Category: Writing Tips

I can’t imagine writing in a coffee shop. But we see that in movies and TV shows all the time. it’s different for different people, but I believe I write best alone.

Purchasing a laptop really helped, although having an office and a desktop where you can close a door is great too. But for me, the laptop allowed me to write away from an internet connection in my car where no one would bother me.

Go somewhere you can tune out your surroundings. Find a time when distractions aren’t likely. Put the smart phone away and any other temptations.

If you make writing time about writing, you’ll be able to write, and the further away you can get from all the things you need to do around the house, the easier it’ll be not to procrastinate.

I’ve heard a lot of metaphors for storytelling, but the one thing we’ve all experienced prior to fiction writing is Essay writing.

Think of your story as an essay. Remember you’ll need details and facts to convince your reader of not just what is unfolding but where and when it unfolds.

If you present a convincing argument, you’ll put your reader exactly where you want them to be.

Remember the best tips for essay writing?

Start with a great hook.

Stay on topic.

Provide examples.

Prove your argument.

When I first sat down in hopes of being a published author, I read the rule to eliminate and avoid all adverbs.

I intensely followed this rule for many years. Beginning in the editing stage of deleting all those ‘-ly’ words to avoiding them completely in the first draft.

(You saw what I did there, right?)

Adverbs are fine.

Like all words, they have a place and a time.

Sometimes a sentence is clear without one. Other times it is clearly needed.

It all comes down to preference. I would still say that it is good advice to use adverbs sparingly. But I believe the key to good writing is creating a good cadence. When a reader reads the sentences, does a particular word reduce the flow (intentionally or not) or maintain it?

That said, it is always good practice to place restrictions on word choice, so that we broaden the kinds of phrases we turn. And it is always good practice to analyze our repetitions.

One of the best things you can do to improve your writing is to look at other people’s work. Offering to edit other people’s stories will open you up to your own mistakes, other styles, and make you more mindful of what a reader’s reaction is likely to be.

When something looks wrong in someone else’s text, it’s a lot easier to spot.

I personally have a set of blinders up on my own writing. I don’t always see what’s missing or how a phrase is jumbled rather than clear. But sometimes I spot something wrong in someone else’s draft and that becomes something to look out for in my own.

One of my favorite mantras to remind myself in times when I can’t write is a quote I’ll attribute to Bill Pace. Whether or not he said it first, I don’t know. But for 12 plus years I’ve heard his voice in my head when I remind myself:

THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND THEM, IS THEY’RE DOING IT.

Keep that in mind when you get down or are procrastinating. Whether it’s about seeing someone else’s success or wanting to have accomplished something but haven’t yet. You have to do it. If you want it, do it.

Stop talking about it. Do it.