EDITORIAL: Being Useless

#amwriting #writingtips #writers 

We've all been there, right? Feeling useless, feeling like whatever you bash out on to the page is not good enough. I'm going to let you into a secret: It doesn't matter. Everyone has days like that. Weeks like that, even. Weeks where you're not so much blocked as sluggish and undisciplined. And that's okay. The only thing is, sooner or later you're going to have to grab yourself by the shoulders and shake yourself silly until you just buckle down and do the work. Because if you don't write it, it won't get written.

And that's what you want, isn't it? The story swimming around in your head wants to get out into the world. You want to read it in its entirety instead of glimpsing snippets of the plot here and there. 

Now is a good a time as any to introduce the StoryWorld Foolproof Story Writing Plan. Ready? It's pretty complex, so here we go:

1. Start Writing
2. Keep Writing
3. Finish It.

Got that? 'Cos it really is that simple, when you boil it down. Let's take a look:

Start writing: You may have already done this, but it is amazing the amount of people who call themselves writers who don't complete this first step. It's hard, taking the idea in your head and producing the start of the story in prose, but it's not impossible. Once you've cracked this step, you need to move on to part two:

Keep writing: This is the tricky bit, and the bit where most startup writers flounder. Working on an ongoing story is hard because people usually don't build in the time in their lives to allow themselves to write. You may complete step one in a spare evening or a day off, but step two requires a regular pattern and applying yourself. So work to your own schedule. If you can only commit to every third weekend, then do so, but make sure you actually write something. Make a plan. Stick to it. KEEP WRITING!

Finish it: Some writers may go for years without getting to this step, but it may be the most important part. If you don't finish it, you won't have the full story to tinker with later. Don't know how to finish it? Finish it anyway. Stick an ending on there that you don't even like, and then shove the manuscript under your bed for six months until you can look at it with fresh eyes. The correct ending will jump right out at you. Once you have the first draft finished, you can legitimately say you have written it. Then all you've got to do is edit the thing...

So. Got that? Good. Now quit wasting time here and go write the thing.

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image: Catalin Pop http://www.sxc.hu/profile/catalin82