Writing habit

How to not fall out of the writing spree? 

How to fight the writing block?

How to keep writing that one annoying chapter?

 

There's one golden rule for not falling out of writing. That is: write something everyday. Even if it's just a couple sentences, Everything more than nothing is good enough!

But how do we write even those few lines, when the inspiration and motivation are lacking?

1) MAKE IT A PART OF YOUR ROUTINE. Chose a time in a day when you can sit down and have a calm moment for myself - let's say 6 PM. Set up a timer for thirty minutes and when 6 PM hits, your task is to write. No excuses, no complaints. It's a part of a routine just as taking a shower is!

2) SUPPORT SYSTEM. Don't be afraid to share your writing hobby with your friends and family. With supporting people around, everything is easier to achieve. Personally, I find it very inspiring to just talk to someone about an idea I have, or to discuss my characters with them.

3) CHALLENGE. If you're the kind of person who's always ready for a new challenge, who enjoys testing their abilities - make writing one as well! For example, set up a goal on Monday to finish one chapter before Thursday comes.

4) CHANGE THE ENVIRONMENT. I often find it hard to write when I'm stuck in one location for too long. That's why it's so great to write on trips, journeys, even on the train rides. Even as little as changing a room can help. Different stimuli reaching you really do wonders!

5) SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THINGS THAT HYPE YOU UP. You find it atmospheric to write with candles lit? Lit up a candle! And what about a cup of tea? Perhaps a warm blanket? A favorite music in the background? Reading a few pages of your favorite book? Playing an RPG game? (truly, it works for me)

6) LET YOUR SURROUNDINGS INSPIRE YOU. If you don't know what to write, perhaps you would like to jump over some parts - look around. Someone is talking on the phone? Someone is cooking their dinner? Someone is walking their dog? Why not put those simple, everyday things into the book as well? It adds realism to the story, too.

7) WRITE A DIFFERENT STORY. Hey, it's okay, if you really don't feel like writing story A. If you're like me or Nili, you probably have a whole bunch of different stories going on at the same time - in that case, don't force yourself for story A, if you can enjoy writing story B! And if you currently don't have different books going on - perhaps going back to the roots, and writing something simple, short, easy could be a great idea!

8) MAKE IT A GAME. There's this one writing game I reaaaally love (and some of my stories came to life thro it). You just need some time and at least one friend to do it. An example:

Shell