Good Advice About Writing by Bonnie Le Hamilton

Sometimes when we don’t manage to write on any given day its because something came up. This happens to Konnie more than with me, but it does happen. None of us live on this planet alone. Life happens.

But sometimes we make the mistake of letting life happen, of letting life in the get the way. There could be lots of reasons, and I’m no expert on them since my biggest issue on not getting any writing done is my ADD, but I’ve witnessed a few things from my friends.

1.   They can’t seem to say no. They always have somewhere else to be or something else to do. They are constantly busy doing that something else.

This is a huge mistake. If you want to be a writer commit to it. Don’t let other activities get in your way. Learn how to prioritize. And yes, I know that isn’t easy, but if you want to make something of your writing you have to do it.

2.   They haven’t trained their family and friends to understand that this is important. Of course, that goes back to number one, you need to set aside time to write and make sure your family and friends know when that is.

So, if this is your problem, learn to say no. Learn to say, “I’m busy. Can that wait?” I once knew an author who spent her childrearing years writing non-fiction for hire and she had a passel full of kids while she worked from home but her list of published works is quite long.

How did she manage that?

Easy. She set a writing time and ENFORCED that time. She told me that she kept a damp cloth by her desk and if any member of her family came near her and interrupted her while she was writing, she grabbed the cloth and washed their face. Her kids learned quickly not to disturb her while she was writing.

The trick to this isn’t that cloth, but the fact that she didn’t back down, she didn’t relent. She told me they had to be bleeding or dying for it to be okay for them to interrupt her during her set writing time.

And that brings me to the third reason people have trouble writing.

3.   They don’t set a time to write.

You need to set a time when you are supposed to be writing. Let all your family and friend know this is your writing time, and don’t let them draw you away unless it’s a life or death situation.

(This also aids in the allowing the Muse to find you at an opportune time.) 😊

It doesn’t matter when or where you write, as long as you have a routine to write.

Now to solve that staring at the blank screen moment. That one’s harder, but there are some things that can help, and have helped me.

1.   If you are stuck on a project, move to another one, sooner or later the answer to your problem will come to you when you least expect it. It has for me.

2.   Try to relax. Fear and anxiety can be powerful roadblocks to the muse. Setting up a routine for writing will help with this, if you are used to writing at a certain time and a certain place, you will be comfortable and able to write when you are in that time and place. (And, of course, the muse will have an easier time finding you.)

3.   Remember that writing everyday isn’t limited to your WIP. Writing in journal is still writing. Writing to a friend or family member is still writing. Count those and put your mind at ease.

4.   When all else fails, pull out a kitchen timer and set it for ten minutes then stare at that screen or that blank sheet of paper telling yourself to write something. I have one such “stream of thought” where I started out writing that I didn’t know what to write and I was drawing a blank on any story, repeatedly, but by the time the ten minutes were up I’d started a scene to whole new a story!

I don’t know of a more powerful way to get someone writing again then by starting something new, because let’s face it, that blank screen moment could be the result fear, or the story isn’t working (been there done that), or you are just tired of that story right now. Sometimes you just need a break, not necessarily from writing, but from writing that story. And it’s okay to put something on the back burner for a while, start something new.

And Happy Writing Everyone! 😊

The Worst Writing Advice by Bonnie Le Hamitlon

I think the worst writing advice I’ve ever been given is to write every day. I know some people who are yelling heresy right now but hear me out. I have several very good reasons why this is bad advice.

1.  Not everyone in the world has time to write every day. Some people have to earn their living by some other means and or have a busy family life. Or like me, can’t always concentrate enough to write. Not everyone has the ability to sit at home every day and just write. Period.

2.  Sometimes life gets in the way. Accidents happen, loved ones (or you) can get sick and require a trip the doctor or hospital. Stuff happens. Accept that.

3.  Finally, it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t write every day.

I view this whole “write every day” thing in the same vein as the adage about having a bowel movement every day. Until you’re feeling the urge but are unable to produce anything, you don’t have a problem.

That said, there is a reason people say you should write every day. And the reason is PRACTICE. That's right, practice. Writing is a talent, but it is also a skill, and skill takes work just like playing an instrument does. You can have all the talent in the world, but its worth diddlysquat if you don’t perfect it.

The hard part is to recognize first that it isn’t always possible to “practice” every day, and that sometimes just “playing the scales” is all you can manage.

To put that in a writing prospective, well, sometimes life happens. Even I have days where I don’t write a single word and I live alone. I’ve written about some of those times (think ADD). But I know other people have other things that come up. Konnie can relate a mountain “something came up” stories.

So, you didn’t write today. Its not the end of the world, or your writing career. You only have a problem if the non-writing goes on for weeks, months, or even worse years. In weeks or months, you are unlikely to forget the skills you already learned. While in years of non-writing, I promise, you could forget some of those skills.

I know this from experience.

I started writing in grade school and wrote consistently until I graduated from high school, then life took over and I didn’t write much of anything for 14 years.

After so many years of not writing, I’d forgotten a ton of grammar rules, and let’s face it, I was never very good at spelling – ever! (Thank God for Spellcheck!) When I started writing again I had to relearn the very basics. And once I got that down, I learned there were things about writing I’d never learned before; I’m still learning the craft of writing today.

But absolutely do not fret if it is just a day or two that you don’t manage to write. Don’t fret it if you skip one or two days of writing a week. You’re fine.

You do need start worrying when it goes on for month or longer but there are ways to combat that.

First you need to recognize what the issue is.

Some issues I’ve had with writing are:

1. The story isn’t working out in some way, needs work, and I’m not sure how to fix it.

a.  Set it aside, give it time, work on some other story, eventually (and yes it can take years) the answer will come to you for the one you’re blocked on, promise.

2.   You have let fear or anxiety get in your way.

a.   I know I’ve been there, it's hard and scary to put your work out there. We’ve all been there. You are not alone. Relax, take a breath, and start writing. If it helps, write about your fears.

3.  You have stupidly been reading something by a favorite author and have decided you will be NEVER be able to write like that.

a.  First, you can’t write like someone else. You have to write from the heart, ergo you have to write like you, so you will never write like your favorite author. You may be able to learn some tips from their writing style, but you still have to write like you.

b.  Second, comparing your writing to something already published is like comparing your everyday life to someone else’s highlights reel on Facebook. You have no idea how many stories she discarded or how many edits she went through before she got published. You are seeing her highlights and comparing that to your daily grunge. I'm telling you, no one looks good in that comparison. Stop doing it.

Happy writing everyone! 😊