Hey guys!
Today I wanted to talk about writing. Not just techniques,
but what I do to keep my writing muscles limber and all that good stuff. I want
to mainly focus on writing fiction today and keeping up with your inspiration.
The first thing I really want to say is that there is no one
right way to write. Inspiration comes in many different forms and you sort of
have to roll with it and let it show you the best techniques to help you in
that moment. I used to think that there was a ‘right way’ of writing and was
convinced that the reason I felt so crap at it was because I was doing it
wrong. In actual fact the reason I felt crap at it was because I was
overthinking it.
Some techniques that I’ve noticed that I take when I do
start writing is taking actual pens and paper rather than computers and
keyboards and doing a little be of freewriting. I’ve tried freewriting on a
computer, but I find that when I’m typing I think too much about spelling and
punctuation and whatnot. When I sit quietly (well, I’m quiet, my music is not)
with a pen and paper and just write I find I am more productive because there’s
no backspace button. So my piece of advice on freewriting is find a method that
makes you the most productive. If you find typing on a keyboard keeps your
creativity flowing then that’s what you should do. If you’re like me and prefer
putting pen to paper, that’s cool too. I do know that freewriting can be important
when writing fiction because it can take your story to places you didn’t originally
imagine it could go.
Once I think of a character I like to think about every
aspect of that character. I like to know where they came from before the story
is set, how their journey will affect them and what kind of life they might
have once the story is over. I like to use the characters to guide the story
rather than creating characters to fit the story and setting I create. I like
to create people I relate to on different levels, and I like to create people
who might raise serious questions about my mental stability.
As I go through the process of trying to create a new story I
would like to keep you guys updated on how it’s going and any new methods and
techniques I might discover along the way. At the moment I have mapped out the
two main characters and written the first chapter. I’m working through the
second chapter and I’ve written up ideas that constantly run through my mind
about it. I keep all my story and character ideas in a notebook and keep a
separate notebook for freewriting and chapter writing.
I hope this post helps anyone who loves to write but maybe
have some insecurities about it like I do. These posts won’t be super long, but I
do want to do them somewhat frequently. I don't claim to be a fountain of completely useful knowledge. like I said before, everyone writes differently, but, just as I have taken tips from others along the way, I hope that some of my tips can be added to some of your writing arsenals. :)
