10-04-2013, 06:15 PM
As writers, we all know how it feels when we know we should write but decide writing is balls and go play video games. I've been trying to work out how to get past this, as it's my biggest problem (not even writer's block bothers me, it's just getting into gear). So I thought people could post what they do to break out of that funk, or what they do to keep them on track, or any sources that they use to help them out. I would like to be an author who makes money from writing words one day, as I'm sure a few of you here would too, so collating these tricks is a benefit to everyone.
I'd like to share one point I picked up recently, which is a rule called the 'nifty three-fifty.' Essentially you write 350 words, five days a week. It doesn't sound like much, but most people, even when they really can't be arsed with writing, can tap out that many words without too much hassle. It doesn't matter if it's the best writing you've ever done or pigshit, as long as you write it. You can always go back and revise, and that's a lot easier than doing the actual writing.
There's absolutely no reason why you can't go over that limit either. If you find the words flow, then go with it. But the nifty three-fifty is a great rule to make sure you are always progressing with your writing. Like any craft, improving your skills as a writer requires constant, (preferably) daily practice. To put it into perspective, if you wrote 350 words a day, five days a week (so you even get a weekend off), you'll end up with around 91,000 words in a year. That's a medium sized novel. If you write more than that, you'll get there quicker. You could always write less (say 200) and spread it over more days and still get a similar result.
For me, that's really helped me put it into perspective. Years fly by, and 350 words a day really is quite small. I'm about to go on holidays for a week and I still think I can meet this without any trouble.
Have you got any writing tips or strategies that you've found useful?
I'd like to share one point I picked up recently, which is a rule called the 'nifty three-fifty.' Essentially you write 350 words, five days a week. It doesn't sound like much, but most people, even when they really can't be arsed with writing, can tap out that many words without too much hassle. It doesn't matter if it's the best writing you've ever done or pigshit, as long as you write it. You can always go back and revise, and that's a lot easier than doing the actual writing.
There's absolutely no reason why you can't go over that limit either. If you find the words flow, then go with it. But the nifty three-fifty is a great rule to make sure you are always progressing with your writing. Like any craft, improving your skills as a writer requires constant, (preferably) daily practice. To put it into perspective, if you wrote 350 words a day, five days a week (so you even get a weekend off), you'll end up with around 91,000 words in a year. That's a medium sized novel. If you write more than that, you'll get there quicker. You could always write less (say 200) and spread it over more days and still get a similar result.
For me, that's really helped me put it into perspective. Years fly by, and 350 words a day really is quite small. I'm about to go on holidays for a week and I still think I can meet this without any trouble.
Have you got any writing tips or strategies that you've found useful?
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