Are you having trouble sticking to your writing goals for the year? Here are some tips and tricks to help keep you moving along.
- Make a schedule. Try to set a specific time to write, whether it’s the same time every day or not. Carve out time and don’t let anything get in your way except a true emergency. Train your friends and family to treat this time just as if you were at a “normal job” where you cannot be interrupted.
- Take notes. Your best ideas probably won’t come to you while you’re writing. Use your phone’s notebook app or carry a small journal and pen with you to jot down those ideas that spring up at odd moments.
- Have some sort of outline. Even if you don’t write out a formal outline for your work, have a firm idea of what’s going to happen when, and how everything’s going to turn out. Jumping in with no clue at all is a recipe for writer’s block.
- Set a writing goal. Figure out when you want your work to be completed, then decide how many pages or words per day you’ll need to accomplish that goal. Don’t set yourself an impossible goal, though – you’re probably not going to be able to churn out several books in a year like some experienced authors do – just make a reasonable attempt at a timeline. You can always adjust the goal as needed.
- Use your search engine. The internet is a fantastic resource for writers. You can visit the places your characters visit and have a far more detailed setting in your book. You can research something like “green eyes” and click the “images” tab to see some example photos that might spark your imagination for character ideas. You can even “surf” your way to new ideas by typing in a question or keyword and just clicking links to see where that idea leads.
- Use a beta reader. Find someone who reads the sort of work you write and ask them to read over your work and offer constructive criticism. A beta reader is invaluable, especially for new writers, and can really help improve your work.
- Look for additional ideas. Try checking Amazon.com for examples of works in your genre. Use their “Look Inside” feature to actually skim through part of that book and see what others are writing in your genre. You can also read reviews to see what your readers are looking for – what things they like and don’t like.
- Don’t write and edit at the same time. This is something we’ve already talked about, but it bears repeating. When you’re writing, don’t stop and go back to “fix” something. Just jot down a note and keep writing until you hit your goal. After you’re finished writing, you can put on the editor’s hat and go back over what you’ve written, but if you try to do both, you’re never going to finish that work.
- Try a name generating website for your characters. If you’re having trouble with character names, try one of those name generators or even a baby name website. Another good place to find names is the credits screen of any movie.
- Back up your work. This can’t be repeated often enough – don’t just depend on one computer for your back-up. Use an external hard drive, Dropbox, or email your manuscript to yourself. Have a back-up that you use frequently and you won’t be devastated if an emergency arises.