How To: Start Writing

Procastination

I think the first thing we need to cover is:

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆PROCASTINATION ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Procrastination seems to hit practically every author like a truck. A truck filled with bricks. I've (Liya) experienced it and so have many countless others. How do I get rid of it, I hear you ask? You don't. You simply overcome it. There are always going to be times where you don't feel like writing or can't seem to find any ideas but that's normal. You're not a machine programmed to produce countless plots, pages, chapters or books. You're a human, who needs time to well be human.

So, one of the first things to do is to find what helps you concentrate, it might be something simple, like chewing gum. For me (Allison), I listen to some of my favourite songs when i find myself procrastinating, or if I'm experiencing Writer's Block.

So, figure out, what you're actually procrastinating about.

Next, why are you procrastinating? After figuring out this, hopefully you can use this to help you stop procrastinating.

Also guys, remember to think positively: encourage yourself. You won't get things done unless you believe that you can.

Set yourself targets and monitor your progress. There's no point in putting extra stress on yourself and leaving things until the last minute. Be organized and set yourself deadlines; by doing so, you will find that you feel less pressurized. As your time will be efficiently managed, you will find that you feel more in control of the situation. Adding onto this, manage your time. For example, when trying to complete assignments, set yourself breaks, eg. after two paragraphs, take a five minute break.

Reward yourself after making progress, and forgive yourself if you slip up or whatever; dwelling on the past won't make you any happier or help your situation. Instead, learn from your mistakes to progress in the future.

Step 1: Prioritizing

Firstly, you need to prioritize what you need to do. Maybe make a list of what is most important to least important, then go down the list and check them once you've completed the task. Also try tackling all the hard things first so you can get on with the easy things later on.

Step 2: Routines

A good way to focus is to starts planning how you want to spend your day. By setting yourself a routine and a daily guideline, you may start to feel more organised. Here's an example of my weekday routine:

6:30 - Wake up and get ready

7:30 - Get on bus

8:30 to 3:30 - School Hours

5:00 - Get home and do homework

6:00 - Eat

7:00 - Write with small breaks in between

10:00 - Sleep

Step 3: Managing Distractions

Part 1 - Surroundings

An important thing about writing is about being comfortable in your writing space. Only have what you need in your space. Here's what I recommend:

Laptop (If you use it for writing and/or research)

Notebooks for writing down notes

Lots of pens (different colours help)

Stationary Pots/Organisers

Stationary e.g. Sticky Notes, Folders, ect...

The colour of your area also affects your productivity. Blue makes you calmer and also slows your heartbeat. Red physically stimulates the body and makes us feel more energetic. Orange is associated with creativity and is also a high-energy colour. Purple is considered an eccentric and creative colour. Black is also surprisingly supposed to widen your space of mind.

Part 2 - Distractions

Managing your distractions is a very important skill. I would recommend a playlist of songs you find helpful and a good pair of headphones/earphones. Make sure the playlist if full of songs that you won't skip. Turning your phone off may be useful but only do this if someone won't urgently need to contact you or visa versa. You may also want to tell people around you that you don't want to be disturbed.

I may be on the side of the Angels, but don't think for one second think I am one of them - Sherlock Holmes

Allison and Liya xx