3 Incredibly Useful Tips to Get You Writing More

Thanks to all of you who came out to the first-ever Write-O-Rama this past Saturday. What an amazing group of writers in memoir, personal essay, fiction, poetry, plays, television, and even songs! You were an inspiration to each other and to me.

We laughed, we cried (kidding…I think), wrote and shared, analyzed an excerpt from a published work, identified our “why” for writing, and made a specific commitment to our writing for this week. In other words, we did a LOT in two hours!

If you couldn’t make it this time, there will be future Write-O-Ramas, so be on the lookout for them.

In the meantime, I want to share something from the session with all of you on this #MotivationMonday:

3 INCREDIBLY USEFUL TIPS TO GET YOU WRITING MORE

1.“WHY” YOURSELF!

•Importance of knowing your creative “why”

•Identify your ”why” for writing/figure out if you have a different “why” for different writing projects

•Write a few down now

•Look at them often and update them as they potentially change

2. CREATE EXTERNAL DEADLINES FOR YOURSELF

•Start a subscription newsletter or blog or propose a column

•Pitch agents or editors before you’ve fully completed a piece

•Get an accountability partner, form or join a writer’s group, go to a writing retreat, join a workshop class, etc.

3. DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU, NOT WHAT YOU THINK SHOULD WORK

•Don’t like to get up early to write? Write at the time of the day that’s best for you

•Don’t like setting a timer? Write by word count or number of pages instead (and vice versa)

•Don’t have time or desire to write every day? Write 3 or 4 days/week instead

•World’s worst saying, but I’m going to use it: “You do you!”

Which of these tips “speaks” to you? If you’d like, let us know in the Comments below. And, thanks, as always, for being such a great (and growing) community of writers.