Start Writing
It’s time to put the metaphorical pen to paper. Get your fingers on the keyboard. Start writing!
With your plot plan in hand (or at least nearby), you must begin writing. Here’s the rub: this is a first draft, and it doesn’t have to be good. In fact, it’s unusual for a first draft to be good, or sometimes even readable. This is the moment to get your words on the page, and not worry as much about spelling, grammar, or sentence structure. You can catch all that in editing.
Many people edit as they go. They’ll write a chapter and then edit it immediately. I really do not recommend doing that. I belong to the NaNoWriMo school of writing, which states that you should do all your writing at once (throw the word spaghetti at the wall) and then edit later (and see what sticks). While I know a small handful of people who successfully write and edit at the same time, please don’t. Start out with writing, and make your way to editing later.
When you’re writing, you should approach it as the serious job that it is. That doesn’t mean that your writing needs to be serious, but your attitude about it should be. This means you should sit down at a similar time each day (within your schedule), and write words.
The first thing new writers always worry about is writer’s block. I’m going to tell you right now that I do not believe in writer’s block. Are there going to be times when the words don’t flow like liquid gold out of your fingertips and onto the screen? Yes. That is likely going to be your usual method of writing, in fact.
The best thing you can do to combat writer’s block is to prepare yourself with ideas to move forward on in case you hit a mental road block. For me, this means I create or find several writing prompts that make me smile or giggle or that otherwise get an emotional response out of me. That emotional response is what is going to erase the writer’s block out of your life.
If you consider “working at it” and “slogging” as being your normal writing experience, punctuated with a handful of moments that are exceptional, you’ll do great. While writer’s block isn’t (shouldn’t be) a thing, being “in the zone” and creative really is a thing. Apply yourself equally each day, whether your work slogs or flows, and you’ll find it tends to flow more than it slogs.
Part of the reason for this is that writer’s block can only bother you if you allow it. If you’re prepared with your witty and emotional writing prompts, then when you hit a time where you can’t figure out how to move forward, you can grab a prompt. My rule for myself is that I write (or print out) all my prompts on paper, and put them in a mug by my computer. If I run out of ideas, I will pull out a prompt and use it. I am required to use it, in the scene that I’m currently working on (unless I suddenly have a real idea, in which case I can go back to normal writing).
A good example of using a prompt to evade writer’s block is when I was writing my first vampire novel. I got myself verbally painted into a corner and couldn’t figure a way out. As per my agreement with my brain, I reached into my mug and pulled out a prompt. It read, “Your characters will now play strip Twister.” Since my vampires were dealing with an ongoing battle at the time, this became a hilarious version of a “dance off.”
That scene did not end up in the finished novel, but it served its purpose. I had started writing again. The block was gone, because I was emotionally committed to seeing my vampires play strip Twister. I was chuckling in the back of my head. I wrote the scene, and by that time, my writing was flowing once more.
Writer’s block, as I said, can only hurt you if you allow it to. Once you’ve trained your brain to sit down and write for a certain amount of time each day, it will begin to obey your command. For those moments when you get stuck, you’ll have your handy list of random writing prompts, which will result in writing. Since the end goal is to write, you win no matter what ends up on paper. Once in a while, those funny moments end up staying in the final product, too!
The point which I wish to hammer home is that you need to write on a regular basis, on a schedule. I write most mornings, from 10am to noon, and sometimes as late as 1pm. I can do that, because this is my job. You may need to write for half an hour each evening, or over your lunch break, or before you head off to work. Whatever your schedule, it needs to be one that you can stick to, so make sure it’s reasonable. Write when you’re able.
Prime your mind for writing by setting up your writing area a few minutes before you sit down to work. You can train your brain to understand that when you put your coffee by the computer screen, it needs to be ready to create worlds.
Let me share an important side note, as well. Do your research at a separate time from your writing. When you’re writing, write. When you’re researching, research. Do not mix the two. If you have to quickly look something up, that’s fine, but just get your info, jot down the web page for future reference, and get back to writing. When it’s research time, you can use the entire time to go down educational rabbit holes.
Research, for me at least, is the same category as creating characters and places. I will use tools I mentioned in the first two lessons: World Anvil, largely. There are other programs, and you should use the one that works best for you. I keep all the information that I create or find in my world folder on the World Anvil site. That way, I can refer to it whenever I need to, without having to go looking around on the internet at large.
There are a handful of other tools that you should have access to while writing:
For more information on various tools:
Homework for the week:
With your plot plan in hand (or at least nearby), you must begin writing. Here’s the rub: this is a first draft, and it doesn’t have to be good. In fact, it’s unusual for a first draft to be good, or sometimes even readable. This is the moment to get your words on the page, and not worry as much about spelling, grammar, or sentence structure. You can catch all that in editing.
