Well, the long awaited third installment of the ‘get more words written‘ gang lies before you, eager to do as its brethren have done and provide an account of writing advice deciphered in order to be of more use to the modern writer.
Just like the last iteration of this series, every single person is different so some advice that may work for your friend might just end up irritating you instead – if you’re struggling to find something that works, give everything a go so you’ll know what works for you this time around – it may end up changing later too!
Failure to prepare…
Those, ahem, more unorganised among us may be rolling their eyes – but hang about! Planning is for some the least interesting part of writing, especially if you’re just itching to go and flesh out those worlds already, but more often than not, the way to build up a consistent writing schedule and keep coming back is to have a plan in place. This can be a detailed play-by-play of your storyline, plot points and structure or even just a few bullet points to refer back to and shape the script around, but it can help to keep things on track.
Some of you may be surprised to hear that planning is a skipped step – and you may already have your moodboards, character profiles and key scenes already mapped out. But for those who are a little reluctant to ‘waste’ precious time, you may want to consider alternative methods that are a little more creative, so get some inspiration for your work wherever you can and remember that you can always go outside the lines in whatever you pencil in: often times, this is exactly what will end up happening!
Acquiring dopamine
Keeping the laborious process fun will entice you to keep coming back. Unfortunately at the time of writing, NaNoWriMo is no more but there are plenty of offshoots to compete in, such as Deadlines For Writers. Set up groups with friends or other local writers to swap advice, run sessions or just co-exist, as a community spirit or friendly competition may be the tonic to get that word count rising, as well as quelling any risings of imposter syndrome.
If you’re going it alone, use productivity apps or trackers if you’re so inclined, as well as the wealth of information that the internet offers. The advice to read widely is great as you can pickpocket small ideas to grow them so they’re your own, and see how others have been successful. Additionally, make it fun for yourself too – reward yourself for hitting milestones or keeping up a streak, it’s all good progress!
Alright, now get to it!
Over the course of this trifecta of knowledge, the writing process has remained just as elusive as ever. But hopefully some ideas will stick with you, for better or worse, and will eventually give you a better idea of what strategies are worth using and which ones which may end up being worthwhile down the line.
Impish Fen 
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