Do what you do

While last week we spent a few days talking about things that you shouldn’t do, as a writer, this week I wanted to do the opposite. So, I’ve picked out three things that I think you should do, three things that I think are important for every writer. And the first one, as always, is the obvious one.

Write Whenever You Can

But here’s the thing. I don’t just mean write a lot, or spend the majority of your time writing, or even focus on writing more than you can anything else. I mean, whenever you have an idea, try to spend some time working on it. It’s important, so you don’t lose your idea, so you keep your stories going in the best possible way.

A lot of the time, we write from idea to idea. Which means sometimes writers can end up sitting around waiting for the next idea to come along. That’s what I’m trying to avoid, by suggesting this.

I mean, you should write down your ideas, whatever they are. Whether they’re in this story or the next one, write them down. Don’t just write in one story, remember? We do better when we’re working on more than one project at a time. That’s how I see it. And sometimes, we get ideas for one thing while we’re working on another, and that can make us wary about writing them down, because it’s not the project we’re primarily working on.

That might have gotten confusing, so I’ll say it again, this way:

No matter what project your idea is for, make sure you write it down. Maybe spend a few minutes on it, try to flesh it out and get a better idea of your idea. Figure out if it’s something you can use, later on down the line, or something you could turn into a different project altogether. That happens too, you know. Don't discriminate against any idea, no matter what it is.

Just, make sure you write. As often as you can.

You’ll get ideas in your everyday life, from time to time. You will. And you should write those down, too. Just pull out your phone and jot down a few notes, enough that you’ll be able to sit down and work on it for real, later on.

We get better at writing, when we write. We get better at holding onto our ideas, when we do our best to keep track of them.

So write whenever you have the opportunity.

Keep writing. Always. Write down your ideas, your horrible ones and your great ones. Just, write. Never stop writing.

That’s the ultimate goal anyway, isn’t it?

[love]

{Rani D.}