Good Writer Tactics
April 1, 2008
Being a writer is NOT easy. You know that. Whether you are a freelancer or a Pulitzer-prize winning novelist, an immense amount of work goes into each word you put on paper. And even the most renowned writers have to work at it. Sure, every writer has his own personal tricks to keep the content flowing and the copy crisp, but since I haven’t the time or the energy to track down really famous authors for their advice, I’ll share with you my own tidbits. Chew on them, savor them, but please, don’t spit them out.
Write every day. Let me preface this by saying, you don’t have to wake up every day at 5 am yearning to write for the next twelve hours. As stated earlier, writing is hard, but as with everything, it takes practice. Think of it this way. Michael Jordan certainly didn’t become the greatest basketball player of all time by only playing when he felt like it. And the same goes for you. Pick a time everyday to sit down and practice your craft. You can blog, journal, work on a freelance article, write your name over and over and over. The important thing is to get your brain in the habit of working daily.
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Make the most of your time. There will be days that you will sit down at your computer, and the creativity will flow like manna from heaven allowing you to capitalize on this copy catharsis. But if you’re anything like me, these days are few and far between. So what do you do the other 364 days a year? Read the rest of my blogs, of course. But seriously, keep your day’s writing goal in mind, and make the decision ahead of time to push through. Bounce your ideas, or lack thereof, off of other writers you know, and you may just find another route to the end of your project.
Realize you are your own worst critic (most of the time). In my experience, my most praised works have been the ones I personally thought were the worst. Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case all the time. Like I’ve said before, as writers, we get do-overs. And even when we feel as if our writing talent has chosen to take a hiatus right before deadline, the best copy can come from embracing the desperation. Think of it as a personal challenge. Get it all down on paper, and refuse to judge it until someone else has given their opinion. If you get good feedback, give yourself a pat on the back. Get negative feedback? Grit your teeth, rewrite it, and then thank God that writers get drafts.
