Are you going to have a good writing year this year?
A lot depends on how you start.
Sure, you can make changes along the way. But if you get on it first thing, you’ll have a much easier time building on your momentum than if you try to catch up later.
Here are some tips to help you start strong.
1. Write Early in the Morning or Late at Night
Of course, if you already have a writing time that’s working for you, stick to that. But if you’re waffling a little or not getting your writing done, try first thing in the morning or last thing at night.
This helps for a couple of reasons. First, you’re tired during at least one of these times, which tends to silence your inner critic. Second, slight weariness can also make it easier to slip into the other world where your characters live.
Being a little tired or foggy tends to open up your imagination.
In a 2011 study, Weith and colleagues looked at how rest affects our ability to solve different types of problems. Those that require analytic thinking (say, editing) are better tackled when we’re at our peak energy times. But those that need more creative, out-of-the-box thinking should be approached when we’re a little tired. In the study, participants solved these types of problems 20-30 percent better when weary.
“There are actually more and more studies out there that show that’s kind of how creativity happens – it’s where you just let your mind be open because you’re tired,” says Dr. Mareike Wieth, an associate professor in the department of psychological science at Albion College in Michigan.
The key is to try to write your new story when you’re feeling a little “fuzzy.” Your resistance is down, and you’re open to new ideas. That’s likely when you’ll make the most progress.
Good Writing Year Tip 2. Start or Get Back to Your Journal
If you’re not journaling right now, consider starting…or starting again.
Getting back to journaling can greatly benefit your writing practice. First, it gives you a place to get your ideas down—and practice coming up with ideas. Tasking yourself with creating at least three new story ideas a day is a good way to challenge your creative brain and loosen up that idea-generating muscle.
Second, your journal gives you a place to record what you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel every day. By doing so, you train yourself to be more in tune with your senses and observant of what’s going on around you.
We need all the material we can get for our stories. That woman you saw in the grocery store may have just the look you need for one of your characters. If you describe it in your journal, you’ll cement it in your memory—or at least have it ready when you need it. The waiter at the restaurant may have a unique gait that works perfectly for your antagonist. Forcing yourself to describe it is good practice, on its own, but then gives you a special trait you can use that won’t sound stereotypical.
Third, a journal gives you a place to consider ideas you may have about the story you’re working on. You can track thoughts that occur to you that you may want to expand upon later or decide upon a second look that you want to discard.
Finally, journaling allows you to practice free writing—the type of writing where you don’t allow judgment to enter the picture. This is always an excellent way to push the inner critic into the background and helps you keep him in his place when you return to your story.
3. Give Yourself Some Deadlines
Yes, it’s more fun to just write as you can and not worry about it. But you’ll be more likely to start your year off right—and get things done—if you give yourself some deadlines. Doing so can also give you some things to look forward to.
If you need some help getting started, consider writing goals like these:
- I’ll reach the halfway point in this novel by March 1st.
- I’ll finish the draft of this novel by May 1st.
- I’ll cement plans to attend a writer’s conference by June 1st.
- I’ll schedule my yearly writing retreat by July 1st.
Keep in mind that whatever deadlines you set for yourself, they need to be relevant to you, personally. In other words, you want to finish this novel draft because the story matters to you, not because you feel pressured to do so by some outside party.
Good Writing Year Tip 4. Get Rid of the “Shoulds”
Speaking of staying true to yourself, consider letting this year be the year you dump all the “shoulds” from your writing life.
Should tends to keep you trapped. It makes you feel guilty, and it robs you of motivation.
“I should finish this novel by May 1st. I should write more short stories. I should write a blog every week.”
I’m not saying it’s best to avoid doing anything that you’re uncomfortable doing. We all tend to experience more success if we do our best to market our work, for example, and connect with new readers, even though we may not enjoy this part of the writing life.
And there are times when we don’t “feel like” writing a blog or e-newsletter, but we know it’s a good idea for our ongoing platform-building efforts.
Getting rid of the “shoulds” in your writing career, then, is a sort of two-part effort. First, when you know you “should” write a blog but you don’t feel like it, instead of telling yourself you “should” do it, remind yourself of the benefits of blogging (if you believe in them), and why you “want” to continue to produce quality content for your readers.
Second, take some time to determine what you really “want” to do in your writing career. What matters most to you? What do you want to spend the majority of your time doing—and are you ready to accept the consequences of that choice?
Decide how you want your writing life to look five years from now, and reframe any “shoulds” you may have been using to “want tos” to help free up your energy and motivation.
5. Commit to Ongoing Learning
To become the best writer you can be, you must commit to your own education.
Most writers are self-taught, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it on your own. Start this year off right by purchasing some new craft books and studying them carefully. I’d suggest these three, and I have more suggestions here:
- Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schmidt
- 20 Master Plots by Ronald B. Tobias
- The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
Next, consider signing up for an online workshop. You can do the exercises in most of them on your own time, and be working on your own improvement gradually through the year. If you can attend an in-person workshop or conference as well, do it, as there’s nothing like them when it comes to networking and making connections for your writing career.
Finally, hire an editor. You can do this:
- when you think your novel is ready to publish before you submit it to publishers
- before you self-publish
- simply because you want to get better
- when you’re stuck and need help
Many writers balk at the expense of hiring an editor, but I can tell you without hesitation that editors have been the best investment in my writing progress—by far. Create a “writer’s fund” and add to it every month to save up if you need to. But don’t rob yourself of this way of making this year your best writing year ever.
How will you make this your best writing year?
This article was inspirational for me, a ‘struggling’ writer with story ideas but I keep hitting roadblocks and ‘sleeping’ on my ideas. So thanks! ~Amber G.
So glad to hear that, Amber! Thanks for letting us know. :O) Good luck with your writing this year.
Thank you Colleen and wishing you a good 2023.
Thanks, Clare! To you as well. :O)