Your Best (Writing) Self
Hi there! I’m Kyo, leader of the mod team over at simplyoriginalcharacters. Today, I’m breaking out of my usual niche of character creation and development to tell you about a few things I did in 2015 to become a better writer. I learned a lot this year, and I hope that you will consider applying some of these thirteen tried-and-true tips to your own writing routine in 2016!
Own it. If you write things, not because somebody is forcing you to but because you genuinely want to do it and enjoy it, you are a writer. Say it out loud: “I am a writer.” Repeat it until you believe it. Doesn’t that feel good? Now, take it one step further: recognize that writing is a process, and so is becoming a good writer. You are a writer in progress. Being aware of that sets you free to make mistakes, because you know that everyone makes mistakes. You can fix the mistakes later. For now, just be a writer!
Make time. This one kind of weirds people out for some reason, but why should it? If you love writing and you value it, then give yourself the gift of time to indulge in it. Set aside half an hour to an hour (or more!) every single day in which to focus on your work. I have found that when I have dedicated time set aside to “work”, people respect what I do more. They treat it less as a hobby and more as a vocation. You would make time to practice any other craft, so make time to practice writing.
Make space. This one’s almost as important as making time. You have to have a place where you feel safe enough to work. That’s going to be different things for different people. I’m fortunate enough to have my own office to work in, but you may live in a crowded house, or you might just work better out in nature. Figure out what you need to surround yourself with to put yourself in a writing mood, then surround yourself with it.
Forget about the muse. Look, the idea of writing only when inspired may have worked for wealthy Romantic poets, but it doesn’t work in the modern day. You have to write when you have time, and that means chaining your muse to the desk and making her work for you, or forgetting about the idea of a muse altogether. Learn to work even when you’re not inspired, and eradicate the words “writer’s block” from your vocabulary. You are a writer, so write!
Find your people! Writing is often a solitary art, but it doesn’t have to be. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from participating in NaNoWriMo, it’s that being part of a whole writing community is really rewarding for me. Being able to participate in word wars and sprints, regular write-ins, and having a place to be accountable really kept me going and inspired me. If big groups aren’t your thing, maybe there’s a small local critique or writing group you could join, or you could ask a friend to be your writing buddy - sometimes all you need is someone to bounce ideas off of and to remind you to write the next part!
Be somebody else’s rock. When you get discouraged as a writer, it can be a big help to motivate somebody else. Provide critique, leave a comment for your favorite fanfic writer or blogger, or do something to brighten up another writer’s day. You might be surprised how much it helps them out, and it might help you move past your sticking point.
Research, research, research - but not during your writing time. When you’re writing, just keep going, as much as you can. Don’t stop to ask too many questions. After you’ve run out of steam for the day or just before you start the next day is the best time to dig into research and answer all the questions you wanted to ask while you were working. If you research while you write, you run the risk of losing your flow. Definitely do your research, but separate it from your writing.
Be objective. You wrote a thing, and that’s awesome - but it doesn’t mean your writing is. Put it down, come back to it later, and be your own best critic. Seek out your flaws, and then work to fix them. It’s very valuable to be able to see your weaknesses as well as your strengths in writing and in life. Practice it as a skill here and you’ll be able to use it in other areas of your life, too.
Read! Read in your genre, especially, but read popular books, good books (not always the same thing), terrible books…read essays and articles on writing for that genre, read about stereotypes, read about what to do and what not to do, read everything. Assimilate information like a sponge. Soak it all up. You don’t need to remember specifics, but try to absorb as much as you can. It’ll come back when you least expect it to.
Seek assistance. Even if you haven’t found your people yet, you can find lots of people who will be willing to read and critique your work, whether in part or in its entirety. If you’re struggling with something in your work, find somebody who can help you figure it out. There are loads of critique blogs and beta readers on Tumblr, but there might even be somebody local to you who would be willing to help. Just make sure you find somebody you can work with. If you’re a delicate flower, a blog that regularly rips submissions to shreds might not be your best bet; likewise, if you need somebody to be totally harsh, don’t look for a blog with a soft touch. Sometimes you just need a fresh perspective!
Take your time. Know that the first draft always sucks, and that it’s going to take multiple drafts to get where you want to be. It’s okay for that sentence to be terrible the first time your write it down. When you’re thinking of writing as a process, something that happens over time, you take pressure off yourself. You don’t have to be perfect, and neither does your work. It’s a work in progress!
Know what’s best for you. Look, in the end, you have to decide what is best for you and your writing. Nobody else can make that call for you. When you see writing advice that doesn’t work for you, discard it. Pick and choose the best bits, the ones that fit you the most, and use only those. This does not apply to grammar and spelling rules, but it definitely applies to advice like “never write a prologue”. If you need a prologue, write a prologue! It’s your story! You can always change it later if you change your mind.
Be your own cheerleader. A lot of time, writers on the internet feel ignored. They don’t get likes or kudos or comments, and they get discouraged. Don’t give up. Understand that you are the only one who can write your story, and refuse to quit. It can help to look at old writing and see how far you’ve come since then. If other people refuse to acknowledge how amazing you are as a writer, then you need to make sure that you acknowledge yourself. Give yourself a pat on the back once in a while. You deserve it!
I hope that you’re looking forward to all the things you’re going to write in 2016. I’m looking forward to it, too. One of my new year’s resolutions is to continue improving as a writer, so I’ll keep applying these tips to my own life, and maybe I’ll discover more along the way. My wish for all of us this year is that we will write bravely, with the courage to say what we need to say and the wisdom to say it well. Good luck, writers!
