Writing, for me, is a hobby. I write these days to brighten my readers' lives. These are tips that may or may not work for you. It is up to you to decide if you wanna try applying some in your writing routine. Enjoy!
Tip #1 💚 "Show. Don't just tell."
If you've been searching for writing tips all over the internet or in your library, most probably, you have already encountered this one. That says a lot actually. It could mean this advice has been proven effective by many that people keep on repeating it everywhere. To further explain, show, don't just tell means that as a writer, you just don't merely tell your readers that something happened to your character or story. You must show them how it happened without saying the direct words. Example:
Telling version: "Eyra's stomach was hurting."
Showing version: "Eyra clutched her stomach, suddenly sat on a nearby chair, and then bend over while gasping for breath."
As you can observe in the showing version, I made you visualized the situation instead of directly writing that Eyra's stomach hurts. On a reader's perspective, it is more absorbing when you realized a particular event has happened not because the writer told you directly it did, but because you've actually seen (imagine) that event happened. I hope I'm clear enough 😂
Tip #2 💚 "Write because you want to."
Now, this is a very personal advice. Pressures in life could make you write forcefully. Write because it is a requirement you must submit for your creative class. Write because your online readers are requesting for an update. Write because you just want to finish a novel and get done with it.
But people, listen.
Those motivations mentioned previously could be destructive. They don't fully bring out the creativity in you. They don't let you express your best efforts. They tend to produce half-ass products/updates. You want to publish a poor novel? Those are the ways.
But, when you write because you simply want to, it makes a lot of difference. In my case, I could write faster, easier, and less prone to errors when I write because I want to. Because something or someone inspired me. This inspiration could be a song, a book, an author, daily events, a movie etc. This way, you love what you're doing even if you don't realize most of the times you're actually loving it.
You enjoy. No forms of pressure could hinder your creativity to come out. When your heart is on the matter at hand, it is not a task anymore, but a necessity. You will write simply because you just couldn't imagine the day ending without finishing even a quarter of a chapter. You write because it is a normal thing to do 😊
Tip #3 💚 "Avoid being a perfectionist."
I have high tendencies to wear my perfectionist persona, but perfectionism is a bane of the writing world especially for aspiring writers. Why?
Perfectionism is also a form of pressure (in my case, the most dominating one) that could prevent you from learning. Learning is very important in all aspects of our lives and we mostly learn through mistakes.
If you are a perfectionist, you don't want to commit any mistakes. You spend most of your energy and time perfecting your work. It slows down progress. You avoid risking. Without risks, creativity becomes poor. Your writing product becomes bland, mainstream, and predictable. Basically, you are making your way towards an impossible goal, because dude, humans are imperfect beings. Even the most popular bestsellers out there have imperfections.
Stop treating imperfections negatively. They could be beautiful too given the right perspective and execution. You are beautiful because you are not perfect. Remember that 😊
Tip #4 💚 "Let the story flow naturally."
Just think of the general plot, main twists, and the ending (if you could). Do not strictly stick to a specific list of events that should happen. Do not plan the whole novel inside your head, you might go crazy. Instead, let the story flow as you write. Along the way, you could accept or reject ideas that enter your head.
There is no definite formula in writing. This isn't a mathematical equation. You need to be as flexible as you can. Let the story comes out naturally as you write.
Last but not the least...
Tip #5 💚 "Try to determine the reasons why you write."
Ask yourself why do I write?
Be clear with your answers. Let us not fool ourselves here.
Do you write because of fame? Because you want to be rich as J.K. Rowling or George R.R. Martin? Because you just want to do something productive? Because you are inspired by a great book you recently read and want to make your own someday?
Whatever your reasons are, hopefully, they could keep you writing until you finish your novel. Hopefully, they could help you produce a book that some readers could possibly enjoy (not only you). Hopefully, these reasons of why you write could express parts of yourself and help you cope with the daily challenges of life.
PS: Keep a writer's notebook, like this one *stares below.* It is a good companion throughout your writing career where you can list down interesting ideas, draw stick figures, and add anything writing-related stuff (quotes, professional advice, etc.)
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