Many people edit as they go. They’ll write a chapter and then edit it immediately. I really do not recommend doing that. I belong to the NaNoWriMo school of writing, which states that you should do all your writing at once (throw the word spaghetti at the wall) and then edit later (and see what sticks). While I know a small handful of people who successfully write and edit at the same time, please don’t. Start out with writing, and make your way to editing later.
When you’re writing, you should approach it as the serious job that it is. That doesn’t mean that your writing needs to be serious, but your attitude about it should be. This means you should sit down at a similar time each day (within your schedule), and write words.
The first thing new writers always worry about is writer’s block. I’m going to tell you right now that I do not believe in writer’s block. Are there going to be times when the words don’t flow like liquid gold out of your fingertips and onto the screen? Yes. That is likely going to be your usual method of writing, in fact.
The best thing you can do to combat writer’s block is to prepare yourself with ideas to move forward on in case you hit a mental road block. For me, this means I create or find several writing prompts that make me smile or giggle or that otherwise get an emotional response out of me. That emotional response is what is going to erase the writer’s block out of your life.
If you consider “working at it” and “slogging” as being your normal writing experience, punctuated with a handful of moments that are exceptional, you’ll do great. While writer’s block isn’t (shouldn’t be) a thing, being “in the zone” and creative really is a thing. Apply yourself equally each day, whether your work slogs or flows, and you’ll find it tends to flow more than it slogs.
Part of the reason for this is that writer’s block can only bother you if you allow it. If you’re prepared with your witty and emotional writing prompts, then when you hit a time where you can’t figure out how to move forward, you can grab a prompt. My rule for myself is that I write (or print out) all my prompts on paper, and put them in a mug by my computer. If I run out of ideas, I will pull out a prompt and use it. I am required to use it, in the scene that I’m currently working on (unless I suddenly have a real idea, in which case I can go back to normal writing).
A good example of using a prompt to evade writer’s block is when I was writing my first vampire novel. I got myself verbally painted into a corner and couldn’t figure a way out. As per my agreement with my brain, I reached into my mug and pulled out a prompt. It read, “Your characters will now play strip Twister.” Since my vampires were dealing with an ongoing battle at the time, this became a hilarious version of a “dance off.”
That scene did not end up in the finished novel, but it served its purpose. I had started writing again. The block was gone, because I was emotionally committed to seeing my vampires play strip Twister. I was chuckling in the back of my head. I wrote the scene, and by that time, my writing was flowing once more.
Writer’s block, as I said, can only hurt you if you allow it to. Once you’ve trained your brain to sit down and write for a certain amount of time each day, it will begin to obey your command. For those moments when you get stuck, you’ll have your handy list of random writing prompts, which will result in writing. Since the end goal is to write, you win no matter what ends up on paper. Once in a while, those funny moments end up staying in the final product, too!
The point which I wish to hammer home is that you need to write on a regular basis, on a schedule. I write most mornings, from 10am to noon, and sometimes as late as 1pm. I can do that, because this is my job. You may need to write for half an hour each evening, or over your lunch break, or before you head off to work. Whatever your schedule, it needs to be one that you can stick to, so make sure it’s reasonable. Write when you’re able.
Prime your mind for writing by setting up your writing area a few minutes before you sit down to work. You can train your brain to understand that when you put your coffee by the computer screen, it needs to be ready to create worlds.
Let me share an important side note, as well. Do your research at a separate time from your writing. When you’re writing, write. When you’re researching, research. Do not mix the two. If you have to quickly look something up, that’s fine, but just get your info, jot down the web page for future reference, and get back to writing. When it’s research time, you can use the entire time to go down educational rabbit holes.
Research, for me at least, is the same category as creating characters and places. I will use tools I mentioned in the first two lessons: World Anvil, largely. There are other programs, and you should use the one that works best for you. I keep all the information that I create or find in my world folder on the World Anvil site. That way, I can refer to it whenever I need to, without having to go looking around on the internet at large.
There are a handful of other tools that you should have access to while writing:
For more information on various tools:
- Best Writing Apps and Tools
- Trello (for plotting and tracking)
- Plottr (for story arc plotting)
- Zotero (for collecting links for a bibliography)
Homework for the week:
- Set a writing schedule that is reasonable for your life.
- Stick to your writing schedule for two weeks.
- Set a writing goal (words per day), and stick to it.
- Write at least part of your story.
