Writing Tips!

What to do when you can't write

this post belongs to letswritesomenovels on Tumblr, or https://letswritesomenovels.tumblr.com/post/147548564583/what-to-do-when-you-cant-write

check them out and enjoi!!

All writers have those days when the words just Don't. Flow. Where, no matter how hard we try, our pens scratch scribbles on our paper instead of letters. It's not a fun place to be. The one thing you can't do is let those days turn themselves into weeks and months.

I've been there often enough myself to develop a number of ways to shake myself out of a writing funk and I'd like to offer them to you. Try one. Try them all. Find out what works for you and get to writing again.

-Start with a small goal and let it grow. Tell yourself you just want to write one sentence. Then one paragraph. You put the frog in lukewarm water, and then turn the burner on.
-Try using a progress tracking chart, like this one*(1) by ArtsyAndreaM on Deviant Art
-Similarly, buy a pack of stickers and place one on your calendar/planner/diary for every 500 words you write that day.
-Tell a friend your writing goal and have them hold you accountable to it. If they're interested in what you're writing you can even send them your work at the end of each day/week.
-Listen to inspiring speeches by authors you like, like one**(2) of these***(3) by Neil Gaiman
-Give yourself permission to write something terrible****(4). Something terrible is something, at least
-Print out some inspiring essays and quotes*****(5) and post them on the wall above your desk. Nanowrimo pep talks******(6) can be especially great.
-Write a scene in your head. It doesn't count if it's in your head, so you don't have to worry about it being terrible. If it isn't terrible, put it on paper.
-Go to a coffee shop or library full of other people working. It just might be enough to guilt you into working too.
-Give yourself 10 minutes on Write or Die*******(7), where there are consequences for stopping even for a few seconds.
-Use writer's block********(8) and block yourself from everything on your computer except a blank page for a number of minutes or words.
-Write in a journal. Write a letter. Anything to get any words out of your head.
-Reread one of your favorite books. Remind yourself why you want to write in the first place.
-Be honest about when you're procrastinating, like when you're writing blog posts or tidying up your desk, and when you're actually doing something that will help you write.

A/N:

*(1) = search up 'Camp Nanowrimo Progress Log' by ArstyAndreaM on DeviantART, or go to https://artsyandream.deviantart.com/art/Camp-Nanowrimo-Progress-Log-312436081
**(2) = search up 'What Neil Gaiman Does When He Doesn't Know What to Write' by Huffpost / huffingtonpost, or go to https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/neil-gaiman-doesnt-believe-in-writers-block_us_56421d28e4b0b24aee4be334
***(3) = search up 'Neil Gaiman Addresses the University of the Arts Class of 2012' on Vimeo, or go to https://vimeo.com/42372767
****(4) = search up 'DARE TO SUCK' by vlogbrothers on YouTube, or go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyhv80HDSj4&feature=youtu.be&t=56s (extra note: the link sends you to 0:56 in terms of time if you have to search it up)
*****(5) = in letswritesomenovels' Tumblr, search up 'inspiration, or go to https://letswritesomenovels.tumblr.com/search/inspiration
******(6) = as of now, the link no longer works, but me, the author of this entire book, can give you the link if you'd still like: https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/pages/error
*******(7) = search up 'Write or Die' on your search engine, or go to https://writeordie.com/
********(8) = in letswritesomenovels' Tumblr, search up 'resource for procrastination' or something similar, or go to https://letswritesomenovels.tumblr.com/post/139724823208/resource-for-procrastination