should play a hand in how much you include. If your story is centred around a war or conflict it may be necessary to note which side they’re on. If it’s closely focused on an emotional arc it might be important to include things like personality alignment and psychological hang-ups. Make sure you’re working to suit your genre or mood.

Question Your Tools

Depending on what kind of writer you are, you may construct your profiles very differently to someone else.

Whatever you find easiest and most efficient to use should be what you always use. Your chosen tools should serve you more than they serve anybody else. Use whatever type of word processor, notebook or writing utensils you prefer when it comes to recording information. Choose a font that you find comfortable to read - most people prefer rounded fonts like comic sans or typewriter fonts, as their eyes can process the characters a little bit faster. If writing by hand, be mindful of your handwriting so that you’re presenting the information in a way that reads very efficiently. For some, whether or not they use cursive can make a big difference based on whether or not they prefer to read cursive. You might even choose to write some things in all-caps or in different colours.

Even your writing utensil can make a difference - does your pen give bold, easy to read characters? Is your font the right size, digitally or on paper, to present the information effectively? Take some time to adjust your formatting so that your character profile will be easy on the eyes for you personally, and will serve as the kind of reference you are most comfortable with.

Ask yourself, is this necessary?

You’ll naturally start by writing out their name, age and other really simple information. Now it’s time to ask yourself what you actually need and what you don’t.

You wouldn’t want to over clutter your profile and make it difficult to refer to. It’s very important that your profile is easy to use as reference. Each time you’re including a statistic or feature ask yourself if it’s necessary. Do you need to include the character’s height to show clear differences when making visuals? Do you need to mention who their family is or will their family not appear in the story? Do you need to mention specifics about their physical appearance or will we not see their face?

Everything you include should be somehow necessary or functional. Whether this is just to aid the visual aspects or to enhance the story’s plot, ask yourself if it’s needed before you include it. Whether or not things are needed will vary based on what you’ll use the profile for, which is why this is the optimal step to take after defining purpose. You will need to create boundaries for yourself based on how much you think would be too much, and how much you actually need.

Precision and Concision.

Not only will you need to ask yourself what information to record, but also in how much detail.

Will you record measurements in metric or imperial? Will you need to include the character’s entire date of birth or just their age? Is there a more concise way to record the same information to make it easier to read and find?

It might be tempting to either rush through the profile and keep things relatively minimal, or to get very stuck in and fill in all fields in a lot of detail. However, both of these can limit the function of your profile. A very bare-bones profile might not contain enough and you may forget to include a detail that’s vital to the story. On the other hand, a profile that’s extremely detailed can become very lengthy and hard to navigate. Both of these problems could slow down your writing process as finding key traits of your character is harder.

It’s usually a good idea to include detail in some fields but not in others, and to write things in an easy to read note format. Including sub-headings in bold font, using lists and brackets, and even using coloured highlighting can help keep your character profile precise and to-the-point. Be mindful while constructing the profile, and trim down wordier phrases into things that are easy to quickly spot and utilise. Try to get as much information as you can into your profile in as few words as you are comfortable with using.

Serve your profile’s function efficiently by trying to store just the right amount of information and formatting it in whatever user-friendly way that you prefer. 

Put it somewhere that serves you.

Where you put your character profiles is an equally important thing to think about, because it will depend on your work flow.

Some artists prefer to keep accounts on sites like DeviantArt and ToyHouse, where they store and share information on their characters easily. This can be extremely useful for the creator who frequently collaborates - if you commission artworks and writing about your characters often it may be a good idea to create a page like this. You could even build yourself a website with a free hosting service, create an online document via something like google documents or create a password-protected tumblr page. This will depend on how private you want the information to be. Some sites, like World Anvil for example, exist specifically to store information on your fictional universe. This is recommended for those who will be building anything expansive.

If you’re working on your project especially privately, you might never need to use the internet to store these things. Maybe creating a folder on your computer to store all the image and/or text files will serve you nicely enough. Maybe a physical notebook will work for you, if you prefer analogue work over digital. This is a good idea if you are nervous about information being lost or stolen.

Make sure you are thoughtful in where you store your character information - maintaining your particular work flow can be vital for creatives depending on how motivation works for their particular brain.

For more informative posts, inspiration and ideas to help you improve as a writer, follow this blog! I post as often as I can and also take requests for specific advice. I am funded by your donations, so any support is appreciated!

[freshjuicywriterstuff]

Juicy Tips: Pinterest

As a writer I find that I use Pinterest in a unique way. Some writers are shy to use Pinterest, mostly intimidated by how different it is to different platforms and the stereotypes that come with using it. However, here are some tips as to how the site can be used to further your writing endeavors. This is the first in a series of listicles I’ll be making, starting this year!

