I think it’s no secret that your stories not only depend on your skills, but also on other aspects. You could be as skilled as King or Rowling, but if the conditions don’t match to your personal liking, then your stories won’t turn out as good as they could be. But what conditions am I referring to? In this post, I’ll list 3 important aspects that you may need to keep in mind, while you write.
Keep in mind, the following tips are based on my personal opinion. They don’t have to work for every writer and if another method works better for you, feel free to apply that to your writing procedure. I just hope that my tips can help some struggling writers out.
In any case, let’s begin!
1. Time of day
When is the best time to write? That depends on the person. Some write, the moment they wake up, others do so in the afternoon and the rest are night owls, such as myself.
I write during the night, as it’s usually very calm and peaceful around that time, and it does not distract me from my writing. During the day, I am usually busy with other activities, so nighttime is the only way for me, to write to the best of my abilities.
Always make sure that you’ll pick a time to write, where you’re the most comfortable. That’s mandatory, if you want to become a skilled writer.
2. Consistency
Of course, you’re not always motivated to write. Even I have times when I feel completely fed up and simply don’t want to touch the story project at all. Believe me, I get that.
But sometimes you have to force yourself a bit. If you just write whenever you want, then you’re not going to make it very far. If you want to take writing seriously, you have to be consistent about it.
The principle is similar as to visiting the gym. If you don’t stick to an exercise routine, then you won’t get to see the results. If you write every day, then this activity feel as natural to you, as breathing air or drinking a cup of water. Indeed, it has to feel that natural to you.
Even if you’ll just write 10 words, then that’s already enough to develop a routine. And that’s what matters in the long run.
(Though please write a bit more than 10 words a day, as you won’t get very far otherwise, when it comes to your stories.)
3. Music
Another important aspect, is music. Music can influence our mood, that’s a fact. So why not use music, to improve your writing?
For example, if you want to write a tragic story for example, then it’s best to put up a sad and slow song. That way, you can actually feel the pain that the characters are going through and can implement it into the story, very well.
But don’t listen to the same song over and over again. Have a playlist with similar songs, in order to not get bored and to give you fresh, new ideas. It works pretty well, as it helped me in the past.
For example, when I first wrote my novel “6.49 PM: Peaceful Amends”, I wanted to give it a more apocalyptic atmosphere and therefore, looked for dystopian songs. In the end, I found a song in a YouTube video from the movie, “Oblivion”. It fit perfectly to the tone of my story and so, I listened to its OST over and over again, while writing the chapters of my novel. I don’t regret that decision whatsoever, as I managed to create quite a remarkable story, to say the least.
There are other things you need to keep in mind though. For one, don’t listen to the music too long, while you’re writing, as you may get exhausted from listening to the music, while also staring at the screen. Small breaks are necessary, in order to keep your mind sharp and focused.
Oh and, don’t play the music at such a loud volume, as it may not only damage your ears, but may also distract you.
(I can’t count the times, when I suddenly stopped writing and began to dance, much to my chagrin.)
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And we reached the end! If you made it, till this part of the post then first of, thanks mate! I really appreciate that you took some time out of your schedule and spent in on myself.
If you loved this post, please leave a like and maybe a repost! It doesn’t cost you a dime, and you’ll not lose anything from it. Make sure to follow me too, for more tips and tricks, regarding writing.
Cheers!
Zack Hura
