Writing Tips for Insane People

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It's an indescribable joy, it's incredibly painful, it drives you nuts. So why, on God's good earth, would you do it to yourself? This is the mystery, dear friends! And we writers don't even bother trying to answer it. We just know we are compelled.

I've been a published author for 13 years. I've written five chapter books for kids, poetry, non-fiction, short stories and four novels, one of which is about to be published (more details on that soon!)
So, here's some tips I thought I'd share with you, dear writer, whoever and wherever you are, to keep your head up: 
        
 1. Organise your environment. 
      You can’t expect your brain to function in surroundings which are constantly distracting you from the task, ie: dirty washing on the floor, annoying pets demanding your attention, household members (children and partner) interrupting you, too hot, too cold, uncomfortable chair, a total mess all over your desk. Ready your mind, by readying your environment. Have a list of things that tick you off and start ticking them off! Make sure your desk has only what you need for the task, not groaning under the weight of miscellaneous paraphernalia.
     

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      2. Organise your story.  
      Yes, there’s a theme developing here. One of the biggest excuses I use is that I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing next or where I am in the novel. I solve this by having notebooks full to the brim with ideas timelines, scene sequences, character profiles and maps. Beat that pathetic, whiney voice in your head by knowing your characters well, understanding how the tension is going to escalate and how you plan to resolve it.

       3. Make time. 
      If you have to write at 2am, do it! If this project is important enough to you, you will find a way to get it done. You just have to give yourself permission. After all, writing isn’t a dawdle, its soul-grinding work at times. Of course, there are times when you soar on the wings of angels as the words pour out of some primal part of you, fully formed and fantastic. No, wait, that was a dream I had. Any sane person would not choose to be a writer!

           4. Set goals. 
       Even if it’s as small as “I’m going to work for an hour.” Even if it’s just editing what you’ve already written, or going over the character backgrounds to reacquaint yourself with these fascinating people.

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    5. Tell someone about what you’re doing. 
      Make yourself accountable to someone who doesn’t live inside your head! Talk about your story, the characters, where it’s going, what it's hoping to explore. What is it you are trying to say with this tale?

Now, I just want to clarify, up front, that I do not always take my own advice and I’m my worst critic, but the important thing is, I keep trying. I take aim and fire, not matter how small the target. Your hopes and dreams are bound up in this thing. Make it something you want to sing about in the shower! Make it your personal stamp on the world, something you’ve given us all. Don’t let doubts, rejections, other people’s opinions or ill health stop you. Fight for it! And good luck.

 

cheers, Dawn

Why the Heck to Writers Persist?

photo (c) Dawn Meredith

If you're married to a writer, living with a writer or related to one you may well have asked this question at regular intervals, especially when the writer in question is in a hole, that black night of indeterminate length we call a crisis of confidence. I believe true writers write because they can't not do it. It's a compulsion. A weird one, I know, seeing as it can lead to misery and angst, but I tell you non-writers this, when your work is accepted, it sounds pathetic to say it, but you feel like you are accepted, that what you burned to say to the world is not only being heard, but being valued by someone. Let's take a peek inside the writer's head for a moment.
Writers are observers. We process every tiny little thing that goes on around us. We're worried we'll miss something important. (That's why there's so little room for other more mundane things. Or am I the only person who forgets to buy milk?) We constantly compare what we see and feel with other things we have experienced and new ideas pop up, wonderful new ideas which we yearn to develop. It's a bit like waiting for a flower to open. You know there is beauty and wonder inside and you can't wait to see it. In a sense we're gardeners too. We watch the ideas flower inside our head and our notebooks and on our computers and we seek to nurture them, water them until they emerge as fully formed things. There is pride in that process. There is also fear and wonder and delight. All the while we are battling against the inner critic, the overzealous editor in our head who likes to tell us what we have to say is rubbish and that no one will listen, that we have SUCH a  long way to go yet. This is why we falter. We know that publishers will send rejection letters and we know that we have to have a thick skin, but it still hurts. We can comfort ourselves with the thought that its all part of the apprenticeship, the journey to greatness, and that constructive feedback helps us grow, forces us to change and adapt. But it still hurts.
The industry is finicky, subjective and prone to the whimsy of Lady Luck, but just because someone criticises our well-crafted masterpiece doesn't mean it's worthless. It just means it hasn't found a home. And let us not forget the elation and joy that comes from the process of writing, of dipping into that delicious river of inspiration.
I leave you with these thoughts, emerging from the maelstrom that is my consciousness in the wee hours one morning:

Writing is an addiction 

to pain and glorious triumph, 

shattering defeat,

self-loathing and bliss.

It revels in my suffering.

It pierces me with joy.

cheers, Dawn