Character Boards

Creating characters is hard. If you tend to use the same characters over a long period of time (this is especially common if you have a detailed fictional universe or are working on a story for years) then you might find that creating a Pinterest board will help you to maintain inspiration. Include images, text snippets or general ideas that relate directly to the character. You can arrange and customise these boards in whatever way you find easiest to look at. Going back to this whenever you need to write the character can give you an easy-to-read overview of their personality and can help get your creative juices flowing.

Environments

Sometimes picturing your setting is half the battle. Compiling images of rooms and outdoor environments can really help you when having to describe settings. It can be tempting to try and build your settings from the ground up, but even finding images of pieces of furniture or general objects can really help you to describe them more effectively. Looking at source material is just as useful to a writer as it is to a visual artist. If you find it hard to get the “vibe” or a place nailed down without something to look at, there’s plenty of environment images available on Pinterest.

Reference

Visual aids are always extremely valuable. Pinterest is a pretty streamlined and easy way to find images or articles. If you need reference for a particular gesture or pose, or even just an object you’re trying to describe, you might find it on Pinterest. Sure, google would normally be sufficient for specific images but if you’re looking for more conceptual images or you’re not sure what you want to add to a scene then Pinterest might actually serve you better. Plus, you can create boards for anything you find that might come in handy later - this can be better than simply saving the image because you can access it from any device at any time.

Collaborating

Not all writers have co-writers or other collaborators, but for those that do online sharing is endlessly valuable. I have used Pinterest character and location boards to help my co-writer put his scenes together plenty of times. In fact, boards can be a super efficient way to help a collaborator immediately understand your character or concept without too much wordy explanation. Your boards can be a really good way to provide quick reference for those you work with, and in an extremely user-friendly and simple environment. A lot of writers I am friends with also follow my Pinterest boards regardless of whether or not we are collaborating, so that we can feed on each other’s inspiration and creativity! Building a circle on Pinterest with your creative friends can lead to better flow when it comes to ideas and focus.

There’s no wrong way to be a writer - for some of us using apps and websites like Pinterest can really help, whilst for some of us working with paper and word documents is actually much easier. It all depends on your personality! A common misconception is that creativity comes from nature, but there is no reason why the modern writer can’t find unique ways to utilise social media and online content sharing to further their abilities. Seeking inspiration can work in any number of different ways.

For any writers that collaborate frequently or who like visual stimuli when working I seriously recommend using the site!

I’m not sponsored in any way, shape or form by Pinterest! For more informative posts, inspiration and ideas to help you improve as a writer, follow this blog! I post often and also take requests for specific advice.

[freshjuicywriterstuff]

Today’s Fiction Writing Tip! - take your writing everywhere

There are all kinds of ways you can do this, but here are some of the ways I learned to while training formally to be a writer!

Pocket Book

Carry a notebook small enough to fit in your bag or pocket. When you think of an idea you can write it down immediately without delay. You can also write down ideas that you collaboratively make up with others in conversation. Sometimes when conversing attentively you can end up inventing an idea without even realising it! You can also use a pocket book to write down appealing words and phrases you encounter in your daily life.

Daydreaming

Do you have a tendency to daydream? Maybe you should write / draw something to remember what you came up with in that state. You may come up with a brilliant idea and completely forget because you didn’t take a note. You can also use daydreamin absorb yourself into a scene and play out each action one at a time. This helps your scenes to flow and helps you spot mistakes.

Voice Recordings

Once upon a time I had a little tape recorder my mother gave me for recording audio notes on. This is because phones weren’t as good as they are now! Recording audio files on your phone allows you to take quick notes without having to find a flat surface or even a pen. You can simply open an app and talk. This is useful for the writer who is very active and finds carrying a notebook cumbersome.

Follow for more tips, starters and writing advice! You can drop me an ask for advice specific to your needs.

[freshjuicywriterstuff]

The Fresh Juicy Character Gauntlet

How it works: If you’re writing a new character, or even developing a character you already have, this is an interesting way to do it! This post will have a list of all the question courses I have currently made and will serve as a “master post” of sorts. The list will get longer as I create more courses, so look out for that.

Simply take your character of interest and run the questions in each course through your head. Write the answers down if you wish. I would recommend copying and pasting the questions into a word document.

The goal is to encourage you to flesh out character details! After all, it’s always tempting to be vague or forget little aspects that could otherwise give your character a whole new level of depth! Get to know your characters in a deeper way!

COURSES:

1. Appearance

2. Occupation

3. Abilities

4. Weaknesses

5. Hobbies

6. Home 

7. Food 

8. Reputation 

9. Physical Strength

10. Mental Traits (OUT NOW!!!!)

11. Special - Stats Sheet

MORE COMING!

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